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October 25, 2007
Oikodrom - The Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability asks to become an associate of the BEAN-QUORUM network.
Oikodrom is a private research institute that generates future images and strategies for human settlements in countries all over the world - from Europe to China and to the Mediterranean Islamic countries - under a concept of strong sustainability. The innovation of Oikodrom studies lies in dealing with the complexity of sustainability, relating the fields of economy, ecology and socio culture to the space of human settlements.
The team creates mental and physical spaces where change can come about. The emerging future scenarios contribute to the creation of systemic knowledge as well as to the participatory implementation of sustainability processes in human settlements.
Oikodrom has been the coordinator of two EU projects in INCO FP 5 and FP 6 each with about 18 participants representing 50 experts form different disciplines in 10 countries around the world. For these projects we have developed inter- and transdisciplinary research designs and implemented innovative methods of communication in field studies and project conferences.
Oikodrom has worked out several substantial studies on the sustainable future of the city and rural regions on behalf of Austrian Ministries and the town of Vienna. The research team comes form the fields of sciences, humanities and design. The researchers represent the following disciplines: sustainable development, regional planning, agronomy/organic agriculture, participation and governance, heterodox economics, ethnology, linguistics, town planning, health, sociology, architecture. The team has numerous contributions in international conferences and journals.
The contact person is Veronika Praendl-Zika, Senior Research Fellow and Project Manager.
The following are the main contributions offered to the network:
1. Oikodrom offers its experience of projectmanagement of inter- and transdisciplinary research. Oikodrom has a high potential in designing field research and conferences initiating inter- and transdisciplinary communication and exchange in order to come to a broad knowledge of the specific research situation as well as of the theoretical cognitions. We think this is a main precondition to come to sustainability concepts.
2. Oikodrom has generated a broad multidisciplinary knowledge in seven villages in six provinces in rural China and initiated small sustainability projects there. This is a good basis for further research projects.
3.Through these activities Oikodrom has a network of experts at different Universities and reserach institutions in China and Europe as well as contacts to provincial and national Chinese administrations
The main expectations on benefits achievable joining the network are the following:
1. to find new partners for collaborative research on sustainable rural development in China including environmentally sound agricultural systems and organic farming.
2. to identify new sources for funding of those projects apart from the EU
3. to exchange experiences of research in China/Asia
Veronika is available for providing further information.