Architecture of Fear

by Nan Ellin (Editor)

Architecture of Fear examines the ways in which the contemporary landscape is shaped by our society's preoccupation with fear, as apparent in home design, security systems, gated communities, semi-public spaces (shopping malls, theme parks, casinos, office atriums), zoning regulations, and cyberspace. This fixation also manifests itself in efforts to provide public parks but control the problem of homelessness. The essayists in Architecture of Fear explain that such disjointed efforts exacerbate rather than eradicate the sources and perception of fear and insecurity. Thus, in contrast to alarmist, apocalyptic treatments, the contributors offer concrete, level-headed suggestions for proaction, not reaction, to counter both real (actual crime) and perceived (media-magnified) problems in contemporary society. Contributors Edward J. Blakely and Mary Gail Snyder, John Chase, Michael Dear and Jurgen von Mahs, Fred Dewey, Nan Ellin, Dora Epstein, Steven Flusty, Udo Greinacher, Jane Harrison, Richard Ingersoll, Charles Jencks, Peter Marcuse, Kevin Sites, Sharon Sutton, Lois Takahashi, Anne Troutman, David Turnbull, Margaret Wertheim, Richard Sennett, and Julius Shulman approach the topic of architecture and fear from a variety of 'Building Paranoia,''Addressing Fear through Community Empowerment,''Cyburbanism as a Way of Life,' and 'Walls of Fear and Walls of Support,' to name just a few.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Design

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 1996

Reviews

[Ardevito Devito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information and insight for privitization and separation in american society.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly about how LA is a fucked up shithole.

[Brendan Ho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something I picked up out of passing interest and was pleasantly surprised with. This is a collection of essays by reporters, activists, and scholars about how architecture both reflects and increases our fear and anxiety about the world around us. I found the essays to be mostly forward-thinking when talking about social issues like wealth inequality and race, especially for something written over 20 years ago. Although, the mentions of "cyberspace" and "the net" were hit and miss, often portraying it as more dystopian or hopeful than the internet actually turned out to be.

[NormaCenva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! A must-read for sure.

[Salahuddin Hourani]

ملاحظة لي: لم اقرا الكتاب بعد - عن ان المدينة الحديثة اصبحت مصدر الخوف من الحياة وعدم الامان ، وكيف انها ننهم القادمين اليها (من الارياف او البلاد الاخرى) بانهم السبب في ذلك

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend lent me this copy for a writing project and I took this with me while proctoring a test. In a span of three hours, I spent nearly two hours reading the articles and managed to get a third of the way before my set of classes were done for the day. Although it was a bit of a giveaway due to the research interest, looking at the collection of essays, the editors structured the texts in a fluid manner that it goes form reading the urban landscape, to security measures around a house, to the spaces within a home, then the rooms, and into the digital sphere. In addition, it is easy to follow the premises propelled in the articles, as if one is reading someone's personal narrative.

[Stephen]

Another graduate school book - which I will keep. A collection of essays from an eclectic array of authors representing a wide range of disciplines all addressing one theme - FEAR and how it manifests itself in architecture and design. It was purchased at the AIA Bookstore in Philadelphia, for 19.00$ + tax as the receipt is a bookmark, most likely for an Urban Design course. Richard Sennett, one of the contributors, wrote an essay titled "The Search for a Place in the World," which I think I may read again. I remember siting something else he wrote frequently in some other class, maybe Urban Design, but his approach was one that I respected. He is a professor of the humanities at NYU, and is chair of the Council for a Civil Society. Granted the book has a 1997 copyright - so perhaps that is all bunk and he has moved on to something else, heck maybe the Council for a Civil Society folded as well. At one time that kind of stuff was very important to me, and it probably still is - but now I don't really give a shit, and in general find most people boorish, which means I don't like them.