Prof. Freek Persyn | NEWROPE Chair of Architecture and Urban Transformation

To Open Up a Box and Find a Whole New World

The PhD thesis To open up a box and find a whole new world: action research on the relationship between production and place in Kuklen, Bulgaria explores the spatial dynamics of global manufacturing and the increasingly intricate relationship between production and place. It centres on the Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ) in southern Bulgaria, with a specific focus on the Kuklen Industrial Park. By examining this location, the study investigates how the flow of capital, labour, knowledge, and power transforms a place, and how local conditions, in turn, shape these global flows in unique ways.

TEZ serves as a prime example of global production spaces – characterized by diverse spatial forms that both arise from and sustain the global division of labour. Situated on the outskirts of cities, these zones are often enclosed by physical barriers and subject to restricted access. This thesis conceptualizes TEZ as a black box – a «secret, hidden, unknown» entity, shrouded by the complexities of corporate ownership, confidentiality, and privacy within the world of networked manufacturing. The dissertation seeks to access and open this black box, grounding the abstract concept of global production networks in real, tangible stories and places.

To achieve this, the study adopts a deeply committed action research approach, providing access to global automotive factories and revealing their fluid, interconnected, yet deeply tangible realities.

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The action research project worked closely with public and corporate actors within TEZ, fostering coalitions, designing interventions, and analyzing the resulting power dynamics, challenges, and opportunities for transformation. This process not only facilitated the collection of diverse data but also allowed for an active commitment to reshaping global production spaces through the very act of change.

The findings from this action research are organized into three empirical chapters – focusing on materiality, people, and land – each examined through the lens of Henri Lefebvre‘s spatial triad, which encompasses perceived, conceived, and lived space. These chapters reveal how TEZ’s design is deeply embedded in capitalist ventures and Taylorist management principles, structured by rigid organizational frameworks. Yet, the lived experience of the zone deviates quite significantly from this structured ideal and is often characterized by spontaneity, disorder, and unexpected outcomes.

By shedding light on the otherwise concealed world of automated manufacturing, this dissertation demonstrates that the black boxes of global production are not impenetrable. They can be accessed, explored, and ultimately transformed. Building on this insight, the research discusses the potential for an ethical and critical practice to emerge in networked infrastructure spaces and explores what such practices might entail.