manifesto

Our great old cities are falling into disrepair. We neglect old neighborhoods while churning out faceless, placeless strip malls and parking lots. Contaminated sites linger on as new eyesores swallow up precious greenfields. The promise of dream homes in dream communities brings repetitious spaces on the outskirts of town with no sense of place or connection. In losing the balances between quantity and quality, veneer and purpose, and novelty and belonging, we also lose connectedness with our land and with each other.

The relentless pursuit of the new erodes the character of our architectural landscape, but ours is a finite world. We can't continue consuming virgin materials forever. We must explore what kind of development is appropriate to build a healthier relationship with our natural world and human resources. We must re-examine our forgotten spaces. We must revisit and raise our expectations for buildings and land use. We must revise, revitalize, and reuse what we already have around us.

This conference

will engage attendees in a conversation about re-visioning design in order to find new solutions, new HOPES, and renewed enthusiasm for the future of our built world.

the worlds we leave behind

We are now accepting online bids for Tim Fouch’s art installation “The Worlds We Leave Behind.” On display outside Lawrence Hall at the University of Oregon, the piece consists of two human-scaled spheres constructed of lapped segments of salvaged plywood. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Architecture for Humanity’s relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

Bidding will end Friday, April 15, at 5:00 pm. Click here to be taken to our online auction.