Can we change the world by the way we build? Possibly, but building – architecture – comes at the end of a social process. Whether it’s a humble shed, a magnificent concert hall, a zero-energy office building, or a massive new government complex, it is a cultural act that must first be planned, decided upon and initiated as a result of people agreeing on a set of ideas. A building is not an idea – it can only be an expression of ideas. Those ideas evolve through social exchange and communication. In the beginning were words. There was never a building as powerful as a book.
words & images for urban evolutionaries • incorporating pauldownton.org