The Duty to Suggest Behavior

So says Renzo Piano, the architect made famous by his role in the design of Paris' Pompidou Centre, of the discipline of architecture itself.

In an interview with the Guardian, Piano touches on the role architecture plays in the Paris riots. While he acknowledges that architecture alone is not enough to solve social problems, he suggests that the creation of the ghetto bears some responsibility for the disenfranchisement of Paris' upset minorities.

Piano barely touches on what this means for America, but that's an interesting question, especially considering the recent rise of the exurb. American suburbs and exerbs aren't usually built around town centers, but Piano's theory suggests that they really should be.

Towson provides a good case study. It's a suburb of Baltimore, yes, but also very, very close to the city, and a college town in it's own right. It's also aging and has felt commercial strain. Development Design Group, a Baltimore-based architecture firm with a ton of cred in urban redevelopment has the task of updating the Towson circle area, the core of the town center.

It'll be interesting to see how DDG applies principles of urban redevelopment to a suburban community. I'd like to see that happen with new building, too, in areas that are just slated for development.

From what I've read, many of the people who are interested in both social policy and architecture focus their efforts in redevelopment. But it definitely seems as though there are opportunities to branch out and help new developers do things right the first time.