Regenerative Regionalism

I was delighted that I finally figured out what vernacular is in my class on Tuesday and what I thought vernacular should be called critical regionalism.

Vernacular is undoubtedly a way of preserving indigenous culture and living style, but it slows down cultural development to a certain extent. However, I feel that critical regionalism is an evolution and improvement based on vernacular.

I love Steve Moore's, Eight Points for Regenerative Regionalism: A Nonmodern Manifesto, in his article, Technology, place, and nonmodern Regionalism.

Participation in the tectonic history of a place requires that the interventions of architects be, first, intelligible to local citizens and, second, be perceived as relevant to the material conditions of everyday life.

The market has increasingly manipulated architectural technology in order to stimulate those consumers whose appetites have become dulled by the ever-increasing rates of production and consumption. A regenerative architecture will subvert the power of market-driven technologies by engaging citizens in decision making about the technologies that enable everyday life.

Better yet, a critical place can become regenerative only through the production and reproduction of democratic, life-enhancing practices.

Steve Moore, Technology, place and nonmodern regionalism

How should we face the conflict of rapid technological development and cultural fading? I think regenerative regionalism provide us with a good answer.