A Socio-spatial Approach to the First Legal Hall Cohousing Setting in Switzerland: The Case Study of Hallenwohnen in Zurich

This study explores the collective settings of Hallenwohnen (hall dwelling) as a section of the Zollhaus settlement, which is the follow-up project by the Kalkbreite housing cooperative and has been in function since January 2021 in Zurich, Switzerland. Hallenwohnen is the first legal hall cohousing arrangement in Switzerland. The private and semiprivate spaces of Hallenwohnen consist of a large open hall with collective basic structures and mobile residential towers (roll spaces) as the core concept, which offer an affordable, self-managed/self-build, collaborative coliving and coworking arrangement in the center of Zurich. The qualitative case study method was applied through semistructured interviews with occupants of Hallenwohnen, direct observations, spatial investigations and document analyses. The results reveal that the innovative socio-spatial potentials of the intermediate spaces have been activated through the participatory intentions of the community. Living as one household in a collective arrangement and multiplicity usage of hybrid spaces have activated participation-capable housing spaces, while constraints and conflicts have mobilized the (re)negotiations and reinterpretations of collective housing spaces.

In the name of housing

In his 1925 book Groszstadtbauten, Ludwig Hilberseimertalks about the relation of city form to that of the smallest single architectural unit; a room within a house. This commentary is validated by the fact that the residential fabric of any city comprises most of that city’s built form. For most people, this means the form of housing. This essay focuses on the history of architecture relating to housing in the city of Mumbai. The tie between Mumbai’s form and its inhabitation. Looking specifically at the architectural form of these projects, they become instructive both through the breadth of their variations, as well as the depth of their spatial and formal engagements. Building on the history of housing in Mumbai since the early-nineteenth century the essay presents a typology of housing inhabited by ordinary people and their immediate spatial ecologies which facilitate a specific manner of compressed living. These types are commentaries on technology, lifestyle, and culture are all situated within the particularities of their respective time. Nevertheless, these unique armatures still seem to gravitate around certain emergent commonalities that could provide an armature for the design of collective housing models in the future.

COLOUR & LIGHT DESIGN: AMBIENCE AS AN ANSWER TO THE PROBLEMS OF A HEALTHY COLLECTIVE HOUSING.

For several months now, the global pandemic that we are experiencing has highlighted that the quality of the habitat has a proven impact on our quality of life. In this context, it becomes fundamental to take into account the needs of each individual. The aim of this study is to show the benefits of designing the right atmosphere for the place and the needs of all inhabitants. Designing the ambience of a space leads us to anticipate the environment that will influence the subject who lives there. The design of the colour and light atmosphere contributes to improving the quality of life by ensuring a certain comfort in their daily activities. Through a case study, we will present an analysis protocol to examine a visual environment. The data collected will allow designers to move towards a more sensitive and adapted design of lighting and colour applied to collective housing.

COVID-19 versus Seasonal Influenza: Comparison of Profiles of Older Adults Hospitalized in a Short-Term Geriatric Ward in France

The objective was to compare the profile and outcomes of older adults admitted to a geriatric short-stay unit for COVID-19, to those of older adults admitted to the same unit for seasonal influenza infection. This was an observational study performed in a General Hospital in France. Patients ≥ 70 years admitted to a geriatric short-stay unit for COVID-19 between March 18 and November 15, 2020 were included. They were compared with patients of the same age group, admitted to the same geriatric short-stay unit for seasonal influenza infection over the periods January to March 2019 and January to March 2020. Data collection included demographic information, medical history, clinical signs and symptoms, outcomes, and hospital discharge patterns. Descriptive and intergroup comparison analyses were performed. In total, 153 patients were included in the study, 82 in the seasonal influenza group, and 71 in the COVID-19 group. The average age was 87.6 ± 4.8 and 87.6 ± 6.5 years in the COVID-19 and seasonal influenza groups, respectively. There was no difference between groups regarding the Charlson comorbidity index (3.4 ± 3.0 versus 3.4 ± 2.8). The seasonal influenza group more often had fever, cough, sputum, and renal failure, whereas the COVID-19 group more often experienced diarrhea, and death. The COVID-19 group was frequently living in collective housing. The profile at admission of older adults hospitalized for COVID-19 or seasonal influenza infection was similar. Although fever and respiratory signs were less common in the COVID-19 group, these patients experienced more complications (such as renal failure or oxygen therapy requirement) and higher mortality.

Urban collective housing: safety and hygiene on site. Contributions for the management of excavations, submurations and demolitions

In Argentina, public policies related to Safety and Hygiene started at the beginning of the 20th century, and it was not until the 1970s that the first regulations related to the subject were passed, when the current Law Nº 19587 on "Safety and Hygiene at Work" was sanctioned. In particular, the construction industry, since 1996, has had a complementary regulatory framework with Decree Nº 911. On the other hand, the demolition, excavation and submurder stages found an intervention mechanism with SRT Resolutions Nº 550/11 and SRT Nº 503/14. However, the regulatory framework does not provide specificity in relation to procedures and consequently does not guarantee efficiency/effectiveness in operational terms. This work exposes a gap, which, from a particular methodological approach, concludes with the obtaining of results, as it verifies the levels of compliance of the actions in the traceability of the work, aimed at framing the demolition, excavation and submuration tasks according to regulatory parameters of Health and Safety established by the instrument of analysis / matrix. As part of the final considerations, this work proposes to contribute with management guidelines for the aforementioned tasks in urban collective housing works.

Hanoi’s Built Materiality and the Scales of Anthropology

Hanoi’s ‘collective housing quarters’ (KTTs) are a living legacy of its socialist past. Since the 2000s the state has set out radical redevelopment plans to transform KTTs into new buildings, but these have largely failed. What are the possible explanations for this failure? KTTs have gradually transformed in their material forms through self-built modifications initiated by residents. Such material property of KTTs bears on the pathway of redevelopment, but official discourses are silent about this. In this article I show how KTTs as things have the capacity to transform anthropological thinking. The material property of KTTs as a citywide phenomenon affords a particular scale of analysis, with which we can imagine humans as participants in the material world instead of viewing materialities as participants in society.

The Socioeconomic Integration of People in Need of International Protection: A Spatial Approach in the Case of Greece

This paper explores the impact of dispersal policy of asylum seekers in Greece under the accommodation scheme running in the country. Combining an analysis of secondary data and the findings of field research through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in migration governance, the authors seek to identify whether there are differences in the integration prospects between the residents of the camps, which are mostly outside cities or in rural areas, and the beneficiaries of urban autonomous living. The contribution of this paper lies in that it brings into the spotlight the spatial criterion for the evaluation of integration both under the lens of rural–urban placement as well as under the lens of collective-autonomous living. To this end, it follows the integration policies and practices implemented at national and local levels and compares the access granted to people in need of international protection and their outcomes. The findings are in accordance with the literature supporting that the positive impact of urban autonomous living in socioeconomic integration usually prevails the residence in rural collective housing. However, it points out the importance of local actors in the success of integration efforts.

Implications of Urban Law on Urban Renewal Projects in the Historical Center of Lima

The Historic Center of Lima currently shows signs of urban deterioration as a result of the processes of exclusion and spatial segregation that have characterized the intense urban growth of the city of Lima. In the face of this urban deterioration, urban renewal processes are an instrument of transformation that acts as surgery for the recovery and reintegration of deteriorated central areas into the functioning of the current city. As a general, urban law regulates urban problems resulting from the transformation of urban lands, including the deterioration of central areas. In particular, actions in traditional central areas have regulations for the protection of cultural heritage. Therefore, the execution of the urban renewal process requires different regulatory instruments to plan and manage the renewal process, which defines its scope. In this sense, the present research has been proposed to address the implementation process of three urban renewal projects in collective housing located in the Historic Center of Lima; "Casa de las Columnas", the "Conjunto de Vivienda La Muralla" and the "Proyecto Piloto Martinete", to identify the effectiveness of the scope of the legal framework of urban renewal, as well as the procedures of intervention in historic centers and monumental areas. Focus on the analysis of the public administration's management, execution, and control activities in the land transformation process of deteriorated traditional urban areas. The article consists of the following parts. First, some conceptual considerations on urban renewal and its relationship with urban law are presented. The next section provides an overview of the state of the regulatory framework for urban renewal in Peru, which is key to contextualize the analysis of the case studies. The third part presents the study methodology and the limitations of the study. The fourth part presents the case studies and develops the scope of the legal framework of urban renewal in the case studies. Finally, some final reflections and conclusions are presented that establish the important elements that should be considered in the legal framework of urban renewal.