NonA Weekly: EMBRACE THE FUTURE
Dear readers and friends,
Looking towards the future of architecture and its impact on society, experts anticipate technology to continue to have a large impact but believe that it’s imperative that we continue to understand the human relationships to the built environment.
For example, how do we address the growing differentiation between economically diverse communities within cities? Or how do we utilize new technologies to rapidly respond to natural disasters or refugee needs? How do we combat the continuous increase of the world’s population, and make sure that our cities retain our inherent desire to have a connection to the natural environment?
1. WHAT IF GENTRIFICATION WAS ABOUT HEALING COMMUNITIES INSTEAD OF DISPLACING THEM?
Liz Ogbu is an architect who works on spatial justice: the idea that justice has a geography and that the equitable distribution of resources and services is a human right. She’s questioning the all too familiar story of GENTRIFICATION: that poor people will be pushed out by development and progress. “Why is it that we treat culture erasure and economic displacement as inevitable?”.
2. HOW URBAN SPACES CAN PRESERVE HISTORY AND BUILD COMMUNITY
In this inspiring TED TALK packed with images of his work, Walter Hood shares the five simple concepts that guide his approach to creating spaces that illuminate shared memories and force us to look at one another in a different way.
3. HOW ARCHITECTURE TRANSFORMS COMMUNITIES AND PROMOTES HEALING
Can architecture HEAL? Can architecture prevent [an epidemic]? Can architecture protect [endangered species]? Can architecture enable? In responding to these questions: a resounding yes — if healing is done intentionally.
4. A NEW WAY FORWARD
We live in a time of great turmoil, one marked by a pandemic, deepening economic inequality, and a rapidly changing climate. Yet these challenges provide an OPPORTUNITY to create a more equitable, open, and sustainable society, one focused on community, cooperation, and respecting the natural world.
5. AS CITIES GROW, REMEMBER THE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE DESTROYED
As Zena Howard states, CURIOSITY about the past can drive a process of remembrance. We can research and dig into communities to recover memories of removed or destroyed areas. Discovery is not just community engagement – it is the process.
Stay creative and see you all next week!
Daniela