Plants and Planting in Mediterranean Landscapes (Volume 1)

Abstract

This book summarizes the goals, methods, implementation, and results of the VLC Summer School on Synergic Urban Infrastructures. The course was organized as a Blended Intensive Program (BIP) by the Polytechnic University of Valencia with the collaboration of other universities from the ENHANCE Alliance (Politecnico di Milano, Technical University of Berlin, RWTH Aachen University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Warsaw University of Technology). The course was triggered by an ambitious goal: exploring new tools and procedures to inform the urban planning process in a time of increasing specialization and scientification of the planning discipline. As presented in this book, the use of the 'synergy' concept provided a useful platform to integrate different urban dimensions by considering how each urban infrastructure or system (green, blue, social, housing, mobility, and energy) interacts with each other. In particular, following a highly interdisciplinary approach, 36 students and 16 professors from different academic fields worked together during the course in the development of conceptual frameworks, methodological tools, and synergistic proposals for a pilot area located in the city of Valencia (Spain). Overall, the development and results of the Summer School displayed in this book exceeded the highest expectations of the organizers and participants, paving the way for future and more ambitious collaborations within the Urban Planning pathway of the ENHANCE alliance.