Economy of Change




The downward economic spiral is being lamented at all corners of the media. If we stop and consider for a moment , this economic slide is a good thing for the profession of architecture. No, really it is. It is long past due for critically rethinking what gets built and how it gets done. Certainly there are good projects that take shape during bustling economic times but the majority of our banal built environments are the product of quick speculation. The excess of bad development both urban and suburban now has the chance to be reconsidered and it most likely will be. For profit housing developments, strip malls, deathly banal corporate office buildings' can take pause for a moment.

Many professionals will go through tough times. Many more jobs will be lost and offices will close. Some may even have to reconsider architecture as a viable profession.

Darkness breeds paradigm shifts. The orgy of excess had to end at some point.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting insight about the economy. It seems for the last 8+ years, in correlation to the economy, there has been a mass of construction without thought, except maybe for the thought of more money. It would be great to see more consideration generated toward a not for profit expansion particularly in housing development. So maybe the economies turn will change our focus on a whole. I see it happening in other aspect. The library is booming! Circulation is at an all time high!

Eric Reeder said...

Great comments...perhaps crouded libraries are just the indication of educational change we need.