Papers by Georgia Butina Watson
Defining the Urban Condition: Accelerating Change in the Geography of Power, 1995
The importance of involving local residents and workers in the regeneration of run-down urban are... more The importance of involving local residents and workers in the regeneration of run-down urban areas is now enshrined in UK central government policy, through such programmes as Estate Action and City Challenge. However, it is widely accepted that effective community involvement is difficult to achieve in practice; and it is clear that one of the reasons for this difficulty stems from the presence of cultural barriers between architects and local people. The presence and importance of these barriers has been confirmed by various practitioners’ accounts (for example Thompson, 1988) and is consistently clear from the authors’ own consultancy experience in tenant-consultation work with the Oxford Brookes University Urban Regeneration Consultancy (URC) in a variety of situations, over the last six years (Bentley, 1993).
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2014
Cities, which are now inhabited by a majority of the world's population, are not only an importan... more Cities, which are now inhabited by a majority of the world's population, are not only an important source of global environmental and resource depletion problems, but can also act as important centres of technological innovation and social learning in the continuing quest for a low carbon future. Planning and managing large-scale transitions in cities to deal with these pressures require an understanding of urban retrofitting at city scale. In this context performative techniques (such as backcasting and roadmapping) can provide valuable tools for helping cities develop a strategic view of the future. However, it is also important to identify 'disruptive' and 'sustaining' technologies which may contribute to city-based sustainability transitions. This paper presents research findings from the EPSRC Retrofit 2050 project, and explores the relationship between technology roadmaps and transition theory literature, highlighting the research gaps at urban/city level. The paper develops a research methodology to describe the development of three guiding visions for city-regional retrofit futures, and identifies key sustaining and disruptive technologies at city scale within these visions using foresight (horizon scanning) techniques. The implications of the research for city-based transition studies and related methodologies are discussed.
Commercial property produces about 10% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 7% o... more Commercial property produces about 10% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 7% of UK energy. It is estimated that UK business is overlooking a potential cost‐saving of £1.6b through under‐investment in energy efficiency, with the UK's commercial retrofit market potential estimated at £9.7b (or US$16b). Using the multi‐level perspective (MLP) as a conceptual lens this chapter examines the nature and characteristics of the commercial property retrofit regime in the UK. Based on 37 face‐to‐face interviews conducted during 2012–2013 (as part of the EPSRC Retrofit 2050 programme) the chapter examines the trends in commercial property retrofitting at a ‘regime’ level to address the following key questions: (i) ‘Who’? by identifying the main stakeholders in the commercial property retrofit regime and its key features; (ii) ‘What’? by defining what is meant by ‘retrofit’ in the regime and examining the key retrofit technologies being used; (iii) ‘Why’? by examining the ...
URBAN DESIGN International, 2001
RealCorp 2020 Proceedings, 2020
Cities, especially in the global south, have expanded exponentially over the recent time. However... more Cities, especially in the global south, have expanded exponentially over the recent time. However, the pace of the required public acceptance of environmental change and the progression (invasion) into new ecosystems is not yet fully taking place at the same speed of the socio-cultural and natural identity changes and environmental awareness. Accordingly, scholars nowadays are calling for the pressing necessity of dealing with cities as socio-ecological realms, where social and ecological issues should be tackled and solved in an integrated manner. Future extensions of Cairo are promoted by the Egyptian government and the private sector promises unrealistic images of landscape futures through unsustainable landscape practices influencing the socio-cultural meanings and values of nature while disregarding the environmental context of the proposed new city extensions. Lush and vast open green spaces are being marketed on an everyday basis through billboards on main roads across the ca...
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2021
Urban regeneration and revitalisation of brownfield sites and urban areas are the result of funct... more Urban regeneration and revitalisation of brownfield sites and urban areas are the result of functional urban transformations and an approach to creating new methods for spatial change. This chapter presents various models of urban transformations with particular focus on ownership and the functional use of buildings and urban areas; strategic planning mechanisms for shaping and transforming brownfield areas; the role of citizens’ participation and engagement in the decision-making processes; and potential funding models and the value of public/private partnerships. First, the paper presents key theories and practice-based examples of brownfield regeneration and revitalisation schemes, using cases from London and Zagreb that have been implemented or are waiting to be realised. Discussions are also framed by a critical analysis of the two planning systems that underpin these interventions. Special attention is given to the role of “urban projects” as potential models for the functiona...
Town Planning Review, 1998
Making Better Places, 1993
... in relation to the Underground, Bob Langridge; in Mexico Diego Villaseñor, Ricardo Legorreta,... more ... in relation to the Underground, Bob Langridge; in Mexico Diego Villaseñor, Ricardo Legorreta, Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon,Carlos and LisaTejeda, Cecilia Martinez de la Macorra, Ana Maldonado Villaseñor and Luis Gabriel Juarez; in Bologna Pier Luigi Cervallati, Gianfranco ...
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Papers by Georgia Butina Watson