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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anarchist architecture | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchist_architecture | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:58:55.816337+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Examples == The housing project Nuovo Villaggio Matteotti for steelworkers in the Italian town Terni was designed by architect Giancarlo De Carlo according to his anarchist principles. De Carlo included future inhabitants during the design process of the project, which was realized between 1969 and 1974. Some of the principles that characterize the design was that the buildings "must be neither fragmented nor a single block" and his conviction that "pedestrian walkways [should be] built in a scale proportioned to the individual’s psychological needs: spaces that can be immediately perceived, walkways that are both variable and inspiring, the presence of greenery, carefully chosen details”. Squatting is considered a form of anarchist architecture, as people occupy an empty construction and modify it for their own needs. One of the best known examples is Freetown Christiania, a commune in Copenhagen that was built in 1971 in and around abandoned military buildings. Inhabitants of Christiania modified existing barracks and built their own structures in an "extraordinary diversity of styles and materials that survive to this day".
Self built houses in informal settlements in the Global South, such as barriadas or favelas in Latin America, have been described as anarchitecture. These buildings are an illegal alternative to housing provided by governments and private companies. British anarchist architect John Turner saw such communities as an example of self reliance of workers. Turner described informal settlements as "architecture that worked" and advocated that the inhabitants of such settlements should be free to produce homes and social spaces for themselves. Another example of anarchist architecture is the tents and makeshift buildings during activist occupations, such as during the Occupy movement. Activists across the world built camps to occupy public spaces and protest against economic injustice. Refugees or displaced people who are forced to build improvised housing in semi-permanent camps could also be described as anarchitecture. Building cooperatives where people work together to construct houses could be considered as anarchitecture. British-Asian and West-African communities in the United Kingdom created housing cooperatives during the 1960s, where individuals would pay to join, take a loan from a fund and pay it back with no interest as a way to fund the construction of their houses. Some associations, such as the South London Housing Association (SOLON), were created with the objective of remodeling pre-existing houses. They became more active after the Housing Act (1974), that raised the funding for housing cooperatives in London. SOLON "was run on worker co-operative collectivist principles", where even the tenants were part of the association. In SOLON's case, even though the tenant had a lot to say about the reformations, the final decisions were made by the architect and the owner of the property. In some cases, associations were created to disrupt government building efforts, such as the Architects' Revolutionary Council (ARC), created in 1974. Leaded by Brian Anson, it had the objective of destroying the architectural establishment from England, specially RIBA, and invited architects to work directly for the population. ARC constantly interfered with RIBA's demolishing activities.
== Anarchitecture architects == Giancarlo De Carlo Walter Segal John F. C. Turner Charles Jencks Gordon Matta-Clark Lebbeus Woods Hassan Fathy
== References ==