Are carbon neutral cities, Eco-cities and sus tain able cities discursive cover ups for synthetic design in the desert of Abu Dhabi or something stemming from an honest utopian desire? Questioning Foster’s scheme for Masdar, Matt Lewis reaches revealing conclusions on the marketing of design in the Gulf. In a world in which human egos […]
The form of government that rules that state is hardly important. Whether an oligarchy as in Russia, a one-party system as in China, a two-party system as in the United States, a constitutional monarchy as in the Netherlands or a theocracy as in Iran, when the chips are down all disputes within the system are […]
At most, these issues are paid lip-service with vague proclamations. Seldom are these proclamations connected to a sound analysis of the power structures determining architecture’s fading role but also its explosive potential. The consequence is an architecture that is either a subservient instrument for political strategies or the self-appointed therapist of its tormented self. An […]
Archis sent out the letter below to several authorities on the inside to ask about the cultural power of the Islamic world and about the possibilities for interaction and exchange with the West. Carlos Betancourth explored what the cultural model of cosmopolitanism contains and how it compares to Islamic cultures to discover the possibilities for […]
The whole world is on the move, migrating and hoping. The rich world, above all Europe and North America, faces the rising determination of a hundred latecomer nations who were once silent under the blanket of colonialism and backwardness. How do we learn to live together, and at three levels: in an international system, in […]