Building for Hope

This new book by Syrian architect Marwa alSabouni, seeks to understand how cities and buildingsscarred by conflict, blight, and pandemiccan be healed through design and urban mindfulness.When Marwa alSabouni published Battle for Home in 2016, she was a littleknown architect, living in battleravaged Homs, Syria, unable to practice her profession. She turned her fierce intelligence to chronicling how her city and country were undone through decades of architectural mismanagement and mistakes. Once published, Marwa alSabounis book and story attracted the attention of international mediaCNN, The New York Timesand received critical acclaim worldwide. The United Nations called on her for insights and expertise. She became a TED fellow, was invited to speak to audiences around the world, and some suggested she be nominated for architectures highest honor, the Pritzker Prize.AlSabounis deep understanding of Middle Eastern heritage and architecture gives her insight into a wide range of cities, informing her views on how cities work best, how they might fail, and what can be done to harmonize the lives of all their inhabitants.In this compelling new book, alSabouni draws together several narratives: her personal and professional observations of some of the worlds most fascinating cities, from Detroit to Helsinki; the lessons that Western societies might learn from Islamic culture and design; and philosophical reflections on how our personal and communal spaces can provide the basic foundations for happiness. Through this tapestry of personal experience, unblinking perspective, and insight, alSabouni offers realworld solutionsand hopefor how peace might be created through mindful urban planning. 20 illustrations