“Architecture is a process of giving form and pattern to the social life of the community.  Architecture is not an individual act performed by an artist – architect and charged with his emotions.  Building is a collective action.”  (Hannes Meyer, director of Bauhaus, 1928 to 1930)  I find this quote interesting because I think it implies a certain obligation which every Architect must fulfill in terms of designing for the well being of the human race, however the “emotional egotistic artist – architect” only puts himself before good design.  We, as aspiring architects, must realize how important our work becomes, and how many people are effected by our decisions.

The role of the architect is very dynamic and must be able to provide a service for a wide range of individuals on both side of the economic spectrum.  The Idea of designing with a utopian ideology isn’t realistic enough in order to solve some of the problems, which we face today.  In a perfect world where utopia is attainable and everything is perfect then these ideas would be fine.  However we live in a world that is far from perfect and utopia is just a place, which well-educated artistic architects can speak pedantically for hours everyday and not solve any real issues facing urban areas today.

So what is the architect to do to?  Can design solve issues in areas with an overwhelming plight in areas of extreme poverty?  I’m not sure of the answer to this question, however,  we can start by responding to the issues at hand and not hiding behind our theoretical ideas of the world.  Architects have more power than most people can understand, we must take advantage of our position in society in order to make a difference that impacts people as whole and not just certain individuals with exceptional socioeconomic status’s.