In his new book, 'The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War', Robert Bevan examines why significant architecture is so often targeted in armed conflict.
"Architectural destruction is like a drug. It's addictive. It's instant proof of change, of authority. That's why it is so popular. And that's why it can become so rabid. Carthage was not only destroyed by the Romans: its site was scattered with salt to make sure that nothing ever rose again. It's as if in the pursuit of blood and soil we have to burrow deep to the earth's core to fulfill a literally fundamentalist belief in the genius loci. In Israel and Palestine today, so loaded is the land with symbols, so rabid is the conflict, even gentle archaeology and town planning become weapons."
FULL STORY: Rocked to our foundations

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‘Stockholm Tree Pit’ Saves Dying Urban Trees
After noticing that two-thirds of its trees were dying, Stockholm developed a new planting method to protect trees surrounded by concrete.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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City of Edmonds
Harvard GSD Executive Education
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