(For the full curatorial statement click here.)

 

Vision Statement: FUTURES 

 

Mission:
The Civic Projects Lab is committed to the shared pursuit of knowledge that is informed by and toward broader civic impact, import, and discourse that is inclusive of, but beyond the limits of, discipline constraints.

Purpose:
To build productive intellectual and creative processes and outcomes which are predicated on collaboration between academia and society on issues of civic concern for New York and its extended communities.

Values:
The CPL recognizes that education is broader than the confines of academia, and that, in keeping with Peter Cooper’s legacy, education should be accessible to all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic status. This is complementary to the contemporary values of The Cooper Union.

The CPL incubates, facilitates, and integrates The Cooper Union community with public life beyond the classroom to promote commitment to active citizenship and contribute to an engaged community. We support positive social change, and through our efforts, seek to bend the arc of history and learning towards a more perfect Union. We take advantage of our location in New York City to make a difference in the civic life of local, associated, and global communities. The CPL strives to center civic duty within the college while curating networks of thought and action with local and global communities to act collaboratively and respond to current issues. The CPL holds that transdisciplinary pathways lead to the greatest social change and have clear, high, wide, and deep impact on education outcomes.

The CPL is a place for experiments that are coterminous with our mission. We define experiments as:
Initiatives · Workshops · Research · Symposia · Publication · Installation · Project · Grants

Initiative:
A movement, concept, or proposal that may or may not “spinout” to become an independent entity to achieve greater societal and education impact. This is also inclusive of spinoffs, such as academic-based, public-private partnerships.

Workshop: 
A workshop entails discussions and/or engagement that builds toward a broader body of work.

Research: 
Critical enquiry into one or more curated issues.

Symposia: 
Public roundtables to discuss a specific topic in conversation with society.

Publication: 
Any and all media that captures and produces ideas for general dissemination as, for example, a book, journal, pamphlet, or piece of music.

Installation: 
Physical representation of a finite set of ideas for civic engagement.

Grants: 
Endowments, sponsorship, fees for service, and donations, pursued alone or in partnership. 

•    One cannot imagine FUTURES without questioning what it means to be human through the myths, arts, science, and tenets of our time.
•    What constitutes being? 
•    What does planetary stewardship entail? 
•    What must we ask to answer the questions of our time?
•    What is the creative and social intersection between knowledge and inquiry?
•    What is local and what is global?

FUTURES is about the thematic connective tissue between society and our imagination, exploring its tension and porosity as fertile grounds for reframed scholarship, partnerships, and discovery. It is more ontological than pedagogical, more interrogative than canonical, and prioritizes speculation across disciplines over teaching within one discipline. The CPL should be the site of discovering anew.

FUTURES will deploy interdisciplinary tools within The Cooper Union community but pursue transdisciplinary methods in the interests of societal impact and comport with a view toward relevance and engagement beyond academic confines.

FUTURES acknowledges the polycrisis of the prevailing human condition and the unique confluence of the CPL and the City of New York, acting as a globally exceptional conurbation of communities, talent, and potential.

FUTURES is where the world meets our community, and our community meets the world.

FUTURES draws new lines amidst the old and seeks to describe the interstitial space and societal possibilities between, using past, present, and the future as complementary and indivisible areas of inquiry. 

To achieve this ambition, the CPL will have three pillars:
•    Incubate            
•    Facilitate            
•    Integrate

Incubate
The CPL recognizes that it acts as a connective tissue between the schools of The Cooper Union and society, a laboratory for experimentation, and structured speculation. As such it can host initiatives, ideas, ventures, and pedagogical propositions which sit beyond teaching outcomes, but overlap with the learning intent of societal import. The CPL can also serve as a place where faculty, students, and society can submit experiments/initiatives for nurturing and hosting, subject to curatorial approval and alignment with thematic constraints. 

Facilitate
The CPL recognizes that building “thought bridges” between our faculties and society will require active curation and solicitation of content. While the work of transcending disciplinary boundaries is core to the ethos of Peter Cooper, it remains a work in progress at The Cooper Union. Interdisciplinary practice within the schools will be addressed in part by aligning interests to societal issues that will require collaboration between our faculties and civil society. 

Integrate
The CPL shall play an active role toward influencing curriculum evolution, supporting enrollment, inspiring intra- and extra-civic discourse, and where necessary leading with agency on processes to secure and deploy resources, partnerships, and creating the necessary infrastructure to enable this.
FUTURES is a curatorial commitment to creating knowledge that is civic in impact, technologically grounded, transdisciplinary in mode, and planet-smart.

Areas of Interest & Pedagogical Frames of the CPL:
These are a set of nested and complementary constructs, which reveal potential, specific areas of inquiry and interest at the micro frame level. 
1.    Meta Frame: 
       • Civic

2.    Macro Frame: 
     • FUTURES

3.    Meso Frame:
     • Accelerating Inequality 
     • Biodiversity Decline 
     • Climate-Smart Urbanism 
     • Socio-Spatial Justice 
     • Bio-innovation

 4.    Micro Frame:

Housing
•    Affordable Housing: This area of research focuses on the availability, accessibility, and affordability of housing options for low-income households, including strategies for increasing affordable housing supply and addressing homelessness.
•    Housing Policy and Regulation: This area examines the impact of government policies, laws, and regulations on the housing market, including topics like rent control, zoning laws, and subsidies.
•    Housing and Community Development: This research area explores the relationship between housing and community development, including the social and economic impacts of housing on communities, and strategies for community revitalization.
•    Housing and Health: This area investigates the connections between housing conditions, quality, and health outcomes, including the impact of housing on mental health, physical health, and well-being.
•    Sustainable Housing and Environmental Impact: This research area focuses on the environmental sustainability of housing, including energy efficiency, green building practices, and the impact of housing on climate change and the environment.

Migrants, identity, and demographic change: These areas of research explore the complex relationships between migration, identity, and demographic change, including the social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of migrant experiences and the impact on host societies.
•    Acculturation and Integration Processes 
•    Identity Formation and Negotiation
•    Cultural Heritage and Preservation 
•    Language Barriers and Communication 
•    Migration Policy and Governance 
•    Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Seekers
•    Xenophobia and Discrimination
•    Migrant Mental Health and Well-being 
•    Transnationalism and Global Connectivity 
•    Diaspora Communities and Homeland Ties 
•    Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Resolution
•    Education and Cultural Diversity 
•    Labor Market Integration and Economic Mobility
•    Political Participation and Representation 
•    Demographic Change and Social Cohesion

Living: These subsets of research explore various aspects of future living, including technological innovations, sustainable practices, social connections, and healthy environments. They can help shape the development of future living spaces that are equitable, resilient, and supportive of human well-being.
•    Sustainable Urban Planning
•    Climate-Smart Home Technologies
•    Virtual and Augmented Reality in Living Spaces
•    Aging in Place and Inclusive Design
•    Community Engagement and Social Connection 
•    Healthy Buildings and Indoor Air Quality 
•    Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility 
•    Sharing Economy and Collaborative Consumption
•    Urban Agriculture and Vertical Farming 
•    Artificial Intelligence and Personalized Living 
•    Resilient and Adaptive Housing 
•    Circular Economy and Waste Reduction
•    Digital Nomadism and Remote Work 
•    Virtual and Hybrid Communities

Climate-smart innovation: These areas of research focus on developing innovative solutions to address climate change, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate impacts, and promoting sustainable development. They span various sectors, from energy and agriculture to infrastructure and water management and involve interdisciplinary approaches to address the complexity of climate challenges.
•    Carbon Capture and Utilization Technologies 
•    Renewable Energy Systems and Grid Integration
•    Sustainable Agriculture and Climate-Resilient Farming
•    Climate-Resilient Infrastructure and Urban Planning 
•    Electric and Hybrid Transportation Systems 
•    Green Building Materials and Energy Efficiency 
•    Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies 
•    Water Management and Conservation Technologies
•    Ocean Fertilization and Marine Carbon Sequestration 
•    Bioenergy and Biochemicals from Renewable Biomass 
•    Climate Smart Agriculture and Precision Farming
•    Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Resilience 
•    Climate Change Impact Assessment and Vulnerability Mapping 
•    Sustainable Water Management and Wastewater Treatment 
•    Circular Economy and Waste Reduction Strategies

Digital justice, data mapping and AI: These research areas cover a wide range of topics related to the intersection of digital justice and AI, addressing important ethical, legal, and societal implications.
•    Bias and fairness in AI algorithms, data capture, and decision making
•    Ethical implications of AI in the criminal justice system
•    Access to justice through digital platforms
•    Data privacy and security in digital justice systems
•    Use of AI in predicting recidivism rates
•    Algorithmic transparency and accountability 
•    Digital evidence admissibility in court 
•    AI-powered legal research and analysis 
•    Impact of AI on legal decision-making processes 
•    Algorithmic decision-making in social services 
•    Use of AI in online dispute resolution
•    Digital divide in access to justice services 
•    AI in law enforcement and surveillance 
•    AI in legal aid and pro bono services
•    Intersection of digital justice and human rights protection

The CPL welcomes applications for collaboration and access from the Cooper Union community and beyond. We prioritize applications which are civic in impact and involvement, speculative and exploratory in nature, and which engage the broad Cooper community in line with the prevailing curatorial statement. We prioritize efforts that have a tangible impact and input upon and through our faculties and bias such efforts that engage multiple disciplines within and outside of The Cooper Union. We encourage mixed media, and interactive, multi-sensorial experiments.