Post-Traumatic Urbanism edited by A. Lahoud, C. Rice & A. Burke.
There seems to be a never-ending suite of “urbanisms” entering the vernacular, and the latest appears to be post-traumatic urbanism. Referring to the aftermath of trauma on cities and communities – for example, conflict or catastrophe – post-traumatic urbanism is evident in war-torn Beirut or debt-burdened Dubai. This book focuses on the architect’s role in that aftermath, whether it be reconstructing what has been lost or contemplating new urban possibilities.
In his introduction to Post-Traumatic Urbanism, guest editor Adrian Lahoud discusses the idea of urban trauma. “Trauma is the drama in which both history and the future are at stake, held in a suspended crisis; the cards have been thrown up in the air but they have not yet landed.” He also argues that the world is becoming increasingly catastrophic – events like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquakes being prime examples – but that in each extraordinary case it is essential to consider the involvement of architects.
More than eighteen essays are presented, including explorations into cinema’s depiction of urban trauma and an interview with former US secretary of homeland security Michael Chertoff. The book analyses “urban conditions in their most fragile, raw and unstable state” and asks what architects should be contributing and if they can understand that “human tragedy is not inevitably architectural opportunity.”
Post-Traumatic Urbanism, edited by A. Lahoud, C. Rice & A. Burke (Wiley Press, 2010) 136 pp $47.95.
