Park Books International New Titles Spring 2022

Contributes to a better understanding of
human habitats that relates spatial issues to
broader economic and political questions
Uncovers new modes of making architecture
and maps new ways for architects to engage
with contested communities
Addresses geographic differentiations also
on local scale and explores interconnections
between particular neighborhoods and their
wider contexts
Analyses of three informal neighborhoods in
Africa, Latin America, and India, translating
their spatial and social characteristics into
architectural language
At a time when architectural and urban studies are moving towards seeking to accept
and understand informal neighborhoods rather than ignoring or eradicating them, the
need for experiments on the ground is becoming increasingly urgent. In recent years, a
growing number of architects and urban designers have committed themselves to the
idea that these settlements are here to stay and require selective intervention in order
to achieve better living conditions.
This book contributes to the development of new architectural approaches to informal
neighborhoods and to a better understanding of human habitats that relate spatial
issues to broader economic and political questions. The authors analyze feasible and
effective practical actions located in Africa, Latin America, and India, drawing upon empiric
work to contextualize existing neighborhoods. Complementing essays explore the
deeply intertwined nature of spatial practice, cultural identity, and social engagement.
They uncover new modes of making architecture and map new ways for architects to
engage with contested communities. They address geographic differentiations on a
local scale, rather than between various continents only, and explore interconnections
between particular neighborhoods and their wider contexts. A conversation between
the five contributors, moderated by Matthew Barac, rounds out this volume.
Paulo Moreira is a Porto-based architect and
researcher and a postdoctoral fellow in the research
project Africa Habitat, coordinated by the
University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Architecture.
Paulo Moreira (ed.)
Critical Neighbourhoods
The Architecture of Contested Communities
Contributions by AbdouMaliq Simone, Paulo
Moreira, Elisa Silva, Julia King, Ines Weizman,
and Matthew Barac
Book design by Ana Resende
Paperback
approx. 256 pages, 120 color and
30 b/w illustrations
978-3-03860-272-9 English
sFr. 39.00 | € 38.00 | £ 35.00 | $ 40.00
June 2022 (Europe) | September 2022 (US)
ISBN 978-3-03860-272-9