Architecture with a capital A + architecture with a lowercase a

"People may not remember exactly what [architecture] did, or what [architecture] said, but they will always remember how [architecture] made them feel." - Maya Angelou *sort of

Who is architecture for?  Who is Architecture for?  And yes, those are two different questions.  The average american will never hire an architect.  The average american also has no architectural background.  I once surveyed small town high school students in a rural part of Virginia, asking among other questions what their favorite building was.  Responses included their town hall, their school, the Biltmore and their local Wal-Mart (the only three-story one in existence).  These places were a source of pride where there was a sense of ownership, source of comfort where there was familiarity and a source of inspiration when beyond their wildest dreams.  

The picture below is familiar, the most average image of a post-war american home.  Totally impersonal in its conception, but as you can see in the image intensely personal to the family in that house. They spend their lives there, their family pictures hang on the walls and they probably selected that lovely shade of pink.

It is common for non-architects to dislike modern architect designed houses.  And no matter how arbitrary “like” might be, it does affect the success of a project.  And the dislike is understandable 1) as not-architects they do not understand it, 2) it has nothing to do with them, they were not part of the design or realization, 3) there is nothing they can relate to, that reminds them of positive memories or makes them feel comfortable.  

So how do we create public buildings for hundreds or thousands of people, none of them owners?