The period between the 16th century and the early 19th century in Brazil, known as Colonial Brazil, began when the Portuguese invaded Brazilian territory and imposed the colonization process. In architecture and urbanism, this process established a series of standards that, over the centuries, shaped the country's architecture and cities.

With the arrival of the Portuguese, the first settler installations emerged in Brazilian territory, characterized primarily by their precariousness and inability to defend against other invaders. Following the Portuguese Crown's decision to divide the land into hereditary captaincies administered by donatary captains, villages and urban settlements began to emerge. 

“There seems to be a public image of any given city which is the overlap of many individual images," American urban planner Kevin Lynch once said. "Or perhaps there is a series of public images, each held by some significant number of citizens,” he added.

Following this remark, in his book "The Image of the City" (1960), Lynch begins an analysis around the elements that constitute what he considers to be the image of the city. While introducing, describing, and illustrating these elements as physical, perceptible objects, Lynch considers that other non-physical factors such as history, function, or even the name of the city also play a significant role in the construction of this imageability.

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As an overwhelmingly hegemonic field in which cisgender white men have historically held, and continue to hold, the majority of prestigious positions—from the leadership of major firms to international accolades like the Pritzker Prize—architectural practice has traditionally rendered invisible the careers and professional experiences of many women architects.

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The state of Florida, in the United States, is bordered to the south, east, and west by the Atlantic Ocean, with a coastline of over two thousand kilometers in length, and is characterized by extensive areas of lakes, rivers, and ponds. Land booms during the early and mid-20th century resulted in the development of new communities and the expansion of low-density suburbia across many parts of the state, which frequently incorporated the abundant water resources, sometimes failing in their efforts.

Self-described as a movement united around the idea that the physical environment can directly impact the creation of more prosperous and happier lives for its inhabitants, New Urbanism emerged as a concept in the United States in the 1990s and became consolidated through the Congresses for the New Urbanism (CNU), held annually since 1993.

In 1996, three years after the First Congress for the New Urbanism, the Charter of the New Urbanism was launched with the goal of establishing the guiding ideals and principles of the movement and, in doing so, exploring the possibilities for the development of American cities.

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Many architects tend to prefer using materials and architectural elements in their natural or raw state. It is common to remove ceilings and finishings, especially in renovation projects, to expose a building's structure. This process of reclaiming the natural materials of construction - without incorporating elements to cover the framework, pipes, tubes, and cables - transforms these spaces into places that have nothing to hide.

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Just as urban infrastructure can be defined as the network of structures and services required for cities to function efficiently, green infrastructure can also be understood as an interconnected network of areas and elements that preserve the value and function of natural ecosystems. One of the many definitions of green infrastructure posits that this constituent network enhances water and air quality, in addition to providing a range of benefits for both people and wildlife.

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Naturally associated with characteristics such as simplicity and clarity, but also expressiveness, vibrancy, and energy, the three primary colors—which give rise to other colors—offer a wide range of application possibilities in architecture. As crucial elements in the compositions of the leading exponents of the De Stijl movement, such as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and Gerrit Rietveld, yellow, blue, and red, when used together, became icons in design and architecture, and for many professionals in the field, an obsession.

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Whether as a retrospective, a collection of contemporary works, or a compilation of prospects for the future - and all the other possibilities in between -, architecture and urban planning exhibitions have played an important role in shaping the future of cities over the decades. These events are often open to the public, reaching many people who don't necessarily have a background in the field, thus providing great environments to explore a collective view of the future of architecture and cities.

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Many initiatives around the world have lately focused on ways to improve the urban environment through the actions of their inhabitants, be it in designing, building, or managing projects. Open-source urbanism is a collaborative approach that seeks to enhance the citizens' capacity for change.

An in-depth look at the concept of open-source urbanism is happening nowadays, and one can find many different definitions and approaches to it. But overall, open-source urbanism can be defined as the co-production of open-source common urban assets.

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According to the UN, the share of the world's population living in urban areas, currently about 55%, will rise to 70% by 2050. Managing this rapid urban growth is a daunting task for governments; among the most common challenges is providing housing, basic services, and food to city dwellers. Food security in major urban centers depends on several factors, including food availability, access, and quality.

In architectural design, delineating spaces with different functions can be achieved in numerous ways, moving beyond traditional vertical barriers such as walls, partitions, panels and cobogós. Differentiating spaces by arranging floors on multiple levels, using elevated or sunken horizontal planes, offers the advantage of allowing greater permeability between rooms.

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Architectural projects may not always have empty plots - with their countless possibilities - to work with. Adapting pre-existing buildings to new demands is a challenge that requires a different approach.

Refurbishments, extensions, and renovations can be used to meet the constantly evolving needs of the inhabitants, either the original residents or the newcomers.

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In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the relationship between people and the spaces around them has had to be reimagined. As enclosed spaces that typically draw crowds, museums had no choice but to close their doors as the number of infections rose. Yet, their programming did not necessarily grind to a halt. Although some major architecture and urbanism events were postponed to a time when the pandemic is expected to be under control (such as the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale), many museums, galleries, and exhibition spaces saw the moment as an opportunity to deepen their engagement with virtual formats.

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The period between the 1950s and 1970s in Brazil was primarily characterized by the production and dissemination of Brutalist architecture. Despite the lack of a unanimous definition of what constitutes this offshoot of modern architecture, the term "Brutalism" is generally used to denote buildings from the era that share a common denominator: the exposed use of construction materials, particularly concrete.

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When thinking of galleries, museums, and exhibition spaces in general, the image of an enclosed, well-lit room with white walls and a neutral floor—likely made of wood—commonly comes to mind. The notion of designing exhibition spaces as "pure" environments, whether to focus on the artwork itself or to facilitate the rotation of exhibitions, has perhaps been the dominant guiding principle in the creation of these spaces over the last few decades. However, just as art transforms space, space can also be a transformative agent for art. This shifting perspective gave rise to artistic productions conceived for specific venues, widely known as site-specific installations.

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Staircases made of wood can offer a unique character to each project, thanks not only to the different configurations they can occupy in a space, but also to the variations in color and texture provided by different wood species and cuts, as well as the various ways of arranging the treads.

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Skateboarding is often associated with the use of public spaces such as streets, squares, and sidewalks and has become a sport that blends into everyday life in the cities. Although skateboarding is sometimes considered marginalized, because of the dispute over public spaces, it allows underused places such as areas under or near overpasses to be revamped for practicing sports. Many sports centers have been incorporating skate parks into their programs, showcasing very unique designs.