Sovereignty and Architecture
Abstract
Politics and Architecture are closely related. Politics is an essential aspect in the society with its significant role in influencing architectural standards and processes together with the laws of urban areas. Architecture plays a critical role in the creation of political agendas by the politicians hence offers an explanation to the experience of development in recent times. There has been a rise globally in populism and nationalism, which has championed for architectural advancement. Nations have been seen to have separation in terms of the political differences in the ideologies that they need to apply in their sovereignty. Most countries are now involved in architectural superiority in ensuring they can compete with European nations that are considered to be more revolutionized. Creative designers have been able to explain the necessary skills and resources to help shape a better future in terms of architecture. They have been able to present future aspirations such that the spectators are able to reflect and strategize in thinking of how best they can contribute to the smooth transitioning into the future.
This article’s intention is to look into the future while considering the historical activities based on Foucault’s book on security, territory, and population. These three; security, territory and population, tie very closely to the aspect of sovereignty. The article focuses on how they affect the architectural development and the planning of the urban centers. Architectural cases have been studied and it has shown that architecture and urban planning are an embodiment of development in most sovereign states. History of countries in matters of authority has been gauged depending on their architectural capabilities through their styles, construction methods and their selection of materials, among others. This was such that countries with advanced architectural structure were considered to be more sophisticated in terms of their authoritative ability to rule over other states. A country’s management can also be reflected in depending on their urban planning ability. This ranges from their techniques in land use to the modes of transport they use to their heritage and conservation. With respect to architectural growth, security, territory, and population do not independently affect sovereignty development, but instead, they are reciprocated. This will be discussed in the paper further to help understand this relationship that exists and expound more on the examples that illustrate this in detail.[create_order]
Main Body
- Sovereignty largely determines the degree of security of a country, which in turn affects the form of architecture
1.1 Sovereignty and Security
Sovereignty, by definition, is the authority of self-governance of a state or its authority to govern another state while security refers to the mode with which the practices, norms, institutions, and values are presented. The definitions illustrate the existing connection between sovereignty and security in that they both revolve around the issues in society. Sovereignty has undergone several modifications to fit the ever-changing circumstances focusing more on government and lesser on civil society since the 1648 Peace of Westphalia treaty.[1] The governance of a state is the basic determinant of security in that when the government treats its subjects well, and then it will translate to a secure state. When the subjects of any regime are seen to be oppressed by their government, it, in most cases, leads to insecurity as there emerge rebel groups. In the aim to govern the states properly, the political leaders often put in place laws that are essential to ensuring the security of a state.[2] This is in regard to the punishment for social injustices hence the sobriety of the state. A strict ruler ensures that all his subjects are obedient to them, such that they can be directed to take part in the constructive building of the economy. Since ancient times, governments have been known to have strict rules and regulations to ensure internal security is guaranteed while at the external level, they have soldiers that protect their territories. This forms the basis of the discussion as the article aims to expound on how these political leaders influenced the architecture within their states. The soldiers are known to be under strict orders from their commanders who, in turn, report to the rulers of their sovereign states.
1.2 Sovereignty and Architecture
Sovereignty brings about politics that, in turn, influence the architectural structures in society. Politics is often as a result of conflict of interest between the parties involved; hence they end up causing unrest among their supporters. The existing sovereignty conflicts between the United States and Mexico have been evident in the past and in the present. The building of a wall by the Unites States will go down in history as an architectural structure that resulted from political instability. Even though only minor walls have been erected in the image of fences, the conflict between the two countries continues to widen. The United States, through its president Donald Trump has a proposal to construct a wall on the southern boundary in a bid to curb immigrants getting into the United States. Currently, there exist fences that have been erected basically to reduce the entrance of immigrants into the United States. This clearly cuts out the important role that sovereignty is entwined with architecture. The US is arguing that the continuous growth of the immigrants into the country is a threat to the employment of citizens since most of the people shall be rendered unemployed, thus the need to construct a wall. The USA is fighting to protect its sovereignty through the political leaders, therefore, increasing the possibilities of constructing a wall that will require designers for efficient construction.
The state of Israel is another evidence of the intertwinement of sovereignty and architecture. The Zionist always had the idea of building a great nation through the construction of a unique and well-structured nation. Upon gaining independence in 1948, this became a reality through the building of villages, towns, and cities that currently define the prosperity of the Israel country. The architecture has advanced in recent years within the farming sector, such that they are among the leading countries in the export of horticultural products. The Egyptian pyramids were as a result of political influence where the Pharaohs showcased there political abilities and royalty. This is another good example of sovereignty and architecture since the Pharaohs used the available labor from their subjects, including slaves, to construct what is believed to be the resting place of the kings once they die. Technological advancement in architecture, such as the construction of the world’s best stadia, is as a result of politics. The politicians foster the construction of stadia with an aim to develop the talent of its citizens as it is known to be a source of income to the individuals. Therefore, disconnecting sovereignty and architecture is an impossibility since they go hand in hand in the day to day activities of the society.
- Population Milieu
2.1 Population and Architecture
The population of any given demographic state greatly and majorly influences the architectural aspect. Any population will need to have accommodation and the need for shelter. Population affects the architectural structure of a place in a wide range from housing to hospitals, roads to schools, among others. Any architectural structure is meant to be inhabited by a population or to solve the problems faced by society. Urban planning is always done considering the current population and that of the future. It is estimated that in the next 40 years, the population of the urban areas will grow to twice the current size; hence urban planners are undertaking sustainable transformational models.[3] The transformations are done with the aim of ensuring that in the event the population grows, the architectural design can accommodate or at least allow room for expansion. Several advances in the architectural industry have been attributed to the needs of the population. For example, most architectural work is done while considering the effects they will have on the environment and how it may affect the population. Since the ancient age of human civilization, people have been striving to develop an environment built to benefit the population. The Neolithic buildings were constructed such that its orientation would make it possible for the sun to be accessible and considered the ventilation. In Crete, there were several instances of the population being faced with plagues; hence the architects devised a way to avoid this by building underground sewage systems.
Although the ancient nations were able to curb the challenges they faced, the urban areas grew in terms of the population more rapidly. The concerns shifted from the development of buildings that would allow room for good public health to focus majorly on accommodating them. This greatly compromised the residential constructions during the industrial revolution as the employers focused more on ensuring productivity hence built substandard houses for their employees. The situation was getting out of hand that governments had to impose laws to ensure public health is guaranteed with some such as Germany introducing a sanitation project. This project led to the creation of green infrastructure, including parks and boulevards that are still beneficial up to date. The other countries Worldwide followed this, and to date, there are parks in most, if not all, the cities around the world. This illustrates how the population plays a major role in shaping the architectural structure of any society.
2.2 Architecture and Population-Environment
Architecture in the recent years has been associated with the ever-rising health risks associated with poor infrastructure. “sick building syndrome” is a trend in the architectural industry that refers to the workforce getting sick at the office with such symptoms as; headaches, blocked or runny nose and sore eyes among others. This is caused by architectural failures, including poor ventilation or poor maintenance of conditioning systems and bright lights. Foucault et al. (1977-1978) analyzed the need to punish those individuals in the society that pose a threat. This analysis is evident when standards are set to be met in the ventilation and heating features by the United Kingdom’s laws and regulations. However, there are several designs that are yet to be met, for example, scientific studies have shown that exposure to natural light and learning in a natural setup give positive results in exams yet there is no legislation in existence that can ensure that this feature is incorporated by architects in constructing learning facilities. While the scientist is tirelessly working to ensure that there is enough knowledge on the effects that building has on human health, the laws and regulations are growing so slowly such that there are new buildings that may not have proper natural lighting and ventilation.
Architects are working towards achieving sustainability such that there is less consumption of energy in the running of architectural structures. The sustainability concept has led to the application of various technological advancements. However, too much reliance will jeopardize the health status of the inhabitants. Most houses are today built to be airtight as a requirement to meet efficiency in energy consumption. Whereas energy consumption is lowered, the inhabitants are at high risk as there are chances of excess accumulation of harmful gases such as Carbon(IV)oxide that inhibit breathing. It is evident, through the above illustrations, that the population has a great impact on architectural advancement, and most developments are made to ensure the comfort of the population while satisfying architectural desires. The welfare of the human population is dependent on the architectural developments whereby when the field fails, then the whole system of governance is affected. The failures of a sovereign state are assessed based on the economic and social welfare of its population hence the need for states to work more in training the best architects who will, in turn, enhance development.
- Territory
The territory is, by definition, an area of land that is under the jurisdiction of a certain ruler or state. Territorial boundaries are often recognizable by the patterns and styles of their architectural designs. This has been the major determining factor that is used in identifying where a place is considered urban or rural. The urban centers are known to have the best and modern architectural designs that function to shape the territorial headquarters. The urban areas attract the best architects, which such factors as guaranteed security and the availability of the resources required for architectural development. Traditional and middle-level architects are often found in rural areas where such activities as farming take place; hence architectural designs are made to suit their needs. Their existence in both urban and rural social setups has played an important role in the architectural structures. The combination of urban and rural architecture is what defines the structure of a country into either developed countries, developing countries, or least developing countries. Where developed countries have advanced technological and architectural abilities, developing countries are those that have improved in recent years in architecture and least developed countries that comprise of the emerging economies.
Urban territories are characterized by complicated and very organized architectural styles that often include green spaces and parks. These are often made with the intention of ameliorating the cities and towns to be more habitable, and while doing this, ensure there is low carbon within the city. A great country always has a great urban planning technique, this is rated by assessing, among others, the quality of the architectural designs. The architects create designs that are unique to a specific city; for example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris France is one of the designs that are unique to Paris as a City and France as a country. The tower holds the historical responsibility to commemorate the revolution among the French and reminds them of the prowess they put towards their industrialization. This was attributed to the growth of the city as it attracted scientists from all over the world. The fact that it was a scientific center meant there was a lot of expertise at the disposal of the French since they would need accommodation while going about their research. This contributed a lot to the construction of residential houses that grew to become among the architectural definition of Paris. The hotel industry is the other industry that has seen great growth in architecture. Most hotel architectural structures are the ultimate definition of most cities as they construct unique and classy infrastructure, mostly considered state of the art. This shows how architecture shapes the growth of urban territories.
Rural territories are characterized by the socio-economic activities that are undertaken by the inhabitants. The major activities are farming, fishing, and mining as the main sources of income and architectural curiosity. Architects are mostly motivated by the challenges they face in their routine activities; hence they find several designs that will ease the workload. The development of boats and docking harbors are the major architectural features that characterize the marine areas hence making them unique. Construction of cowsheds meant for zero-grazing is often the distinctive design that makes the rural cattle farmers be outstanding. The Great Wall of China is a good example of how architecture can intertwine with the territory. The wall was built basically to defend the Chinese people from the time to time attacks from the Northern communities. It is among the wonders of the world and attracts tourists to China. It is unique with China alone; hence this demonstrates the great importance of architecture. The combination of both the urban and rural territorial architecture development is among the parameters used to rank countries in the world and used mostly by donors to determine the countries that deserve to be awarded funding and those that require just a little funding. This illustrates the role played by architecture and sovereignty in the aspects of territorial ranking hence the authority a country in decisions made for the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the meaning of sovereignty mainly depends on three major factors: security, territory, and population. The development and innovation of architecture are also inseparable in the advances they are making in society. Good infrastructure in terms of the buildings assure a state of sovereignty stability as the security is upheld, the territory safeguarded, and the population secured by the improved living standards. The existence of assured security the architectural designs get advance as the architects have peace and availability of resources to construct. Architectural research needs to be invested in ensuring that the advancement is continuous, avoiding redundancy. This is achieved through a properly planned political sociology to incorporate cultural methods and political ideologies as important aspects in the design of architecture. This incorporation will serve to make the society cohesive and their interests to be catered for in the end. The involvement of the community ensures that while the advancement is made in the building, the interests and culture of the people is also reserved. Designers should be sensible enough, but at the same time, the architects must put practicality into consideration. They should achieve environmental protection through the set out rules and regulations while ensuring that they do not overdo as it may have negative implications on the residents. The safety of the building should also be considered and assure the locals of cultural preservation is incorporated. When all these factors are put into account, the sovereignty of the state is guaranteed.
Bibliography
Alvarez, Laura B., and Hannah Woods. “How Can Cities Ensure Healthy Architecture in an Era of Rapid Population Growth?” CityMetric, April 26, 2018. https://www.citymetric.com/fabric/how-can-cities-ensure-healthy-architecture-era-rapid-population-growth-3677.
Foucault, Michel, François Ewald, Alessandro Fontana, and Michel Senellart. Security, Territory, Population Lectures at the College De France, (1977-78). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
Makinda, Samuel M. “Sovereignty and global security.” Security Dialogue 29, no. 3 (1998): 281-292.
[1] Makinda, Samuel M. “Sovereignty and global security.” Security Dialogue 29, no. 3 (1998): 281-292.
[2] Foucault, Michel, François Ewald, Alessandro Fontana, and Michel Senellart. Security, Territory, Population Lectures at the College De France, (1977-78). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
[3] Alvarez, Laura B., and Hannah Woods. “How Can Cities Ensure Healthy Architecture in an Era of Rapid Population Growth?” CityMetric, April 26, 2018. https://www.citymetric.com/fabric/how-can-cities-ensure-healthy-architecture-era-rapid-population-growth-3677.