“A century ago only 10% of the people of the planet lived in cities, and, according to the United Nations, this number is set to rise to 75% by 2050.” Besides these macro statistics, the surprising similarities of modern cities across the planet earth deem it increasingly necessary to consider the impacts of growth on people and on the environment.

Many cities have an increasingly alienating nature; in their density, one finds “space” but no sense of “place”. The urban inhabitants constantly arrive “anywhere”, but not “somewhere”. Under such circumstances, what shall be the true concern of man in general, and what shall be the concern in the architecture profession in particular?