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The conventional professions of architecture and planning portray modernist and colonial ways of thinking. Just consider the concept of land ownership: Land is divided into parcels that can be bought and sold over and over. Land is seen as a commodity for transaction. We build our cities and buildings by drawing straight, hard lines with calculated angles. After everything is mapped out on a piece of paper, construction occurs. This normalized way of working reflects a dominant western worldview.
But there are many other ways to design buildings and create communities. And our westernized forms of design, planning and architecture almost always leave out the voices of Indigenous people. Today, I wanted to talk to someone who teaches and practices Indigenous Design & Architecture.
David Fortin is a Professor of Architecture at Laurentian University. In this episode, David discusses Indigenous design, why design is important for sovereignty, and the work he did to curate UNCEDED.
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