As has become customary in recent years, on the first Monday of October, we celebrate both World Architecture Day and World Habitat Day, serving as a reminder to the global community of its collective responsibility for the well-being of the built environment. This edition, like its predecessors, sheds light on the realm of architecture and the challenges faced by our cities, introducing new themes, contemplating the state of our urban areas, and proposing constructive strategies.
Since urban economies have encountered significant difficulties this year, the UN's World Habitat Day focuses on "Resilient Urban Economies: cities as drivers of growth and recovery." Launching Urban October, this event seeks to bring together diverse urban stakeholders to deliberate on policies to help cities recover after the dual economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts worldwide. Aligned with this concept, World Architecture Day, created by the UIA in 1985, has chosen to concentrate on "Architecture for Resilient Communities," emphasizing the role and duty of architecture in fostering thriving community existence while initiating a global dialogue regarding the interconnectedness of urban and rural regions within every nation.
ArchDaily actively engages in these ongoing dialogues by sharing content that aligns with these shared objectives: raising awareness, providing solutions, involving the global community, and empowering all individuals who contribute to the field of architecture. Asking "What is good Architecture," ArchDaily has recently produced "The ArchDaily Guide to Good Architecture," which reflects on the relevance of architecture and the built environment in addressing contemporary challenges such as "climate crisis, energy scarcity, population density, social inequality, housing shortages, rapid urbanization, eroding local identities, and a lack of diversity".
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World Architecture Day 2022: Designing for Well-Being and Promoting Spaces for EveryoneUnder the title "Fostering Resilient Communities through Architecture," we have selected below a compilation of articles produced by our editors over the past year or so. These features are divided into four categories, each examining the implications of architecture in enhancing community life, driving urban growth and recovery, favoring nature-based design and biodiversity, as well as in upgrading the cultural landscape, and preserving heritage.
1- Enhancing Community Life
The Painted Houses of Tiébélé: A Model for Communal Collaboration
Public Pools as Public Spaces: The Role of Swimming and Bathing in Cities
Latin American Favelas: Improvement Projects and Community Involvement
Overcoming Barriers: Social Justice in Latin American Architecture
Ephemeral Cities: 3 Radical City Concepts That Propose for Users to Shape Their Built-Form
Designing With Users: 7 Projects Where Architects Collaborated With Communities
Top-Down and Bottom-Up Urban Planning: A Synergetic Approach
What Is Co-Creation in Architecture and Urban Planning?
Places of Protest in Africa: Public Spaces for Engaging & Fostering Democracy
2- Driving Urban Growth and Recovery
The Transformative Power of Urbanization: How Indian Cities Like Delhi Plan for Urban Growth
Architecture for Changing Contexts: prototype's Mobile Pavilion Envisions a Blueprint for Ukraine
Rethinking Traditional City Planning: 14 Projects from Emerging Practices in Europe
How Can Informal Retail Preserve Pedestrian Zones as Car Dependency Increases in African Cities?
Can Urban Design Find Success Through Grassroots Movements?
The Curb Cut Effect: How Accessible Architecture is Benefiting Everybody
Mixed-Use Housing: A Tool for Urban Activation
Adaptive Urban Regulations: Navigating Change in Affordable Housing, Infrastructure, and Sustainability in the U.S.
Cities as Living Laboratories: The Smart City Projects of Amsterdam, Singapore, and Barcelona
3- Favoring Nature-based Design and Biodiversity
Willow Technologies Transforms Agricultural By-Products Into Building Materials in Ghana
Rewilding in Architecture: Concepts, Applications, and Examples
Expanding the Architectural Prospects of Timber in Its Natural Form
The Main Problems in Landscape Design — And How to Avoid Them
Taming Exterior Greenery: Landscape Design for Houses in Natural Environments
Cities of the Future: Julia Watson on Nature-based Technologies and Radical Materials
Why Landscape Architecture Matters Now More Than Ever
Building for a Growing Population: Shifting the Focus to Rural India
New Uses and Contemporary Guidelines for Public Spaces
4- Upgrading Cultural Landscape and Preserving Heritage
The Shift in India's Cultural Landscape: A Look at Contemporary Projects
Contrast, Cleanliness, Regularity: Material Strategies in David Chipperfield's Museums
Art Galleries Inserted into the Urban Fabric: 8 Examples of Art and Culture Introduced in Neighborhoods
9 Cultural Facilities That Show What Happens When the Architect Designs for Communities
Striking a Balance: The Dilemma in Heritage Cities
Motifs and Ornamentations: Inspirations Behind the Colors of African Traditional Architecture
Cross-Cultural Collaboration: A Tool for Imagining Africa's Future
Temporary, but with Long-Lasting Effects: 6 Ways in Which Architecture Festivals Can Revitalize a City
Rescuing Architecture: Stories of Buildings Saved from Demolition
Explore ArchDaily's previous editions: World Architecture Day 2022, World Architecture Day 2021, and ArchDaily's World Architecture Day 2020.
