Questioning Imaginaries of Change, with Olivia Bina

In this episode, we speak with Olivia Bina, Senior Researcher at the Instituto de de Ciências Sociais Universidade de Lisboa (ICS - Institute of Social Sciences University of Lisbon), and Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS). We delve chiefly into three points with her, each fascinating angles on how a “nature”-human relationship can be questioned. First, we broach the theme of imaginaries, futures and utopia as posing various questions about how a sustainable world might look, which Olivia has studied, for example, through the fascinating lens of science-fiction (see especially Bina et al. 2020, referenced below). Yet ultimately continuing to leave open Donella Meadows’ question from 1994 about how difficult - but not impossible - it is to envision a desirable sustainable world.

Second, Olivia shares insights gathered through various specific experiences in a life journey across Italy, Chile, China, Hong Kong and Portugal, and especially her experiences in Santiago de Chile, Beijing and Hong Kong. She shares how these three deeply urban environments highlighted different (problematic as well as positive) ways the human-“nature” relationship can take shape and deeply affects how urban environments are made and experienced. Olivia clarifies that one of the key motivations throughout her multidisciplinary work has always been the premise that change is needed, but also the ongoing need to question: what change, for which reasons, and what it would look like exactly. This also leads to persistent questions of diverse epistemologies and ontologies.

Third, Olivia recounts the main results of the Form Follows Life competition, a fascinating project she has been recently involved in (see links below for the two winning teams). She reflects on the kids of results they obtained, and what they seem to indicate and lead her to think further about now.

Finally, as all our guests, Olivia also left us with her takeaways for planners, which we share below. Please also see the references below to some of her most relevant work on the above themes, and to the competition page and winning groups from Form Follows Life.

Take-aways for planners, by Olivia Bina:

* Unlearn and decolonize the knowledge systems that we have so preciously cultivated and accumulated in ourselves, opening up to both diversity and plurality of ways of knowing and ways of thinking.

* Learn humility and take time.

References:

Form Follows Life Competition, via Non-A: https://www.non-a.com/open-architecture-competitions/form-follows-life/

The two winners of the Form Follows Life Competition:

* Team Advanced living corridors. https://www.fair.archi/

* Team Skyfall; Birth of a Biocity. Here is the link to the post to our Instagram which is a collaboration post:

Academic references:

Bina, O. (2024) What if… “Form followed Life”? In Blogue SHIFT, 11th July, https://ambienteterritoriosociedade-ics.org/2024/07/11/what-if-form-followed-life/ 

Fokdal, J., Bina, O., Chiles, P., Ojamäe, L. and Paadam, K. (Eds.) (2021) Enabling the City: Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary encounters in research and practice Routledge, New York and Abingdon, https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780367277390 

Bina, O., Baptista, M. D., Pereira, M. M., Inch, A., Falanga, R., Alegría, V., Caquimbo-Salazar, S., Duarte, D. H. S., Mercado, G., Valenta, A. T., Vasquez, A. and Verellen, T. (2024) Exploring desired urban futures: the transformative potential of a nature-based approach, Futures, 103362, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2024.103362. 

Bina, O., Inch, A. and Pereira, L. (2020) Beyond techno-utopia and its discontents: On the role of utopianism and speculative fiction in shaping alternatives to the smart city imaginary, Futures, 115, 102475, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.102475.

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