Scarcity in Excess

The Built Environment and the Economic Crisis in Iceland

Arna Mathiesen, Zaccariotto, Giambattista, Arna Mathiesen, Zaccariotto, Giambattista

• Publisher: Actar
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781940291321
• eBook ISBN:
  9781945150531
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

After a period of extraordinary economic growth at the turn of the twenty-first century, the economy of Iceland collapsed into the deepest and most rapid peacetime fiscal crisis ever recorded. Seeing the development of the capital area through the lens of scarcity, triggered new urban and regional questions and ecological approaches to design. This book considers both the crash and its aftermath as an opportunity to distil an intense snapshot of how ecological and human systems are interrelated, and how different ways of wiring those systems might lead to better and more resilient solutions. This publication derives from a case study on the built environment in the Reykjavik capital area in the light of the financial meltdown in October 2008. It is the work of the participants in the case study and a number of invited contributors from different fields; researchers, artists and activists that offer different perspectives on the case. The case study is a part of a larger European project, Scarcity and Creativity in the built Environment (SCIBE), funded by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area). The work presented suggests a new spirit of development applicable to various cultures and climates beyond Iceland.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. Urban Transformations - before the crash
• The Expansion
• Going for Growth
• The Upscaling
• Spatial Inequality in Reykjavík
• Scarce or Abundant Resources?
• The Groundbreaking Tour (Skóflustungutúrinn)
• Big Plans: The Dream of Reykjavík 2007
• Into the Firmament
• 2. Agents of Change - after the crash
• Traces (Spor)
• Top down / Bottom up - Changing Practices
• A Hole in a Hill
• Run for your Life
• Dyndilyndi
• The Sociopolitical Role of the Architect
• Local Agents of Change - grassroots practitioners on the fringe
• The New City
• 3. Urban Systems - current status
• Geology
• Water
• Planning
• Economy
• Housing
• Food
• Communication
• 4. Scenarios - into the future
• Urban Design and Ecology
• Research by Design
• Briefs: Water, Food, Mobility and Dwelling Student workshops
• Helgafellsland - on the fertile soil
• Úlfarsárdalur - on the tundra
• Hafnarfjarðarhöfn - on the landfill
• Vellir - on the lava
• Conclusions
• The Authors
• Illustration Credits
• Acknowledgements