Listen, talk, repeat: women's journey through architecture and environmental consciousness

Abstract

Asserting that architecture is political is an acknowledgment that the design of form and space is founded on uneven relationships of power. At the same time, two states that are intrinsically apolitical—gender and climate—have become subject to intense socio-political polarization. While identifying these artificially imposed divides does not equate to their endorsement, the goal here is not to dismantle them. The aim is to elucidate how harnessing these differences helps a more sustainable built environment. This study delves into a practical approach, a mindset, embodied in the three-step process of “listen, talk, repeat”. This process frames a discourse on gender differences without victimization or criminalization of built space, societal systems, communities or their members. Derived from the social constructs of everyday life and domesticity, these three functions have been evoked by women of diverse backgrounds to navigate their everyday life and also to thrive therein. Deployment of this three-step mindset enables designers of all gender identities to mediate between theoretical space and practical applications, and to reposition socio-ecological sustainability as a fundamental aspect in salvaging a planet ravaged by extractivism and human ambition. Understanding how women have identified with this operational perspective reveals a rich tapestry of ideas, further organized by collective movements such as ecofeminism and the drive for resilience and sustainability. The narrative is illustrated by stories of women, and projects by women and by men, whose contribution has brought on unlikely paradigm shifts and, at times, decisive historical turning points.