Eric Frijters: "If we take research by design more seriously, we encounter fewer spatial problems"

According to FABRICations’ Founding Partner Eric Frijters , the way we design cities is in need of a thorough revision. He believes that a forward-looking perspective is necessary to address future challenges in a resilient city. With the book City as a System, born out of his professorship at the Academy of Architecture, he argues for treating research by design as a serious component within educational programs.

Research by design is crucial in times when we mainly respond spatially to crises, rather than preparing our cities for potential (disruptive) scenarios, argues Eric. "We would have already solved the nitrogen problem if there were fewer lawyers and more design researchers. We would have seen the problem coming and been able to gradually steer it by exploring solutions."

Metabolism of the city

Frijters observes that nowadays cities are seen as 'mere' spatial challenges. "A city councilor has a vision, and as an urban planner, you respond to that," he explains. "You combine that response with the conditions – what people physically need, such as a studio for a bicycle maker – to land within the context of an area. In our opinion, the real spatial consideration is not made within this framework."

According to Frijters, contemporary spatial design lacks the systemic aspect. What does the city need – spatially and culturally – to function sustainably? He believes that this question is often overlooked by spatial designers. "Don't just answer a question [from a client, ed.], but with your design, contribute something to the environment to help the city's metabolism." For example, the air vents in the Indian city of Hyderabad provide homes with fresh air by responding to local conditions: the wind in a hot climate. "This is not a spatial issue but a systemic one."

Metabolism is a common thread in Frijters' conviction. By seeing the city as a living organism, he argues that the 'often technical approach to design' can be complemented with values outside the spatial context. "These values are often invisible: they are in the ground or blowing over the city, like biodiversity." Building on this, he explains, "We do not promote biodiversity by simply hanging up nest boxes but by researching what ecosystem animal and plant species need to survive. And that applies to the development of agriculture, spatial planning, the economy, etc."

City as a System

To advocate for the necessity of design research, Frijters co-authored the book The City as a System with six researchers: David Dooghe, Catja Edens, Matthijs Ponte, Thijs van Spaandonk, Christopher de Vries, and Jet van Zwieten. The book explores how designers can contribute to a livable and resilient city based on research.

The authors also aim to encourage design research within education with the book. "Rich architecture connects with local conditions that can be captured in data," says Frijters. "A tremendous amount of data is produced that provides insight into how the city works, such as how you look at advertising through monitoring systems or where solar panels can be placed via satellite images. As designers, we need to learn to read that data and especially use it in the design process."

This article originally appeared on De Architect on November 14, 2023.