20. Hopeful Monsters, Strange Creatures and the Freedom of Choice

Designers, urbanists, public policy advocates, and any others are who would join the Urban Technology Program at the University of Michigan are “hopeful monsters” & “strange creatures.” Meet their leader.

Guest: Bryan Boyer, Director, Urban Technology Program, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan // Co-founder, Dash Marshall

Intro: “Hopeful Monsters,” by Charlie Nieland

Discussed:

· Architecture firms grow a spine (?) over Russia v. Ukraine: Is it a moral stand, or admission they won’t get paid? And yet, many are still working for the Saudis, on NEOM and such projects.

· Helsinki Design Lab

· Brickstarter

· The Most Important Mile

· Imagining Future Scenarios for Autonomous Vehicles

· People Party- Generating scale figures for renderings that look like their communities

· Brute-Force Architecture - “Look at all these things that we didn’t choose” >> Exhaust failure. If architecture labor was more expensive, would that be possible?

· George Gilder and the Early Cloud – “Conserve what is expensive, waste what is abundant.”

· Architechie

· REEF

· WSJ – REEF bought the wrong lots

· Renew Newcastle (Australia)

· Participatory City (London)

· Outro: “Freedom of Choice,” by Devo