We can do it!
“I believe that architects are given a gift of second sight and when we see something that others can’t, we should act, and we shouldn’t wait for decisions to be made by politicians or multinational corporations.” – Samuel Mockbee
This quote and other thoughts by Mockbee relate to
discussions we’ve had in previous weeks relating to the role of the architect,
whether or not architects possess a special knowledge, and whether or not the
public is capable of designing for themselves. Mockbee reminds us that
architects actually do have the education, power, and experience to make
necessary changes throughout our community, no matter how big or small. The
monetary reward might not be huge, but we don’t always need to wait to be asked
by developers to make a positive change in the city. If we wait, it might never
happen. Unfortunately, a lot of projects going on now are to put money in
someone’s pocket, and not really for anyone else’s benefit. Besides money, what
is stopping us as architects to do more community-building projects on our own?
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ReplyDeleteSuch a good quote! That one stuck out to me in class too. We really are given something special as architects and by doing nothing with it, it goes to waste when it could be making such a difference. I think besides the obvious issue of monetary support, things can get dicey with legality in certain situations. As idyllic as it is for the community to build their whole own new community center out of scraps they've found lying around, in certain situations this can incur a lot of liability for the architect.
ReplyDeleteLydia, I think we have similar thoughts about this from looking at my post and yours. I also believe that architects have the education, power and the experience to make the changes that are necessary to help our communities make strides towards a brighter future. I also think that some architects shouldn't be allowed to make these changes without approval because that's how we get those big headed architects who make outrages and eyesore buildings :) I think community build is important to keep communities engaged, even if they are very small scale.
ReplyDeleteLydia, I make a similar point on my post about architects needing to take matters into their own hands. I believe money is a big part of it but I believe that comfort might be an even bigger factor. A lot of people conform to the ways things are and lack either the drive, passion or courage to take the initiative of doing something different for the world and the profession.
ReplyDeleteThis quote by Mockbee is really giving me a sense of empowerment as an architect this week. Why the heck should we wait on the system to give us opportunities? If we see the problem and understand the problem, let's go and make a solution. While the architect is in a top-down position, we often are in more contact with the community than the majority of politicians and certainly any multinational corporation.
ReplyDeleteMoney makes the world go round, especially America's world. I think it would be amazing to set up an AIA sort of thing where Architects of certain areas gather and work with communities on innovative and low cost improvements or construction projects that these neighborhoods want but the government won't pay for. We see similar but still different scenarios like this happen in Europe and small towns with a larger sense of community.
ReplyDeleteLyd, I think you are right! In many ways, it's up to us to begin to invest our own resources into projects that we find lifegiving and important. Hopefully, we will find ourselves with enough leverage in our careers to be able to find ways to fulfill this need in our own communities!
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, it has always boiled down to money. There is also the problem of convincing the user/client that changes are necessary for the environment, community, etc. and sometimes they are not worried about the side effects of a project.
ReplyDelete