In an interview with the Journal of International Affairs, Rem Koolhaas discusses the effects of globalization on architectural practice and cultural identity, and what city he thinks will be the "Rosetta Stone" of the 21st century.
Next American City has excerpted an interview with Koolhaas that appeared in the JIA's recent issue on "The Future of the City." In it, Koolhaas discusses the impacts of globalization on architecture, including the positive effect that his firm's recent work in the developing world has had on his office, and the spiky way (to paraphrase Richard Florida) in which globalization has effected national and cultural identity.
Koolhaas also describes the evolution of the city in the 21st century:
"The reinvention and the re-imagining of cities is taking place all over the world. The energy that inspires reinvention either comes from pressure - when negative forces lead to a breakthrough, which is what I noticed in Lagos - or cities get their energy from striving. Cities are machines for emancipation. When the striving for emancipation is at its most intense, when there is the clearest promise of success, change is at its most intense. That is why cities in the West are so morose. We can strive until we're blue in the face, but we have nothing to change, at least not in the way that other parts of the world will change. In these places - particularly in the Middle East and Africa - real change is happening now."
FULL STORY: INTERVIEW: Rem Koolhaas on the Invention and Reinvention of the City
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.