Thesis supervisor:
The research project explores Climate Controlled Environments (CCEs) as an innovative approach to urban production, creating specialized microclimates for food production, ecological protection, and human occupation. Although individually small-scale, collectively they are gaining importance globally as a response to the uncertainties of climate change. The study aims to critically analyze CEs, considering their effectiveness and productivity in relation to urban sociopolitical, technological, economic, and cultural contexts. It questions the unintended consequences of CEs and their implications for agriculture, challenging traditional notions of sun, soil, and climate components in the creation of life. The research examines whether CEs represent a new type of socio-technical infrastructure and their role in urban reproduction under conditions of uncertainty.
The methodology adopts an agnostic approach to information gathering, maintaining a critical distance from technology and taking into account diverse urban infrastructure policies. The research agenda focuses on the contextual specificities, objectives, and practices of CEs, as well as their socio-spatial consequences. To address these questions, the study proposes an analysis of the current state of volumetric climate urbanism, examining challenges, opportunities, instruments, and technologies, and studying the international circulations of CEs in different geographical regions and urban contexts.
Expected outcomes include a dissertation, articles in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations at conferences on urban planning and science and technology studies. The researcher plans to collaborate with popular media, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure concrete real-world impact. The mixed research approach includes literature reviews, empirical case studies, qualitative fieldwork, and the use of technologies such as digital twins and mapping. The goal is to contribute to ongoing debates on volumetric climate urbanism and urban futures, leveraging the expertise of the Gustave Eiffel University community.
Year of enrollment: 2023
Doctoral school: City, Transportation, Territories – VTT