post traumatic urbanism, architectural design

post traumatic urbanism photo by tida tippart and spencer cox

conflict. terrorism. natural catastrophe. how can architecture respond to a planet at war with itself?

cities experiencing trauma dominate the daily news. images of blasted buildings, floods, mudslides and cyclones highlight the ‘immediate impact’. how are the reverberations of trauma to be understood in urban terms?

a new publication charts the aftermath of trauma on cities and communities. post traumatic urbanism, guest‐edited by UTS colleagues adrian lahoud, charles rice and anthony burke, explores the response of architects and urban planners to the post‐traumatic condition.

‘urban trauma’ is a condition where conflict or catastrophe has disrupted and damaged not only the physical environment and infrastructure of a city, but also the social and cultural networks.

the term ‘post‐traumatic’ is the evidence of the aftermath – the remains of an event that has been and gone. urban spaces bear the bruises and scars of the cataclysmic event.

on the one hand, architects can try to restore and recover everything that is lost, or conversely see the post‐traumatic city as a resilient space ready for new possibilities.

while repair and reconstruction are automatic and necessary reflexes, architects need a deeper understanding of the effect of trauma on cities and their communities.

examples of post‐traumatic urban conditions in beirut, shenzhen, berlin, baghdad, kabul and caracas explore the role architects can play and covers urban conflict, reconstruction, infrastructure development, climate change, public relations, and population growth.

post traumatic urbanism photo by zoriah

photo by zoriah

‘post-traumatic urbanism’ – wiley press