Post-Crisis Embracing Public Service Architecture With Humility

In the wake of large-scale disasters, architects often step forward with new visions for recovery and rebuilding. The widespread destruction of buildings and human landscapes presents an attractive opportunity to work in an atmosphere of moral clarity: to design and build as an act of defiance against hostile forces. The demands of post-disaster environments give the work of architecture a sense of urgency, both morally and economically. However, such rebuilding efforts can also expose problematic undercurrents, and while widely acclaimed for their altruistic vision, opportunistic architects may, in some cases, do more harm than good.