The Scope of Social Architecture, ·edited by C. Richard Hatch, 1984, 362 pp., inquire for price, from: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., Inc. 135 West 50th Street New York, NY 10020 "If, as architects, we have profound disagreements with the human reality shaped by contemporary society, how are we to build?" asks C. Richard Hatch in his introduction to The Scope of Social Architecture. This book is an effort to show how architecture can contribute to liberation-how it can provide a counterform for a society that does not yet exist. Through 26 case studies and criticaV analytical commentaries, from both Europe and the Americas, Hatch makes an excellent argument for democratic control of the built environment and the· architect's role in providing it. First comes the critique of the role of the architect. Since building costs money, the architect "has always been on the side of money: the wrong side," says Amsterdam architect Herman Hertzberger. '.fhe. book focuses on thtr process architects and planners have used to Planet Earth, by David Lambert, 1985, 64 pp., $9.95 (hardback): Facts-On-File, Inc. 460 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Planet Earth, one volume in the series Your World 2000, explores current environmental problems. Lambert's text an4 highly colorful graphics articulate causes of environmental degradation and suggest solutions as well as opportunities for individual action. The impact of the issues raised challenges the ,reader to confront ou,r global tomorrow. Population, vanishing forest, wildlife preservation, and energy consumption are just a few complex topics which Planet Earth's in-depth explanations and informative diagrams, · charts~ and pictures illuminate. Author David Lambert should be supported for offering young readers ACCESS: Architecture promote user involvement in places as diverse as Delft, Holland; Harlem, New York; Paris, France; Mexicali, Mexico; Roanoke, Virginia; and Bologna, Italy. But the book goes well beyond user participation in design to .examining content and form as well. Social Architecure helps people rediscover both their need and their ability to shape the . world they live in. The array of authors is wide-r.anging. ChristOpher Alexander and. others discuss "The Production of Houses" in Mexicali, Mexico while John F. C. Turner criticizes SAR 's (Stichting Architecten Research) Papendrecht and Adelaide Road projects. Community organizer Jaime Bordenave, architect John V. Mutlow and landscape architect Frank Villa Lobos discuss the continuing story of Cabrillo Village, a cooperative developed with 90 farmworker families of Mexican origin near Saticoy, California. Pier-Luigi Cervallati, Chief Planner, City of Bologna, discusses historic preservation with participation and without displacement while Manuel Castells and Bruce Dale comment on its relevance to Am(:rican cities. Roberto Segre discusses the development of a socialist approach to the built environment in revolutionary Cuba-form, ACCESS: Education such conceptually advanced topics. While much more development of appropriate global ecology material is needed, the technical nature of Planet Earth may stimulate .additional.resource material in this vita!' area. _:Rob Larsen Rob Larsen is president, of the Environmental Educ.ation Ass~ciation of Oregon. Toxic Chemicals Jn My Home? You Bet!, compiled and ·edited by Golden Empire and Sacramento <;;ounty teachers, $8.50 with three ring binder, $4.50 without, from: , Golden Empire Health Planning Center 2100 21st Street Sacramento, CA 958i8. . n l; This well-developed, very. inforinative curriculum teaches children about toxins in their everyday lives. The lessons Summer 1986 RAIN Page 39 · content, and process creating and reflecting the .emergence of a new society~ The book is well-illustrated with photographs of the projects discussed, yet in looking at these pictures, I couldn't help but be struck by how male these visions for our built environment seemed. Women's particular problems with male-defined environments are not dealt with-nor are some of their very cr:eative solutions. Jody Gibbs and Virginia Yang are the only women to discuss their work in th~ book: With the .exception of Cabrillo Village, the vision is highly urbanized and highly · industrialized. Little attention is paid to ·designing with solar energy and locally indigenous materials. Little at-. tention is paid to the movement towards a decentralized, resource conserving, post-industrial ·society in greater harmony with the earth. Yet, despite these shortcomings, this is .a thought-provoking treatment of the complex question of whether arc.hitecture can be an instrument for transform-· ing both the environment and the people who, live in it. -Mary Vogel Mary Vogel, a long-time student of alternative achitecture approaches, is a frequent RAIN contributor. include health awareness, proper disposal of toxins, and alternatives to· using toxins. These complete lesson plans can be used independently or as a weeklong study. Background information for the instructor is plentiful. The information for the student is easy to understand, and fun activities for each concept reinforces the material. Teachers can easily alter or add to the existing lessons to fill the needs of their. classroom. Very little preaching or talking-down attitudes, so prevalent in other similar curriculums, are present. I recommend teaching this ·unit to all students, to create in them an awareness of the toxins used daily in their homes. Separate curricula have been developed for grades K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Specify grade level when ordering. -Georgina Dalrymple Georgina Dalrymple is a fourth grade teacher in _Shreveport, Louisiana.
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