Rethinking the Ecological Problem- A paradigm shift in the architect’s response to climate crisis

Abstract

18 pagesClimate change exacerbates existing social inequalities and our response to the environmental crisis does not address these structural inequalities. Climate change and its cascading disasters expose a rift in our current socioeconomic structures. It shows how the system is broken and it provides a unique opportunity to reconfigure a fair system in its place. These inequalities are perpetuated by larger forces of market and governance. If sustainability is taken as a one pronged environmentalist strategy then the solutions could neglect larger social issues. To that end, how do we redefine these ecological issues so that they don’t just mean a better environment but a better environment for everyone? What role can architects play in this system? Instead of being agents of the state or capital, architects can move beyond just providing services. Can we propose an alternate response to the climate crisis which is embedded in causes of social equity? Architecture is one of the few remaining generalist professions. We have the ability and the burden to ground ourselves in the present while speculating about the future. So can we leverage this unique position to become catalysts of change