Housing, Micropolitics, and Pedagogies. Designing and Practicing Collectivity

This is a book about socio-spatial dynamics, the intertwinement of design and politics, and the agency of the architect(s) in rethinking collectivity and collective practices in architecture.

In response to the commodification of housing and the ongoing global housing crisis, the publication addresses access to adequate housing as a fundamental human right. It looks at historical and contemporary socially-oriented housing precedents in Norway and Europe to imagine twenty-first- century not-for-profit housing alternatives in Oslo for marginalized populations and diversified family configurations. Beyond formalism, it also argues that innovative architectural solutions in a perspective of systemic societal change need to come from design processes rooted in community, cooperation, and equity. In a later section, the book expands on how radical, emancipatory pedagogies in architecture can facilitate critical thinking and action. The different visions of collectivity put forth here urge spatial practitioners, activists, and students to deeply engage with social justice by means of design and education.

With contributions by Paul-Antoine Lucas, Bui Quy Son, Céline Zimmer, Patricia Lucena Ventura, Nagy Makhlouf, Aurélie M. Nzuzi De Mol, Rosaura Noemy Hernandez Romero, María Mazzanti.