As an exercise to begin the process of choosing a thesis topic, we’ve been asked to write a “Six Sentences” thing. Exactly 6 sentences long, each sentence has a specific role and objective (which I won’t bore you with) and roughly maps onto the typical components of most research proposals.
This is my first-draft, prior to any concentrated research or conversations with professors, initial idea for a thesis topic, as expressed in 215 words. (As a special feature for yall, I’ll add in some links, as you might not get what I’m referring to / you want to learn more)
Speculative architectural visions of utopia have become less common, coinciding with the rise of Post-Modern society and architectural theory, to the detriment of society, design, and our future.
Perhaps beginning with the Cold War and continuing past 9/11 to the perpetual War on Terror and the threat of global climate change, discourse in both architecture and larger society has been pessimistic, leaving architects without clear goals on how to design a better tomorrow.
By examining the intersections and relationships between the world as it is, the future as imagined in speculative works of architecture, and the future as imagined in fiction, architectural discourse and design can be enhanced by a deeper understanding of society, its hopes, and its fears.
Using speculative works (Howard, Corbusier, Archigram), realized urban zones (New York, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, the megaslums of Mexico City, Mumbai, Lima, etc.) and works of fiction (1984, Blade Runner, Brazil, Gotham City), ideas of urban life can be synthesized and examined.
From this research, a large scale vision/plan and a more detailed vision of the typical housing situation in this scheme will be developed.
By contributing to speculative architectural discourse, comprehensive planning, and the Long Now, this work will further the cause of societal improvement through design, and function as a “frame extension” to the discourse.
