At home everywhere and nowhere: Making place in the global village

A "quiet" revolution in architecture and urban planning has been taking place over the last decade, aiming to heal the wounds inflicted upon the landscape during the modern era. It is quiet because its practitioners are not united under a single banner and because their sensitivity to people and the environment often translates into design that does not call attention to itself Nonetheless, its impact can not be overstated. Surfacing from all corners of the globe, this transnational revolution is dramatically reshaping our physical environment, the social life that occurs in it, and the practice of urban design. In this essay, Professor Nan Ellin describes this transformation focussing on five principle qualities hybridity, connectivity, porosybity, authenticity, and vulnerability. She also examines the larger social changes in which these qualities are emerging featuring a shift towards slowness, simplicity, sincerity, spirituality, and sustainability.