Fall 2022
The Politics of Architecture

Roof playgrounds. Aristide Antonas. Archipelago of Protocols, dpr-barcelona 2016.

In recent years, a series of practices have emerged questioning the agency of architecture and its capacity to trigger changes in society not only in the formal dimension, but rather dealing with the social, political, and economic inequalities originated by capitalism. The goal of this seminar is to provide the students an action-oriented overview of the possible ways of political action that architects have in cities working from private or public practices. The seminar focuses on the reproductive dimension of the city, highlighting cases of urbanism made with gender perspective, the value of differences and affections in the configuration of urban spaces, the power of transversality and inclusiveness, the spaces of opportunity and the potential of frictions in public space, the fundamental right of housing in cities, and the need of new metrics for reading and caring the Urban Commons.

The research required for the final assignment intends to inform the case of Belval developed by the students in the Design Studio.

Seminar topics:

• Take position and get action. The paths of politics in architecture.
• Public Space is an invention of the middle class.
• The city is not a computer, the neighborhood is not a lab.
• Municipalism and the democratic autonomy of municipalities
• ‘Knowing your neighbour’ is a radical act for the times to come.
• The politics of housing.