The social context and politics of large scale urban architecture

What is it about?

The waterfront of Oslo was planned to become a diverse urban space. However, the architects and developers of Barcode had other visions: First, Barcode would help turn Oslo into a more “urban” environment. Second, it was designed for the upper-middle and upper classes. Drawing on interviews with architects and other key actors, this article investigates this design process.

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Why is it important?

Our findings show that while policy makers make plans for a more “just city”, architects and developers design and build projects that may not support such ideals.