Tiny Insights from the Countryside.
No. 054 Reading Time 5 minutes
This disease is spreading across the world.
It reaches every continent, every country, every society, and every culture.
It deteriorates the quality of our environment, taking the form of buildings, public structures, bridges, and even street dustbins.
I’m talking about the physical ugliness that surrounds us in the form of architecture and our built environment.
We are trapped in a landscape of soulless buildings made of harsh, disturbing materials. This oppressive architecture, driven by speed, profit, and efficiency, is suffocating us.
What is that sound high in the airMurmur of maternal lamentation-Who are those hooded hordes swarming-Over endless plains, stumbling in cracked earth-Ringed by the flat horizon only-What is the city over the mountains-Cracks and reforms and bursts in the violet air - Falling towers- Jerusalem Athens Alexandria-Vienna London-Unreal
The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
In this passage from The Waste Land,
T.S. Eliot portrays a world in despair,
where lost people wander through a lifeless landscape.
The cities that once symbolized human greatness—
like Jerusalem and London—
are now crumbling, empty shadows of what they used to be.
Eliot captures the deep sense of disconnection and emptiness in modern life, urging us to recognize the spiritual and cultural decay
that has left us feeling isolated and lost.
The Decline of Meaningful Architecture
We’ve moved away from a tradition of thoughtful construction and careful correction to a system of prefabrication and mass production. Since the 1900s, we've witnessed a shift where the well-being of the land and its people is no longer a priority.
Buildings have stopped connecting with the minds and spirits of those who inhabit them. Though modern architecture may have started with good intentions, it misses a crucial element: the ability to see ourselves reflected in what we create.
Beauty is deeply personal. It reflects who we are. We feel disconnected when we look in a mirror and don’t see beauty. This dissociation alienates us from our own image.
Likewise, if ugly buildings constantly surround us, we stop identifying with our surroundings. This creates a sense of isolation.
Reclaiming Our Built Environments: A Call to Action
A civilization is marked by its buildings, roads, and forests; by the crossing of rivers; by the usefulness of a lakeshore. It is marked, too, by the kindness with which we regard each other.But do not think that a broken city will recover on its own. If we smell the dust of a crumbling society, we must face the task of rebuilding our civilization—and doing it well.
The Battle for beauty and life of Earth
A war against ugliness
We, too, are guilty of rejecting beauty because it requires too much effort.
But now, it is time for a radical change.
It is time for war.
A war against ugliness.
A battle to bring beauty back into our lives and our built environments.
As humans, architects, designers, and planners, we must fight against the constraints of our profession and the legal and stylistic pressures that persist.
Let’s take up this challenge together.
Let’s design spaces that inspire, connect, and reflect who we are.
Because a beautiful world is not just a dream—it’s a necessity.
What you can watch - The Case for Radically Human Buildings | Thomas Heatherwick | TED
Where did all the lumps and bumps on buildings go? When did city architecture become so ... dull? Here to talk about why cities need inspiring architecture, designer Thomas Heatherwick offers a path out of the doldrums of urban monotony -- and a vision of cities filled with soulful buildings that people cherish for centuries.
What you can listen to - Luxury Brands Are Buying Our Cities | Kate Wagner | TMR
Kate Wagner, a journalist based in Chicago architecture critic for the nation magazine, talks about the “Disneyfication: of out cities.
What You Can Read - What the Hell is Postmodernism?
“ Of all the styles in architectural history, none has become as ubiquitous in our suburban landscape as Postmodernism, later called PoMo, for short. But what is it? How did it get here? Most importantly, Why do I care? “
Your attention is precious. Thank you for reading.
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