The changing public sphere is one of the crucial themes of contemporary
architectural debate. In today’s world, where can we find collective spaces in
which people can meet and form public opinion?
Contemporary thinkers such as Lieven De Cauter, Michael Sorkin, and Bruce
Robbins argue that urban diversity is now giving way to growing worldwide
uniformity. Public life is gradually moving from the squares and the streets to
hotel lobbies, shopping malls, and entertainment centres.
As the twenty-first century begins, architects still face the task of
designing public buildings and spaces – whether libraries, squares, or airports.
They are in search of forms they can use to connect the many different
gradations of the public sphere that exist today.
Architectural Positions presents the views of thirty-six international
architects who, over the past fifty years, have made their voices heard in the
debate on the public sphere. They include Aldo Rossi, Rem Koolhaas, Mathias
Ungers, Daniel Libeskind, Luis Barragán, and Peter Eisenman. The essays in this
book give an overview of the past fifty years of architectural discourse on this
theme. A detailed introduction provides background and context, focusing on the
links between architecture, modernity, and the public sphere.
The editors of this book teach at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands)