Domus IN 201903

construct the appropriate narratives for the
production of soft thresholds — and the built
environment, at large? The urban geographer
Neil Brenner proposes that by nestling the
“context in its context” we can potentially
create more nuanced and productive readings
of our sites of intervention. Meta-narratives
clarifying the context in which the context of
our operation sits is a useful instrument to
imagine a precise range of potential interventions
for architects and other design professionals.
This, then, is the space where design intersects
with its broader social, political, economic, and
cultural landscapes.Brenner describes these
meta-narratives across a range of emergent
conditions. One such family of narratives that
fundamentally challenge our forms of
engagement as designers is that of contemporary
rapid geo-economic integration and uneven
spatial development. Inequity will be the
biggest issue we face over the next decades.
For evidence of this, one need not look further
than the shifting demographics at the
national and global scales, and particularly
the upswing in refugees to Europe, which is
clearly linked to inequality and presents a new
host of challenges for architects and planners.
From these contexts come the remaking of
political identities, urbanisation of poverty, and
new claims to citizenship.^1 And this squarely
leads us to narratives of state reconstruction
under neoliberalisation and the notion of
simultaneous transitions in the city that
historian Eve Blau has articulated in the context

of Eastern Europe. According to Blau, these

transitions occur over decades, evolving from

one set of protocols and values into new

ideological systems that are often not as stable

as one might or expect or imagine. Extending

from this discourse are questions pertaining

to the role of the state and the agency of

planning and design relative to new forms of

democracy developing around the world. NGOs,

civil society, and rapidly changing modes of

patronage each have renewed roles in the

making of the built environment. Blau argues,

“Transition has clear implications for

architecture and urban design...it is a condition

that foregrounds practice and enables

architecture to play an active, performative role

in the formation of the city.”^2

Through this reading it is evident that the

“context in its context” lies at an intersection

between the sensual and the political as well as

between form or design and societal culture.

This is where a productive overlap between the

“sphere of our concern” and the “sphere of (our

direct) influence” occurs. As architects, we

are aware of and concerned with many issues,

from societal through planetary scales, and

ranging from poverty and public health to

urban violence and climate change. More often

than not, our sphere of influence does not

empower us to address any of these issues in a

tangible manner. Across the design professions,

the frustration tied to our attempts to

engage these problems is palpable. Thus, by

articulating narratives of site using the

This page: Library at

CEPT University,

Ahmedabad

Photo Rajesh Vora