View article

[T] he most fundamental problem that architecture has within itself, which is also a problem that is inherent within our society,[is] we have too much stuff, we have too many buildings.(Betsky, 2017: 1)

The built environment is the most potent representation and material manifestation of people’s presence on the planet, and in the course of its construction, ongoing management and maintenance, and the daily rhythms of use, it has profound effects on people’s lives and the qualities of ecology and the environment. Our lives are shaped by the design and emplacement of buildings and infrastructure, and there is a directionality embedded into them that influences much of what we do, how we do it and how we experience places. From the pavements and roads that provide the connections directing people from one place to another, to the juxtaposition of buildings and their interior design that shape how people move …