Miles Glendinning, "Mass Housing: Modern Architecture and State Power – a Global History" (Bloomsbury, 2021)
Feb 15, 2025
auto_awesome
Miles Glendinning, Professor of Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinburgh, discusses his comprehensive work on mass housing's global history. He explores the complex relationship between modern architecture and state power, examining how mass housing became a political tool worldwide. Delving into case studies from Glasgow to Hong Kong, he emphasizes the diverse narratives often overlooked in modernist discourse. Glendinning also critiques the disparities between housing ideals and realities, particularly under socio-political regimes like apartheid, highlighting housing's role in shaping urban life.
The podcast emphasizes the evolution of mass housing as a state-supported initiative reflecting modern architectural ideals across global contexts.
It highlights the disparity between the altruistic rhetoric of mass housing programs and the political motivations that often underlie their implementation.
The discussion reveals that successful mass housing projects are generally driven by effective political organization and community engagement rather than just technocratic expertise.
Deep dives
Academic Background and Research Journey
The speaker shares a unique academic background that transitioned from classics to architecture, revealing a long-standing interest in mass housing. Initially focused on Roman political history, the speaker shifted to architectural history during a master's program, leading to a PhD on multi-story flats in Britain. This research culminated in the influential book 'Tower Block', which challenged prevailing narratives by emphasizing regional diversity in housing. After stepping away from mass housing research for about 15 years, the speaker resumed this interest around 2009, aiming to explore global histories of housing.
Defining Mass Housing in Context
Mass housing is defined as state-supported housing that embodies modern architectural principles, distinguishing it from privately constructed developments. The discussion includes examples such as private apartment blocks in Brazil, which may be modernist but lack state backing and therefore fall outside of this definition. Furthermore, the speaker stresses that the category is broad and complex, emphasizing how local contexts can dramatically influence the form and implementation of mass housing projects. This nuanced definition allows a comprehensive exploration of mass housing's diversity across different global locations.
Rhetoric versus Reality in Housing Programs
The podcast highlights a significant divergence between the stated intentions behind mass housing programs and the underlying political motivations that often drive them. Rhetorically, these programs are framed around social need and morality, but the reality frequently reflects political expediency, especially in Latin America where state toolkits favor developers with political ties. In contrast, more welfare-oriented states may align their rhetoric more closely with actual housing outcomes. This divergence illustrates the complex motivations behind housing initiatives and the importance of critically assessing government narratives.
Impact of Technocracy on Housing Development
The role of technocracy in mass housing development is explored, emphasizing that while expert-driven approaches influenced many housing projects, they were not the sole determinants. Rather, effective housing programs often relied more on competent political organization and community input than on technocratic solutions. The speaker references the contrast between bureaucratic approaches in socialist countries versus local government initiatives in Western democracies. Overall, the success of housing projects comes down to a myriad of political and organizational factors rather than purely technological ones.
International Influences and Historical Contexts
The podcast discusses how international examples and architectural trends influenced the discourse surrounding mass housing across various countries. Initiatives like housing exhibitions and professional exchanges helped share innovative approaches, yet participation from grassroots housing organizers was limited. The conversation notes that while architects and planners adopted international ideas, the local implementation of housing policies was often disconnected from these discourses. Additionally, historical experiences during colonial and post-colonial periods shaped the motivations and outcomes of housing programs, revealing an intricate web of influence.
Mass Housing: Modern Architecture and State Power – a Global History (Bloomsbury, 2021) is a major work that provides the first comprehensive history of one of modernism's most defining and controversial architectural legacies: the 20th-century drive to provide 'homes for the people'. Vast programs of mass housing – high-rise, low-rise, state-funded, and built in the modernist style – became a truly global phenomenon, leaving a legacy which has suffered waves of disillusionment in the West but which is now seeing a dramatic, 21st-century renaissance in the booming, crowded cities of East Asia.
Exploring the relationship between built form, ideology, and political intervention, it shows how mass housing not only reflected the transnational ideals of the Modernist project, but also became a central legitimizing pillar of nation-states worldwide. In a compelling narrative which likens the spread of mass housing to a 'Hundred Years War' of successive campaigns and retreats, it traces the history around the globe from Europe via the USA, Soviet Union and a network of international outposts, to its ultimate, optimistic resurgence in China and East Asia.
Miles Glendinning is a Professor of Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinburgh and the Director of the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies.
This interview was conducted by Timi Koyejo, a graduate student in urban studies at the University of Vienna. He has worked professionally as a researcher at the University of Chicago and as an urban policy advisor to the City of Chicago.
