0215 ARCH+ Posthumane Architektur raises the question of the status of architecture as a quasi-object, as a non-human actor in the arsenal of biopolitics in the context of Smart City and the digitalization of our environment. Many of the discussions in this issue are based on the film 0213 Architecting after Politics by Brandlhuber+ and Christopher Roth. There, the authors and interviewees describe a radicalization of economic thinking in which the city is understood and produced as an exclusive space, as a central business segment of large technology companies.
With the Smart City discourse, technology companies are reaching far into the field of architects and planners. The basis for these developments is our (user) data, which not at least enable new planning and design tools. However, the algorithms, equations, and conclusions behind these tools and applications are not unquestionable truths. They are neither neutral nor objective or even factual. It is people standing behind them—data analysts and programmers, corporations and private networks—whose decisions shape our imaginations and determine how we live together.
The Smart City promises security, comfort, and sustainability without talking about equal conditions for citizens and living conditions. It thus undermines the traditional values of freedom, equality, and fraternity as social and urban planning principles behind the city. In addition, the marginalization of people through autonomous technology is increasing. In this technocratic vision, concepts such as the human being, the city, and society are nothing more than “algorithmic assemblages.” Therefore, the implications concern not only the social interaction but also our self-image. In this context, the role of architects is up for negotiation anew—or have they long since become obsolete?
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré
© ARCH+, Design: Meiré und Meiré