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The COVID-19 pandemic has become a critical challenge for the higher education sector. Exploring the capacity of this sector to adapt in the state of uncertainty has become more significant than ever. In this paper, we critically reflect on our experience of teaching urban design research methods online during the early COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. This is an exploratory case study with a qualitative approach with an aim to inform resilient practices of teaching in the face of public health emergencies. Drawing on the experience of teaching the Research Methods and Techniques subject during lockdown, we discuss the rapid transition from face-to-face to online teaching and point to the challenges and opportunities in relation to the learning and teaching activities, assessment and feedback, and digital platforms. This paper concludes by outlining some key considerations to inform the development of more adaptive and resilient approaches to online teaching in the context of unprecedented global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that it is critical to move beyond fixed pedagogical frameworks to harness the productive capacities of adaptive teaching.
Nastaran Peimani; Hesam Kamalipour. Online Education and the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Case Study of Online Teaching During Lockdown. Education Sciences 2021, 11, 72 .
AMA StyleNastaran Peimani, Hesam Kamalipour. Online Education and the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Case Study of Online Teaching During Lockdown. Education Sciences. 2021; 11 (2):72.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNastaran Peimani; Hesam Kamalipour. 2021. "Online Education and the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Case Study of Online Teaching During Lockdown." Education Sciences 11, no. 2: 72.
Informal urbanism has become a widespread form of urbanisation, particularly in the context of the global South. While there is an emerging body of knowledge focusing on the morphologies of informal settlements, the incremental transformations of emerging settlements have remained underexplored. Drawing on a case study of an emerging settlement in Nigeria, we map the emergence and incremental transformation of access networks and buildings. This is an exploratory study focusing on the morphogenesis of emerging settlements to explore how the incremental production of space works. We adopt urban mapping and typology as key methods. Following the analysis of emerging access networks, this paper identifies three primary types of change, namely add, alter, and remove, and further develops a typology of emerging junctions by specifying four types of T, Y, X, and Mixed shape junctions. The incremental transformations of buildings primarily incorporate practices of addition and removal, among others. We also identify three forms of relation between the emerging access networks and buildings: access network first, building first, and co-production. We argue that moving towards developing adaptive design interventions relies on a sophisticated understanding of the process of morphogenesis in emerging settlements.
Hesam Kamalipour; Aminreza Iranmanesh. Morphogenesis of Emerging Settlements: Mapping Incremental Urbanism. Land 2021, 10, 89 .
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Aminreza Iranmanesh. Morphogenesis of Emerging Settlements: Mapping Incremental Urbanism. Land. 2021; 10 (1):89.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Aminreza Iranmanesh. 2021. "Morphogenesis of Emerging Settlements: Mapping Incremental Urbanism." Land 10, no. 1: 89.
Forms of informality—ranging from informal settlements to street vending and informal transport—have become integral, yet not necessarily limited to how cities of the global South work. Our aim in this paper is to explore the dynamics of informal urbanism in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which forms of informality can adapt in the state of uncertainty. This paper lies in the intersections of informal urbanism and urban design in relation to public health emergencies. This is an exploratory paper in nature, structured in three main sections to focus on the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic on informal settlements, street vending, and informal transport, respectively. We point to how different forms of informality work across cities and conclude by outlining some key considerations and discussing the role of urban design in addressing the capacities and challenges of informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty facing public health emergencies such as the Coronavirus pandemic.
Hesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. Informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty: forms of informality and urban health emergencies. URBAN DESIGN International 2020, 26, 122 -134.
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Nastaran Peimani. Informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty: forms of informality and urban health emergencies. URBAN DESIGN International. 2020; 26 (2):122-134.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. 2020. "Informal urbanism in the state of uncertainty: forms of informality and urban health emergencies." URBAN DESIGN International 26, no. 2: 122-134.
There has been an emerging interest in the study of urban design dimensions associated with Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs). However, addressing the question of how TOD principles laid out in the international literature can be explored in the context of the global South remains in an incipient stage. In this paper, we investigate the nexus between station walkable catchments and forms of urbanity around transit nodes by adopting an assemblage approach to cut across any separation of sociality and spatiality. Drawing on empirical research from two case studies in Tehran, this paper contributes to studies on transit urban design by developing two measures of accessibility—the Catchment of Accessible Public Spaces (CAPS) and Accessible Interfaces (AI). We found that the combination of high CAPS and high AI within a given time can enable streetlife intensity, which is also linked to a synergistic effect of a larger assemblage, including the number of entries and diversity of functions. We argue that a focus on both measures is critical to understand the performance and potential transformation of street networks in a TOD.
Nastaran Peimani; Hesam Kamalipour. Access and Forms of Urbanity in Public Space: Transit Urban Design Beyond the Global North. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3495 .
AMA StyleNastaran Peimani, Hesam Kamalipour. Access and Forms of Urbanity in Public Space: Transit Urban Design Beyond the Global North. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3495.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNastaran Peimani; Hesam Kamalipour. 2020. "Access and Forms of Urbanity in Public Space: Transit Urban Design Beyond the Global North." Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3495.
This paper engages with how the incremental production of space works in informal settlements. As one of the critical challenges of urbanism in the cities of the global South, informal settlements cannot be simply addressed through ruthless practices of demolition and eviction since they can often be incrementally upgraded on the same site. Such practices of upgrading rely on a sophisticated understanding of how urban morphology and adaptation work in informal settlements. In this paper, I focus on the fluidity of space by drawing on a case study of an informal settlement in Pune, India. The key research methods are observation and visual recording. The results of this study provide a better understanding of how informal settlements work in terms of urban morphologies and adaptations. Such an understanding plays a significant role in exploring how the capacities of informality can be developed in consistency with the incremental upgrading of codes regarding public open space, access network, construction, and functional mix. This paper contributes to the ways in which built environment professions can effectively engage with incremental transformations of informal settlements.
Hesam Kamalipour. Improvising Places: The Fluidity of Space in Informal Settlements. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2293 .
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour. Improvising Places: The Fluidity of Space in Informal Settlements. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (6):2293.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour. 2020. "Improvising Places: The Fluidity of Space in Informal Settlements." Sustainability 12, no. 6: 2293.
Informal settlement is a form of incremental urban design and planning that seems set to remain a primary mode of urban development in cities of the global South. Yet, we know very little about how incremental urbanism works. In this paper, we suggest a typology of increments as a conceptual lens for understanding the emergence of informal settlement morphologies. We consider the ways residents extend and renovate buildings at micro-spatial scales and identify typical increments of ‘extend’, ‘attach’, ‘replace’, ‘divide’, ‘connect’ and ‘infill’. We also explore the informal rights and codes that govern the ways in which some increments encroach on public space – ‘rights of way’, ‘air-rights’ and ‘the right to light and ventilation’. We engage with the paradox that while every increment is a form of upgrading, informal settlements often produce slum conditions. We suggest that the most effective knowledge base for slum upgrading practices lies in a better understanding of informal settlement as a mode of spatial production.
Hesam Kamalipour; Kim Dovey. Incremental production of urban space: A typology of informal design. Habitat International 2020, 98, 102133 .
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Kim Dovey. Incremental production of urban space: A typology of informal design. Habitat International. 2020; 98 ():102133.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Kim Dovey. 2020. "Incremental production of urban space: A typology of informal design." Habitat International 98, no. : 102133.
Street trading has become integral to how public space works in cities of the global South. It cannot be considered as marginal since it gears to the urban economy and works as a key mode of income generation for the urban poor to sustain livelihoods. A poor understanding of how forms of street trading work in public space can lead to poor design and policy interventions. While many practices of formalization aim at the elimination of informality, the challenge is to explore the complex informal/formal relations and the dynamics of street trading to understand how forms of informality negotiate space and visibility in the public realm. In this paper, we propose a typology of street trading, based on the criteria of mobility within public space and proximity to public/private urban interfaces. While exploring the degrees of mobility in informal street trading can be crucial to the modes of governance and adaptability involved, of critical importance is to investigate how street trading takes place in relation to the built form—particularly the edges of public space where public/private interfaces enable or constrain exchange and appropriation. The developed typology provides a better understanding of the dynamics of street trading and contributes to the ways in which the built environment professions can most effectively engage with interventions in public space without eradicating the scope for informal adaptations.
Hesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. Negotiating Space and Visibility: Forms of Informality in Public Space. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4807 .
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Nastaran Peimani. Negotiating Space and Visibility: Forms of Informality in Public Space. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (17):4807.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. 2019. "Negotiating Space and Visibility: Forms of Informality in Public Space." Sustainability 11, no. 17: 4807.
Informal urbanism, ranging from informal settlements to trading and transport, has become integral, but not limited, to the ways in which cities of the global South work. At stake here is the role of the built environment professions in responding to informal urbanism where a poor understanding of the complexities of informality can lead to poor design interventions. Providing a better understanding of how forms of informality work is then a key task for the built environment education, which arguably falls short in this regard. With a particular focus on urban design, we suggest that it is critical to move towards an informal turn in the built environment education to address informality and engage with the dynamics of informal urbanism. We first investigate the scope of urban design and then explore the ways in which urban design education can respond to informal urbanism in its curricula by developing an urban design program on informality as an illustration. The suggested approach can be considered as an initial step towards an informal turn in urban design education. We conclude that while urban design alone cannot solve social and economic problems, including poverty and inequality, its capacity to address the complex challenges of urbanization cannot be overlooked. Urban design education cannot remain isolated from the questions of informality anymore.
Hesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. Towards an Informal Turn in the Built Environment Education: Informality and Urban Design Pedagogy. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4163 .
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Nastaran Peimani. Towards an Informal Turn in the Built Environment Education: Informality and Urban Design Pedagogy. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (15):4163.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Nastaran Peimani. 2019. "Towards an Informal Turn in the Built Environment Education: Informality and Urban Design Pedagogy." Sustainability 11, no. 15: 4163.
Informal settlements in cities of the global South are generally identified by a dense, small-grain and irregular urban morphology. Such neighbourhoods are rarely entered by those from the formal city and their visibility within the urban landscape can have a significant impact on decisions over whether and how they might be upgraded or demolished. This paper explores this issue from the perspective of the role of topography and urban morphology in mediating the gaze from the formal to the informal city. A simple typology of spatial visibility is developed according to whether the formal gaze is an overview or streetview, and whether it is private or public. This framework is then used to map the visibility of three case studies at district scale in the cities of Bangkok (Thailand), Pune (India) and Medellin (Colombia). These cases are then used to illustrate how different types and degrees of visibility are introduced or erased through different forms of urban design, transport infrastructure, high-rise development and public policy. We conclude by discussing different approaches to the transformation of place identity: concealing or revealing informal settlements on the one hand, and blurring or accentuating informal/formal distinctions on the other.
Hesam Kamalipour; Kim Dovey. Mapping the visibility of informal settlements. Habitat International 2019, 85, 63 -75.
AMA StyleHesam Kamalipour, Kim Dovey. Mapping the visibility of informal settlements. Habitat International. 2019; 85 ():63-75.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesam Kamalipour; Kim Dovey. 2019. "Mapping the visibility of informal settlements." Habitat International 85, no. : 63-75.