VT Territorial Habitat: Altitude Sickness

The EU classifies the Alps as the most vulnerable region regarding the effects of climate change in Europe – effects which deeply impact the man-made systems and human-centred uses in this area. This specialisation looks at the changes occurring in the Alps under current conditions of climate change, environmental degradation, and disappearing biodiversity; especially at the altitude of 1000m. It highlights the complex social, political, material, and infrastructural connections and dependencies between social and ecological systems that render conventional definitions of centres and peripheries obsolete.

In a combination of seminars and exercises organised around the topics of traffic, agriculture, tourism, and energy production, we will address human and morethan-human drivers of change in alpine landscapes. Further, we will identify, map and articulate socio-environmental dynamics. This will help us understand the social and ecological interconnectedness in these areas, the connections between urban settlement areas and alpine regions, as well as the creative possibilities implied by these relationships.