The Social (Re)production of Architecture ─ Politics, Values and Actions in Contemporary Practice

The Social Production of Architecture brings together a wide range of international contributors – including Zygmunt Bauman, Katherine Gibson, Nabeel Hamdi, Jeremy Till, Apolonija ?u?ter?ic, and Jeanne van Heeswijk – to debate the right to produce architecture in the context of current political, economic and environmental crisis. Building on 1970s discussions about the ‘production of space’, which French sociologist Henri Lefebvre considered a civic right, the authors question who has the right to make space and explore the kinds of relations that are produced in the process, and how these can be altered to generate positive change.

The book features 25 interdisciplinary essays written by leading theorists and practitioners including social thinkers, economic theorists, architects, educators, urban curators, feminists, artists, and activists from different generations and global contexts. Focusing on subjects that are seen to be in crisis today – ethics, economies, politics, and agency/actions – the authors investigate innovative shifts within roles as well as ways of practicing.

A cutting-edge, critical text which rethinks both practice and theory in the light of recent crises, making it key reading for students, academics and practitioners.

Doina Petrescu is Professor of Architecture and Design Activism at the University of Sheffield, UK.

Kim Trogal is a Visiting Design Fellow at the University of Sheffield, UK.