The project ‘Green Participation’, financed by The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) explores the possibilities and challenges of participation and collaboration in green design from both a historical and theoretical perspective (e.g. engaging with posthumanism and environmental humanities, political ecology and science and technology studies).
The project departs from the work of Louis Le Roy (1924-2012), who at the end of the 1960s put participatory processes into practice in landscape design. Le Roy’s field of work was mainly situated in the Netherlands, supplemented by assignments in Belgium, France and Germany. The resonance within the professional world, however, extended far beyond this geographical scope. The work of Le Roy serves as a starting point to study the broader development and dissemination of ideas, practices, and actors involved in an inclusive conception of ecological landscape design.
‘Green participation’ places the analysis of publications, archival collections, oral testimonies and realized works in dialogue with theoretical fields, such as posthumanism. The project aims at revisiting the history of green infrastructure from a perspective that introduces citizens’ actions and agency of non-humans (and the relationship between them) in an otherwise often human-centered urban planning and policy narrative. A critical reflection on social and spatial inequalities, and a “situated” perspective are at the core of the research: revisiting specific historical cases, and thus gaining insight in the meeting of ambitions in the fields of (landscape) design as well as ecological, social and political sciences will be placed in the context of current debates on post-human ecologies and related discussions, for example on re-wilding.
The PhD student will be geographically based predominantly at KU Leuven, but the project includes research and training stays in Sweden and also elsewhere (for case study analysis). The PhD student will be involved in the organization of and a conference, and take part in an international network of research institutions.
Profile
We are looking for an outstanding candidate who is passionate about research, has obtained a masters degree and shows a strong interest in conducting research, in one or more of the following fields: architecture, architectural theory/history, history of art, history, engineering architecture, landscape architecture, urbanism, urban planning, environmental humanities or equivalent. The candidate has demonstrably distinguished themselves during their academic career or professional life. The candidate is able to illustrate writing skills by means of an article or masters degree thesis.
The PhD student will be expected to:
- show a clear interest in and to develop knowledge of the research subject.
- be able to work both individually as in a multidisciplinary team.
- show a pro-active attitude and research integrity.
- be fluent in English and Dutch and to possess excellent communication skills, both oral and written. Knowledge of French and German is an asset.
- support teaching activities in the educational programs of architecture and urbanism.
- write scientific publications and present research results at international conferences and in international (peer reviewed) journals.
- work with a high level of autonomy
- organize international research meetings.
- be internationally mobile
