December 2011

Architecture is about so much more than function and beauty; it is also about engaging a community to participate in the process. By acting as a unit, communities are able to determine what specific needs exist and what can be done to help the community flourish. With rampant unemployment, unfinished infrastructures and more than 60% of the U.S. population living in urban areas, this is more necessary than ever.

I have recently read various articles and blogs that have highlighted some inspiring people and projects that are taking this concept of social/community architecture and design to heart.  September’s Azure Magazine’, for example, highlighted a project known as the BMW Guggenheim Lab. According to the article, the lab is “designed as a mobile community plaza and think tank, [which] pairs interdisciplinary professionals with the public to curate walking tours, lectures, experiments and workshops.”  In an effort to immerse in the communities, the think tank is physically moving to nine different cities to better understand the individual city’s current and future needs.

Also in the September issue of Azure Magazine, is an article entitled, “Slow Architecture.” The article details an annual conference in rural Nova Scotia in which 25 esteemed architects and critics from around the world are brought together to discuss many topics, including their role of “craft, the ability to make things well, in today’s world of globalized economies and digital design.” The 25 participants demonstrated “examples of how ecologically conscious neo-modern design can connect with local culture.” While the conversation is ongoing, there is consensus that architects should learn to design locally before going global.

“The New Design Activism” is another article in Azure Magazine’s September issue, which discusses residents establishing their own building solutions.  A Chilean company, Elemental Chile, is creating affordable housing that aims to pull Latin Americans out of poverty. Another, Ctrl+z in Mexico, is bringing locals together to build community centers out or repurposed materials. Stateside, the Center for Urban Pedagogy uses design and art to improve public participation in shaping the places where we all live. They all bring together the idea of residents working together to create a better landscape and deliver basic human needs to the community.  This is exactly the type of building behavior that motivates me, and I believe, motivates others.

June’s The Nation features an article on “The New-Economy Movement.”  While the story discusses many issues regarding activists and socially responsible companies rethinking their socially-conscious business approaches, one point that really resonated with me is that the “new economy” is “based on rethinking the nature of ownership…”  As more business co-ops emerge and citizens become more involved in strengthening their communities, it is then that communities can grow, thrive and be most productive.

In the vein of connecting communities and people, I read in an August issue of The West Architects Newspaper that there is a reinvigorated effort to enhance and grow California’s rail system.  The initiative is geared towards both local and regional transportation that cuts down on cars and responds to the transportation issues of populated areas. Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) is spearheading the initiative which focuses on “projects catering to a combination of mass transit, denser neighborhoods, and mixed-use and pedestrian scale development.” Rail is affordable, sustainable and makes sense when so much of the population is living in larger cities, such as Los Angeles.

Architecture really is about connecting people and connecting people to their communities. The saying “It takes a village” is so appropriate in these circumstances. The success of a more localized and locally-focused building effort will lead to local culture connecting with global culture, which is what humanity thrives on.