Abstract:
We find ourselves amidst a decidedly unique era of politics, one fraught with conflict and defined by division. The United States Presidential Election of 2016, the Brexit Referendum the same year and New Zealand's General Election in 2017 all quantified long-brewing tensions, each bringing deeply ingrained social division and political disenfranchisement to the fore of public consciousness. What persists, is a palpable miasma over a political sphere marred by incessant controversy, and a public increasingly disconnected from the process originally designed to serve them -- a dissonance perpetuated by incompetent and shallow democratic architecture. The investigation conducted culminates with the design of an urban-scale scheme in River Falls, capital of the northeastern state of Michigan. The project explores the architectural and political qualities of control and transparency, ultimately demonstrating how architectural intervention can sculpt the relationship between a public and their government -- for better or worse. Largely inspired by the Agora of ancient Athens, the scheme weaves a collection of public and political infrastructure through a blanket of lush public space in the heart of River Falls. The result is a new rendering of the 'town hall,' one intended to strengthen the tethers between the democratic process and the public it serves. At least, that is the conceit. Whilst first appearing to be a utopian urban scheme championing political participation, the scheme is really foil for a caustic, cutting commentary of the Trump Administration and its actions. The Town Hall is in fact a dystopian complex of conservative control, veiled in a facade of alleged transparency. The scheme paints a pensive, irate indictment of the contemporary political landscape, employing a sardonic brand of architecture as its brush. Presented from the perspective of the United States Government, The Town Hall ultimately balances the satirical with the sincere. The reader is left to ruminate on not only the Trump Administration and its actions, but the critical role architecture can, and should, play in the political process.