Description: This PhD course takes point of departure in a focus on the ‘mobile situations’ and how these are ‘staged’ in complex processes of infrastructural system-logics as well as in myriads of individual and incremental decisions. This is a research that asks the pragmatic question: What makes a given mobile situation possible? From the point of view of ‘critical mobilties thinking’ it is proposed that mobilities research needs both to be ‘critical’ in relation to identifying ‘problems’ as well as ‘potentials’. Most research on mobilities is good at the former, but less developed in relation to the latter. Therefore engaged with urban design, architecture and other design disciplines is needed in order to explore their ‘potential seeking’ capabilities. Based on this the ‘staging mobilities’ opens up to a more design-oriented and material perspective on mobilities. The course explores what may be termed a new ‘material turn’ in mobility research. It is a turn that orients itself towards design, space, and ‘materialities of mobilities’ much more than earlier research have done. In order to do so one must engage with the new and emerging research field of ‘mobilities design’ as an attempt to meet some of these challenges facing future mobility. The course is comprised of key lectures, hands-on workshop discussion where the focus is on plans and models of mobilities design as well as a reading of key texts in advance of the course. The participants will have the option of taking a 5 ECTS version where a written essay must be handed in after the course. The course has limited number of texts to be read as the key is to work on the material examples/cases provided by the course organizers. The course appeals to a cross-disciplinary audience from Architecture and Urban Design over Planning to Sociology, Geography and Anthropology.
Organizer: Professor Ole B. Jensen and PhD Student Ditte Bendix Lanng
Lecturers:
ECTS: 3 (5 with essay)
Time: 8-10 December, 2014
Place: Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University
Zip code: 9220
City: Aalborg
Number of seats: 15
Deadline: 17 November, 2014
- Teacher: Ole B. Jensen
- Teacher: Ditte Bendix Lanng