Speaker
Description
In the last years, hybridization (or hybridity) has gained a great momentum in our cities and urban regions. However, hybridization is not a recent phenomenon, and it has been discussed since the 1980s. For example, planning and architecture have seen hybridization as a mixture of spatio-functional features (such as mixed use, multi-functionality and flexibility) and social features (such as formal and informal interactions and the spontaneous appropriation of spaces) or have sometimes simply focused on the physical dimension of urban spaces. Studies from other disciplines (e. g. mobility networks, transportation, sociology and information technology) have shown that the rapid technological advancements are impacting our cities and contributing to accelerate hybridization processes. Thus, hybridity requires a deeper understanding of this mixture of physical, social and digital spaces/features since it can contribute to re-shape the urban environments and lead to new hybrid cities and lifestyles.
Hybridization has experienced a notable surge during the pandemic amongst official planners, policy makers and stakeholders. The debate around hybrid city spaces and buildings has also gained greater attention in relation to the hybrid work. However, little is known about other forms of hybridity linked to other urban domains such as leisure, transport, housing, learning, retail, governance and care.
Firstly, the study provides a conceptual framework for exploring the hybridization processes within living, working and urban green care. Then, the study provides a comparative overview of the two urban regions of Oslo and Lisbon. The data were collected within the HYBGEN project (Young generations trapped in hybrid lifestyles: Challenges in ways of living and working towards the urban green care in Lisbon and Oslo- Research funded by EEA Grants, 2024), which was led by the two co-authors. The collaborative workshop was used as an investigative method of this study. To specify, two workshops were arranged in Oslo and Lisbon, respectively, between May and July 2024. Through the workshops, we aimed to i) profile the hybrid lifestyle of participants (through interviews in pairs); ii) develop scenarios for hybrid lifestyles (by using group work); and iii) identify and discuss the implications for society and urban regions (within group discussions)
The findings of the study reveal that young Norwegians prioritize sustainable consumption, aiming to minimize their ecological footprint while embracing a healthier lifestyle. In Portugal the young people express deep dissatisfaction with the lack of social support for housing, job insecurity, and low wages. This frustration is further mirrored in their aspirations to emigrate and a perceived helplessness in addressing climate change.
The study contributes to explore different forms of hybridity that can co-exist and be complementary within the three domains of living, working and urban green care and their impacts on new narratives and strategies in planning. Several implications for society and cities, such as sustainable consumption, climate adaptation, inter-generational interactions, equitable future and societal transitions are also discussed.
References
1) Castells, M. (2011). The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture (Second edition.,, Volume 1). Oxford: Wiley & Backwell
2) Di Marino M., Aboutalebi Tabrizi H., Chavoshi H. & Sinitsyna A. (2022). Hybrid Cities and New Working Spaces - The case of Oslo. Progress in Planning https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305900622000666
3) Matern, A., Binder, J., & Noack, A. (2019). Smart regions: insights from hybridization
and peripheralization research. European Planning Studies, 28(10), 2060–2077.
4) Symstad A.J., Fisichelli, N.A., Miller, B.W., Rowland E., and Schuurman, G. W. (2017). Multiple methods for multiple futures: Integrating qualitative scenario planning and quantitative simulation modeling for natural resource decision making, Climate Risk Management,17: 78-91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.07.002.
| Keywords | hybridization; digitalization; urban green care: young generations; sustainable consumption; |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
