up & down, the hill of the Croix-Rousse ; 31 March / 11 April 2014 Lyon

Abstract

The Erasmus Intensive Program, titled "A Comparative Study of the Contribution of In-Between Places to Urban Life: 'Passing, Passage, Arcades' as Semi-Public Spaces," builds upon the outgoing studies conducted since 2009 by MSFAU and ENSAL, which focus primarily on the concept of "passing." In 2012, PdT joined the team, and the subject expanded to include semi-public spaces and their role in transmission. The primary aim of the program was to study the intersection of different scales—specifically architectural and urban scales.

The three-year IP program began with a 15-day workshop titled “by_pass_ing Karaköy” in Istanbul in 2013. The main objective of the workshop was to gather data and accumulate knowledge in order to compare different forms of semi-public transition places across diverse cultures and geographies. The "passing" concept served as the central theme, with subtopics including the following: the historical formation process of such spaces, their physical characteristics within the city’s morphology, the physical and social determinants that shape them, the type of life these spaces support, and how traditional/local places can adapt to contemporary expectations and requirements.

The program also encourages participating schools to organize student workshops based on presentations focused on a specific issue identified each year. The goal of these workshops is to help students identify, analyze, and propose spatial designs for semi-public transition places in the designated areas. These workshops aim to enhance students' abilities to develop solutions for particular areas and encourage them to approach the design of semi-public spaces from a new perspective.