Architecture with Community in Mind

Buildings That Foster Connection and Social Capital

Casa Familiar: Living Rooms at the Border: Image courtesy of cruzforman.com

I’ve worked with some great architects and design managers over the years, people who inspire me. If I started over, I think that’s what I’d really like to be.

Architecture has the power to shape not only physical spaces but also the social fabric of communities. Architects who prioritize community connection and high social capital create environments that encourage interaction, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging.

Winston Churchill famously said:

“We shape our buildings, and afterwards, our buildings shape us.”

There is a lot of wisdom in that statement, something that only in more recent times neuroscientists have been exploring. What exactly is it that triggers emotional responses to buildings and spaces within us? I’ve often wondered where Winston Churchill’s insight came from. He was born in Blenheim Palace and spent a lot of his life living at Chartwell.

Good architecture can lift our mood, instill a sense of calmness, overwhelm us with happiness, it can connect us with nature. It can also have a community dimension, something that is perhaps an underexplored area. By engaging with residents, incorporating local culture, and designing spaces that promote social cohesion, architects can design in order to strengthen communities.

It’s still something of a niche area, one that ought to be mainstream. In this article I want to highlight the work of Teddy Cruz, Alejandro Aravena, and Liz Ogbu, three architects who exemplify community-centered design and use innovative approaches that make a difference to people and places.

Teddy Cruz: Collaborative Urbanism and Cross-Border Design

Teddy Cruz, a Guatemalan-American architect, is renowned for his work on socially engaged architecture, particularly in marginalized communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Through his practice, Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, he emphasizes participatory design processes that involve residents in shaping their environments.