Are urban architectural development and the quest for globalization inextricably linked? Can urban architectural development be meaningful and successful in ways that do not involve modernization? What does ‘world architecture’ entail? Such are compelling questions when exploring under-developed areas and communities. Gomez sheds light on how informally these ‘shanty towns’ of the Philippines develop, and yet there is a certain uniqueness that belongs to these people and contributes to the social and cultural vitality of the city, and Scott delves into whether these areas need and are wanted to be developed. Does architecture have the capacity to only serve some places and communities successfully, and not others?

Gomez describes the city of Manila in a stratified manner describing the bottom, middle and top stories that layer and interweave the fabric of the city. Vertical ascension is associated with increasing wealth, power and modernity. A certain raw informality persists at the bottom layer that enables dislocated informal settlers to “eke out a living from the floor and underground of the vaster cityscape” (Gomez, 66). More puzzling however is the possibility that such a state of impoverishment can be afford to be tolerated, both by the government and residents. Government policies toward informal settlement has shifted from a mentality of ‘eradication’ to ‘assimilation’ into the urban fabric. Additionally, Gomez argues that these slums “can genuinely be seen as a ‘hothouse’ of cultural creativity, economic invention and social innovation…these actors resort to their own emergency solutions to urban integration problems” (Gomez, 67).

Scott insightfully explores the complex, compelling interrelationship between architecture, humanitarian-oriented institutions such as the United Nations, governments and power, and impoverished but culturally rich communities. Framed from the standpoint of the competition leading up to and the Hearts and Minds exhibition displayed at Habitat: The UN Conference on Human Settlements, the important question of whether architecture can assume new meaning in encountering Third World communities, and provide desired solutions. More troubling than the statistic of the growing global slum population is the idea that these slums can be tolerated in the interest of state utility, as they are an essential tool of the expansion of global capitalism.

While architecture has the power to transform reality and bring about progress, it is worthy to understand what constitutes successful architectural planning and development. Ultimately, the space of impoverished communities and the institutions that are trying to help provides a unique area to push the envelope on the meaning and purpose of architecture. It is fulfilling to see that there are strides made to fuse the worlds of relief and development with those of architecture and design to shape a new “world architecture”.

Works Cited

Scott, Felicity D. E. “Cruel Habitats.” In Outlaw Territories: Environments of Insecurity/Architectures of Counterinsurgency. New York: Zone Books, 2016. 283-338.

Gomez Jr., José Edgardo A. “Concrete Jungle or Geocultural Cipher? Reading Lineage into the Perils and Prospects of Metro Manila.” In Messy Urbanism: Understanding the “other” Cities of Asia. Edited by Manish Chalana and Jeffrey Hou. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2016. 60-80.

Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?