Social and cultural identity in and through architecture

Abstract

As a human race in the 21st century we are facing critical issues which affect our continuing coexistence on this planet: to mesh the colliding cultures of the global city created by air travel and modern communications, to reconcile rising economic growth with the need to repair and sustain our already damaged natural environment, to aid the unfortunate people and countries in an increasingly stratified world, and to provide refuge from the stresses and uproar of the marketplace, the media, and our increasingly urban lives. Architects, urban planners, interior designers, and all other professions which help shape our environment hold responsible the solution to all of these needs; these disciplines address them in the built environment that makes up homes, offices, factories, schools, airports, and civic buildings.