UNSUSTAINABLE

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This definition was written 20 years ago in the Brundtland Report, commissioned by the United Nations. Since then, the goal of sustainable urban development has been embraced, in theory, by many officials and design professionals all over the world. But examples of meeting today's needs seem limited to the more prosperous segments of society. Living conditions today in the slums of many of the world's largest cities are appalling, and not improving. — Editor

CULTURAL INITIATIVE

Architectural education often cloisters students in an internally focused world of individualized design — encouraging Wright-like bravado or Gehry-esque showmanship. The work of educator Sergio Palleroni challenges this instructional paradigm, and the profession as a whole, to confront a larger global reality and to creatively tackle problems of growing poverty, increasing population, and shrinking resources.

PREFAB PLATINUM

On a cloudy day in April 2006, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered on a hillside street in Santa Monica, California, to watch the installation of the first LivingHomes prefabricated house. Over the course of eight hours, 11 modules were hoisted by crane onto a concrete slab in a dramatic departure from traditional residential construction.

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