From Question to Right

The "housing question" has characterized the evolution of modern architecture since its very origins.Attesting to its complexity, the question was actually first posed by studies and reflections that came from other disciplinary fields, such as sociology, economics, political science and philosophy.When Friedrich Engels, in the early 1870s, posed the housing question in its first modern definition, he was discussing what he and Karl Marx saw as one of the most acute, inherent, contradictions of the capitalist economy and society, which was deemed unsolvable barring a complete upheaval of the whole socio-economic system. 1 On the other hand, the Modern Movement in architecture and urbanism took it upon itself to outline future scenarios, as well as innovative typologies, technologies and systems, to offer possible solutions for the metropolis of mature capitalism.Since then, though, in spite of many good and innovative design ideas, the housing question has remained unresolved.In fact, with the acceleration of urban population, triggered by an ever more globalized economy, which we witnessed over the last decades, the question has become even more urgent.Alejandro Aravena, one of the leading figures on the current global discourse on housing, has recently observed how the housing question today has grown into a completely new dimension due to the "three S menace" of the phenomenon: scale, speed and scarcity.He noted that "nowadays, one million people per week are moving into our cities relying on a yearly income of $10,000 per family." 2 Thus, expanding on Henri Lefebvre's "right to the city," 3 what emerged over the last decades, from research and experimentations on a global level, is the need of a paradigm shift about housing, to be seen as a human right, not just as a

Architecture, Modernity, and Design · Collaborative and Sustainable Housing Initiatives · Computer Science · Latin American Urban Studies