The expansion of cities in the late C19th and middle part of the C20th in the developing and the emerging economies of the world has one major urban corollary: it caused the proliferation of unplanned parts of the cities that are identified by a plethora of terminologies such as bidonville; favela; ghetto; informal settlements; and shantytown. Often; the dwellings in such settlements are described as shacks; architecture of necessity; and architecture of everyday experience in the modern and the contemporary metropolis.This volume argues that the types of structures and settlements built by people who do not have access to architectural services in many cities in the developing parts of the world evolved simultaneously with the types of buildings that are celebrated in architecture textbooks as modernism. It not only shows how architects can learn from traditional or vernacular dwellings in order to create habitations for the people of low-income groups in public housing scenarios; but also demonstrates how the architecture of the economically underprivileged classes goes beyond culturally-inspired tectonic interpretations of vernacular traditions by architects for high profile clients. Moreover; the essays explore how the resourceful dwellings of the underprivileged inhabitants of the great cities in developing parts of the world pioneered certain concepts of modernism and contemporary design practices such as sustainable and de-constructivist design.Using projects from Africa; Asia; South and Central America; as well as Austria and the USA; this volume interrogates and brings to the attention of academics; students; and practitioners of architecture; the deliberate disqualification of the modern architecture produced by the urban poor in different parts of the world.
#3066569 in eBooks 2014-10-30 2014-10-30File Name: B00OMV5HJM
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Too much Red Tape to be greenBy ReviewerThis is; like most books "built by committee;" very much a hit or miss affair. The chapters dealing with waste and transportation were pretty good. I found the other chapters to be pretty lackluster. Too much of the book focuses not on practical steps to be taken to make communities "greener;" but to the mechanisms of legal and municipal wrangling surrounding how to get authorization to proceed with green programs.These sort of tedious details do need to be hammered out in order to acquire authorizations in most communities before one can go through with the kinds of plans outlined in this book; but too much of the text is taken up with this kind of minutiae. Conversely; other portions of the book are too vague and general. Rather than giving specific details on how to plan for certain systems/modes of going green; all we as the public get are recommendations for software programs to download that should help with the task; some of which are prohibitively expensive.There are some good sections in this book; but for the most part I found it to be a rough; uneven and unrewarding slog. There has to be a better book (or books on the subject). Not recommended for the general reader; although those who already possess some specialized knowledge may find it rewarding.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. great readBy Thomasgreat read and very informative.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Planning for sustainable changeBy Kenneth W. FallowsA milestone of up to date planning wisdom from noted professionals. A must read for those planners wishing to stay current and sustainable!
