Narrative Architecture: A Kynical Manifesto

A genealogy of utopian, �honest� architecture that speaks the truth to the issues of our times, from Le Corbusier and Constant to Superstudio and Rem KoolhaasDocumenting a strain of remarkable architectural and urban visions in the 20th century, Narrative Architecture applies the critiques implicit in these visions to present-day problems in urbanism. The titular �Kynical Manifesto� alludes to the Cynic philosopher Diogenes, who famously wandered Greece in search of an �honest man.� Where is the honest architecture, this book asks, that speaks the truth to the pressing challenges of our time�societal fragmentation, gentrification, rampant capitalism, climate change? Earlier projects by Le Corbusier, Team 10, Constant, Victor Gruen, Yona Friedman, Archizoom, Superstudio and Rem Koolhaas may offer solutions, Narrative Architecture offers a comprehensive exploration of alternative models of architectural and urban thinking and representation, asking critical questions about the challenges affecting the world today.