Editorial Content for The Architecture of Change: Building a Better World
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE, 36 articles have been gathered and intermixed with evocative photographs, revealing how private living spaces and public, interactive environments can combine to create community, if the professionals step back and let the process happen.
Largely drawing from the magazine DESIGNER/Builder, the articles reflect the ethos of that unique journal, lauded in the introduction by noted architect and educator Michael Sorkin: "DESIGNER/Builder has been a remarkable force for de-linking architecture and privilege, for an inclusive idea of the built environment and its creators." The book also serves as an understated tribute to the writing and thinking of the late Kingsley Hammett, who, with co-editor Jerilou Hammett, founded DESIGNER/Builder. Author/activist Jerilou Hammett and Maggie Wrigley, who works with the squatters' movement and the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space in New York City, have selected writings that underscore the philosophy of Kingsley and other urban-space visionaries.
"THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE is a series of blueprints for what has been and what could be, lifting the word 'architecture' out of the realm of bricks and boards and using it in a symbolic sense to denote the power of communal strength and sensitive, people-centered structures."
The articles, mostly written by Kingsley Hammett, describe projects that in ways small or large have contributed to transformation of city life for various needy populations. The "Interfaith Community Building Group" in Philadelphia began in the mid-1990s as a consortium of Jews, Catholics and Protestants wishing to respond to a spate of arsons of black churches in the South. Later the group participated in outreach to Latin America, and recently has begun working with and for Philadelphia's Muslims. "From an Acorn New Communities Grow" chronicles the initiative in Richmond, Virginia, of the non-profit Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods. The project resuscitates homes that have significance to the city, places where there used to be a mix of races and could be again if the right sorts of buyers can be attracted. Targeting city workers who might be tired of commuting from the suburbs, or people who live outside Richmond but still attend the historic churches in the city, ACORN seeks to re-energize deteriorating areas like Union Hill.
RepoHistory ("Whose History Is It, Anyway?") is a group spear-headed by activist artists in Lower Manhattan, practicing their talents by peppering the area with signage highlighting the achievements of lesser known minorities or individuals, such as the Meal and Slave Market, the Great Negro Revolt of 1741, and the first gay rights demonstration in New York City. Signs vary in appearance, and might include a few-sentence history lesson and/or photos. The image and legend of Rosie the Riveter became an inspiration for Rosie's Girls ("Rosie's Girls Show What Girl Power Is About"), a California-based program for teenage girls involving carpentry and welding skill development. “It Takes a Community to Raise a Family” highlights the work of two nuns who succeeded in helping their Brooklyn neighbors by addressing the needs of the entire family, not just the separate problems of a single individual within the family. Building trust by being there and being honest, they developed a 24/7 caregiver network that has kept children out of foster care and promoted training and employment options.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE is a series of blueprints for what has been and what could be, lifting the word “architecture” out of the realm of bricks and boards and using it in a symbolic sense to denote the power of communal strength and sensitive, people-centered structures.
Teaser
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE is a collection of articles that demonstrates the power of the human spirit to transform the environments in which we live. This inspiring book profiles people who refused to accept that things couldn’t change, who saw the possibility of making something better and didn’t hesitate to act. It explores communal architecture produced not by specialists but by people, drawing on their common lives and experiences, who have a unique insight into their particular needs and environments. Running through their stories is a constant theme of social justice as an underlying principle of the built environment.
Promo
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE is a collection of articles that demonstrates the power of the human spirit to transform the environments in which we live. This inspiring book profiles people who refused to accept that things couldn’t change, who saw the possibility of making something better and didn’t hesitate to act. It explores communal architecture produced not by specialists but by people, drawing on their common lives and experiences, who have a unique insight into their particular needs and environments. Running through their stories is a constant theme of social justice as an underlying principle of the built environment.
About the Book
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE is a collection of articles that demonstrates the power of the human spirit to transform the environments in which we live. This inspiring book profiles people who refused to accept that things couldn’t change, who saw the possibility of making something better and didn’t hesitate to act.
Breaking down the stereotypes surrounding “socially engaged architecture,” this book shows who can actually impact the lives of communities. Like Bernard Rudofsky’s seminal ARCHITECTURE WITHOUT ARCHITECTS: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture, it explores communal architecture produced not by specialists but by people, drawing on their common lives and experiences, who have a unique insight into their particular needs and environments. Running through their stories is a constant theme of social justice as an underlying principle of the built environment. This book is about opening one’s eyes to new ways of interpreting the world, and how to go about changing it.
