All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture

Rich evidences of practice and theory convinced me that "all-inclusive engagement" is not a mere added option of architectural production but an indispensable approach to change the future of a complex and entangled society. Moreover, this innovative architectural mode stresses the radical nature that humans have the ability to create their own built environment themselves.

-Akiko Okabe, professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo

This book is a timely and valuable contribution to both the teaching and practice of Architecture in times of significant social and environmental change. Its informative chapters and excellent case studies from around the world illustrate the importance of community participation in enhancing both equity and efficiency in the design and management of the built environment. The authors offer theories, frameworks and tools for practice which demonstrate how to be rigorous to the discipline of Architecture whilst at the same time ensuring relevance in dealing with some of the big issues which the profession faces today.

-Nabeel Hamdi, Professor Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University.

Farhana Ferdous and Bryan Bell have assembled a remarkably diverse set of essays and case studies that explore the teaching, scholarship, practice, and public-health implications of community engaged architecture. All of the authors make a strong case for architecture as a field deeply rooted in the cultures of a place and ethically obligated to address the inequities and exclusions often reified by the built environment. I know of no book more insightful and inspiring in its treatment of all-inclusive architecture than this one.

-Thomas Fisher, Director, Minnesota Design Center, University of Minnesota

Current community participation theory suggests that politicians and bureaucrats have exploited ordinary people and that they have been excluded from the community development process. The community design movement initiated in the 1960s argued that engagement in architecture’s strength lies in being a movement that cuts across traditional professional boundaries and cultures. Its roots lie in the ideals of a participatory democracy where collective decision-making is highly decentralized throughout all sectors of society. This collection of essays and case studies advances this notion of the social and cultural responsibility of architecture through education and professional practice. It is an invaluable resource for identifying directions for the future.

-Henry Sanoff, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Architecture, North Carolina State University: author, Democratic Design

All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture emerges at a unique moment in global history. Confronting the persistent disciplinary divide between experiential and the material culture, this publication expands our terms of engagement to offer a unique resource for those wishing to think through the future of architecture as an ethical project. Thoughtfully structured across four theoretically grounded platforms - practice, pedagogy, scholarship and publicness, each is complemented through exploratory case studies. The challenges surfaced under these concerns remain to be tested under post-Covid conditions wherein emergent social manifestations will require radical (spatial) innovation in order to preserve humanities transforming need for sustaining (human) engagement.

-Iain Low, Professor, University of Cape Town

"Rich evidences of practice and theory convinced me that 'all-inclusive engagement' is not a mere added option of architectural production but an indispensable approach to change the future of a complex and entangled society. Moreover, this innovative architectural mode stresses the radical nature that humans have the ability to create their own built environment themselves."

—Akiko Okabe, Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo

"This book is a timely and valuable contribution to both the teaching and practice of Architecture in times of significant social and environmental change. Its informative chapters and excellent case studies from around the world illustrate the importance of community participation in enhancing both equity and efficiency in the design and management of the built environment. The authors offer theories, frameworks, and tools for practice which demonstrate how to be rigorous to the discipline of Architecture whilst at the same time ensuring relevance in dealing with some of the big issues which the profession faces today."

—Nabeel Hamdi, Professor Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University

"Farhana Ferdous and Bryan Bell have assembled a remarkably diverse set of essays and case studies that explore the teaching, scholarship, practice, and public-health implications of community-engaged architecture. All of the authors make a strong case for architecture as a field deeply rooted in the cultures of a place and ethically obligated to address the inequities and exclusions often reified by the built environment. I know of no book more insightful and inspiring in its treatment of all-inclusive architecture than this one."

—Thomas Fisher, Director, Minnesota Design Center, University of Minnesota

"Current community participation theory suggests that politicians and bureaucrats have exploited ordinary people and that they have been excluded from the community development process. The community design movement initiated in the 1960s argued that engagement in architecture’s strength lies in being a movement that cuts across traditional professional boundaries and cultures. Its roots lie in the ideals of a participatory democracy where collective decision-making is highly decentralized throughout all sectors of society. This collection of essays and case studies advances this notion of the social and cultural responsibility of architecture through education and professional practice. It is an invaluable resource for identifying directions for the future."

—Henry Sanoff, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Architecture, North Carolina State University; author of Democratic Design

"All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture emerges at a unique moment in global history. Confronting the persistent disciplinary divide between experiential and the material culture, this publication expands our terms of engagement to offer a unique resource for those wishing to think through the future of architecture as an ethical project. Thoughtfully structured across four theoretically grounded platforms—practice, pedagogy, scholarship, and publicness—each is complemented through exploratory case studies. The challenges surfaced under these concerns remain to be tested under post-COVID conditions wherein emergent social manifestations will require radical (spatial) innovation in order to preserve humanities transforming need for sustaining (human) engagement."

—Iain Low, Professor, University of Cape Town