Book review: Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization

Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World by Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis

Published by Routledge, £29.99

Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis are nothing if not ambitious. In 2004 they jointly edited a documentary history of over 1,800 years of architectural history. Now they have attempted to write ‘the definitive introductory book on the theory and history of regionalist architecture in the context of globalisation’. No small task.

But to be fair they do have form. They have used Friedman’s concept of the ‘flat world’ in the sub-title but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that Architecture of Regionalism is the latest in a long line of collaborative pieces which have, for over 30 years now, continued to question the relationship between regionalism and globalism through an understanding of architecture and landscape design.

In this, their latest book, they give us a series of small chapters each taking a different point in history, from Ancient Athens to post- war America. Each chapter attempts to show how architecture and landscape design has reflected debates and discourse of the day between regionalism and globalism. So we see, for example, the conflict between the Greek city states and the Athenian League, or the development of nationalism within Europe through a series of architectural developments.

They are then attempting to not only identify but to provide concrete examples of a consistent discourse between two competing economic and social constructs, and the architecture it spawned, over approximately 2,500 years. As I say: ambitious.

But does it work? Well yes it does, but not I think as their publicists intended. The book simply isn’t large enough to be a definitive introduction to anything (221 pages in the hardback edition). But it is a great thought exercise and is full of excellent ideas.

It’s not always perfect. Firstly both authors have made up their minds about globalisation as a concept many publications ago and their critique of it, fascinating though it is, means that the book is more of a polemic rather than a definitive introduction. Secondly, and perhaps more understandably, any book attempting such a wide historical scope is going to face issues of evidence base.

Quite frankly there is too little to support some of the conclusions around the ancient world and too much to really get a grasp on the post-modern post-1970s. Moreover the examples they use come almost exclusively from the western world and one gets the sense that the choice to focus their attention there is led by the amount of sources rather than a definitive academic conception.

However, where the book succeeds it does so brilliantly. As a thought experiment, as a way of understanding the debates around regionalism and globalisation, as a way of seeing how easily regionalism can slip into other current zeitgeists (nationalism in the 19th century and environmentalism today), as a framework for questioning the very nature of what is a region, in all of these ways the book works extremely well.

Overall it isn’t a definitive book but it is an ambitious, interesting and excellent argument which not only adds to our knowledge of architectural history but will inform the ongoing discourse around regional policies and is extremely relevant to current debates.