Research Overture 6: Extended Urbanisation in Agricultural Territories
15 Dec | Researchers of the New Urban Agendas under Planetary Urbanisation module will speak on design strategies and issues of urbanisation in agricultural territories.
What is the future of agricultural territories that are exposed to rapid and far-reaching urban transformation processes - with massive social and environmental implications?
Nearly half of the planet’s total land area is currently dedicated to some form of agricultural production, making agriculture one of the most important fields of action to address the manifold problematic of sustainability. Extended urbanisation in agricultural areas often generates risks for climate change, exhaustion of water and natural resources, consumption of arable land, and depletion of soil fertility, as well as disadvantaging local populations, generating forced migration and affecting quality of life. Furthermore, the industrialisation of agriculture, including dependence on fertilisers, pesticides and fossil fuels, often results in soil erosion and long-term environmental pollution. More theoretical and empirical work on processes of extended urbanisation in agricultural territories is urgent.
The project 'New Urban Agendas under Planetary Urbanisation' analyses these processes in agricultural territories of the Zurich metropolitan region, Arcadia (Greece), Johor (Malaysia), Delhi (India), and the Northeast of Thailand in three typical forms: 1) operationalised landscapes of industrial agriculture, 2) peripheralised mountain regions, and 3) enclosed and fragmented agricultural landscapes in extended metropolitan regions. It uses cartography to synthesise interdisciplinary research results from ethnographic fieldwork, soil ecologies and ecosystem services.
Presenters
- Prof. Dr. Christian Schmid
Principal Investigator & Professor, Chair of Sociology, D-ARCH, ETH Zürich
- external page Asst. Prof. Dr. Naomi Hanakata
Principal Investigator & Asst. Professor, DOA Architecture, NUS
- Dr. Nitin Bathla
Postdoctoral researcher, Chair of Sociology, D-ARCH, ETH Zürich
- Karoline Kostka
Senior Researcher, Chair of Architecture and Territorial Planning, D-ARCH, ETH Zürich
FCL Global Research Overture
This webinar is part of the Research Overture seminar series, which focuses on new research topics being developed at Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global). Each seminar features the team leading the research, who will articulate their aims and aspirations, as well as the challenges they expect. It is also an opportunity for participants to help shape the research through dialogue.