#2 Vulnerability

Vulnerability

The notion of vulnerability is invariable related to the concept of life – either it is human life or life in nature as such. The consciousness of mortality is disturbing and exposes life as fragile. Life does not exist in closed systems, but do always relate to other life forms or systems of varying extent and size - in this relations dependency occur, and not at least a continuous struggle for a position of surviving. It is a slow drama that has been going on since the creation of earth, and encompasses all natural systems of all scales from the smallest biotope to global circuits.

To be relevant the planning process must consider a wide range of subjects and disciplines beyond what is normally regarded as the field for architecture. There is an increasing pressure on natural resources in our time, and with an even stronger growth in the global population the potential crisis and vulnerability due to this fact seems obvious. Global climate-crisis, financial crisis, uneven distribution of food and welfare, poverty and injustice – in combination with an rapidly increasing exploitation of landscapes for industrial use and urban expansion at the expense of ecosystems, natural habitats and biodiversity, draws a seemingly dystopian picture of the future.

The architect has the unique possibility of being a mediator between the different forces and currents at work – many of which we have observed during our recent journey trough the landscapes and cultures of the high north. The north has always been considered with a colonial view on exploitation of both land bound and sea bound resources – and a historical dependence on fluctuations in global economy is now facing a rapid change into an even deeper reliance on multinational companies with the consequence of an increased consumption of the landscape.

In our project mosaïc::region (70°N/D&U, 2008) we used the concept of vulnerability like this: Vulnerability mapping is a piece in our anti-generic mindset where plurality and diversity is crucial, and where the unique strength of the mosaic can be cultivated and magnified. This applies of course to preserve and strengthen a natural diversity, but it applies just as fully to the ‘sociotopes’ that for different reasons are exposed for economical and political pressure and transformation – in both cases we are talking about strengthening trough linking together, and opening up for new opportunities rather than to preserve.

Mapping of vulnerability means to gain a genuine understanding of a wide range of aspects of a context. It can be seen as a hyper mapping of the super normal - a survey that gives a flexible and evolving strategy where the vulnerable first and foremost is protected by intervention and not primarily trough making of new boundaries. Reading, mapping and understanding the layers of vulnerability has the potential of making changes. Knowledge calls for awareness about the consequences of human activity. Planning must be precautionary and attentive to even the smallest elements, and being susceptible and observant for currents of vulnerability that may have the power to change the plan.

In future planning we need to find and analyze both the obvious and the invisible – to make an operative and expedient plan that opens for hidden knowledge. Trough experimentation it is possible to make a flexible plan that works with the complexity there is, and that can use the contextual vulnerability as a potential for a new dynamism. It is all about making the future more sustainable and open for the unknown.

A credible map of sustainability has yet to be drawn, but there can be no doubt that other aspects already trailed and trialled have run out of whatever credibility they had. (Iñaki Abalos)