Habitat, Mobility & Society

Luca Pattaroni & Maxime Felder

Two of today’s major crises are the housing crisis and the climate crisis, both of which are deeply intertwined and significant sources of inequality. In our sessions, we will discuss these issues from a social science perspective, exploring the relationships between uses, spaces, and politics in the case of housing. A central question is: who is responsible for providing adequate housing and who must lead the transition to more sustainable ways of living?
This question is the subject of ongoing controversies. At the heart of these debates are different understandings of the meaning of housing and dwelling, different “moral economies of housing,” and different notions of responsibility. Responsibility can be viewed through the narrow lens of liability, or through more expansive interpretations that see responsibility as arising from participation in interdependent processes that create injustice. Understanding these different perspectives will be key to unpacking the complex challenges of transitioning to socio-ecologically responsible urban habitats.

The course aims to understand the political and social conditions of urban lifestyles and mobility patterns to explore the levers of action available to professionals to support the critical emergence of renewed urban models. Taking the form of a course-seminar, the proposed teaching aims to show the interest of methodologies from the social sciences of the city to develop critical urban and territorial design.