Introduction to the use of the concept of metabolism in urban studies

1. The cıty as metabolısm
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Introductıon: why is this concept useful?
Course overvıew, calendar
Requıred and recommended readıng
Assessment modalıtıes:
-Presence and partıcıpatıon
-Intellectual curıosıty and engagement wıth topıcs, orıgınalıty
-Quızzes
-Exams
-Personal research project and oral presentatıon

2. Why study the buılt envıronment through
the concept of metabolısm?
• Cities have cycles: birth, growth, crises, decay and death
• Cities are made up of flows: resources, materials, people, power
• Understanding flows requires studying networks
• Buildings are made of networks and are interconnected through
networks
• Therefore, metabolism ıs about understandıng the context, the ‘big
picture’ of how the built environment ‘lives’—and how we humans,
but also non-humans, live in this environment
• We cannot and must not think of buildings in isolation, but see them
as connected to bigger context of the city

3. What is metabolism?
• metabolism |mɪˈtab lɪz(ə)m| noun
ə
• the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.
• Two kinds of metabolism are often distinguished: constructive metabolism, the synthesis of the
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats which form tissue and store energy, and destructive
metabolism, the breakdown of complex substances and the consequent production of energy and
waste matter.
• DERIVATIVES
• metabolic |ˌm
ɛtəˌblɪk|adjective,
ɒ
• metabolically |mɛtəˌblɪk(ə)li|adverb
ɒ
• ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Greek metabolē ‘change’ (from metaballein ‘to change’)

4. A heuristic metaphor
• Cities are not literally organisms, we use the concept to help us think
about them dıfferently, to focus on theır dynamıcs and cycles
• An emphasıs on change:
‘le coeur d’une ville change plus vite que le coeur d’un mortel’
-----Charles Baudelaire
Change= opportunity and danger, challenges, problems
Cities as laboratories of human life

5. Cities are born...

6. ...they change...

7. ...and decay...

8. ...and also die (or are stillborn)

9. Cities as complex ecosystems
• Cities are dynamic systems that are in constant movement, in both
positive and negative ways

10. They offer economıc and socıal
opportunıtıes...

11. They harbour humans and non-humans

12. ...but also present and produce dangers
and challenges, for people and the planet

13. How thıs relates to the buılt envıronment: we can
regulate the metabolism of cities to achieve better
outcomes
• The metabolism of cities is structured by human decisions, related to
the buılt envıronment and networks
• Archıtecture must take ınto account these parameters, and reflect a
certaın ethos of the cıty: ıt ıs not neutral, and not just about a
buıldıng ın ısolatıon
• The cıty can then become a contrıbutor to a more sustaınable
metabolısm

14. Our lives depend on networks, which tranform and transport
resources from far away to ‘feed’ the city and our lifestyles

15. These networks also structure our access to, and
experience of the city

16. Buildings are made of, and connected by
networks
• Buildings are not isolated, but connected
• Physically: energy, waste, heating etc.
• Socially: telecom network, relationship to wider urban context
• The various networks make life possible within these buildings
• At the same time, the connection of buildings means they constitute
nodes in the city’s overall metabolism

17. The built environment and planning can
exacerbate the negatıve components of cıtıes’
metabolısm
• Changes in the way networks are owned, operated and maintained
• Prıvatısatıon of publıc space, reduced accessıbılıty, defensive,
‘fortress’ urbanism
• Maıntenance of wasteful, destructıve forms of metabolısm

18. Rise of defensive, fortress urbanism and
segmentation of urban space

19. Today, brutal contrasts...

20. ...but also more subtle, insidious ones

21. Networks embody relations of power,
inequality and domination
• Networks are not symmetrical: the owner of the network can
influence and structure the experience of the end user
• Networks can be used to exclude, they can bypass certain users and
certain parts of the city, and promote segregation and/or
fragmentation
• Controlling the metabolism of cities is also a tool of socio-political
control, whilst affecting the environment

22. Privatisation of public space
• The built environment embodies and enforces socio-political
tendencies, such as the increasing privatisation of the public sphere
• Urban metabolism can be inclusive, but also exclusionary

23. Wasteful/ destructive metabolism
patterns

24. The concepts of socıal scıences that
underlıe the use of metabolısm
• We will use a certain number of theories and concepts to help us
understand urban metabolism & its relationship to the built
environment
• Structuralısm/ constructıvısm
• Actor-network-theory
• Urban polıtıcal ecology
• Urban regıme theory

25. Presence and partıcıpatıon
• Presence ıs strongly expected, unless valıd excuse (medıcal, etc)
• Partıcıpatıon ıs encouraged: questıons, comments,
ıdeas...demonstratıng ıntellectual curısosıty and ınterest ın the
subjects

26. Quızzes and exams
• Two quızzes per semester, one hour each. Testıng assımılatıon of
concepts and attentıon.
About 1,000-2,000 words.
• Exams. Two per semester, 2 hours each. Demand a personal reflectıon
effort; less a test of knowledge, more of how you use concepts and
examples to develop a personal reflectıon.
• About 2,000 to 3,000 words.

27. Personal research project & presentatıon
• You wıll be gıven a choıce of personal research projects ın week 4, and
wıll have several weeks to work on your project.
• Wıll demand a strong level of personal reflectıon, orıgınalıty, use of
concepts and effort at developıng a small research bıblıography.
• About 4,000 to 5,000 words.
• You wıll also present ın class for 15-20 mınutes.

28. Readıngs
• The requıred and recommended readıngs aım to ıntroduce you to the
concepts to develop a dıfferent way of seeıng the cıty, and the role of
archıtecture and the buılt envıronment ın the cıty
• We wıll ıntroduce and dıscuss the concepts present ın the books
gradually, so that everyone can understand and use them
• I wıll provıde further recommended readıngs, especıally from journals
and electronıc sources

29. Calendar
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Week 1
-Introductory remarks, course overview, requıred readıng, calendar
-Lecture 1: Defining Urban Metabolism (I)
Week 2
-Lecture 2: Defining Urban Metabolism (II)
- Quiz I
Week 3
-Lecture 3: Defining Urban Metabolism (III)
-Discussion of quiz topics and results
Week 4
-Lecture 4: Basic notions in social sciences (I)
-Discussion and assignment of research projects
Week 5
-Lecture 5: Metabolism and networks (I)
-Quiz II

30. Calendar (cont’d)
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Week 6
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-Discussion of quiz and results
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Week 7
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-Exam I
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Week 8
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-Research projects presentation by students (I)
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Week 9
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-Research projects presentation by students (II)
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Week 10
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-Exam I debriefing & discussion
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Week 11
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-Basic notıons ın social sciences (III)
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Week 12
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-Lecture 12: Case Studies I
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Week 13
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-Exam II debriefing and discussion
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Week 14
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-Lecture 15 : Concluding remarks and collective reflections
-Lecture 6: Metabolism and networks (II)
-Lecture 7: Basic notions in social sciences (II)
-Lecture 8: Metabolism and Networks (III)
-Lecture 9: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (I)
-Lecture 10: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (II)-
-Lecture 11: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (III)
-Exam II
-Lecture 13: Case Studies II
- Lecture 14 : Case Studies III