SPACE July 2025 (No. 692)
We are now experiencing firsthand how the philosophy, perspective, and executive power of administration can exert its influence over all aspects of life, such as the economy, education, medicine, and culture. At a time when the world is often thought to operate like a single nation, Donald Trump, who began his second term as president of the United States in January 2025, following his first in 2017, is championing an exclusive ‘America First’ policy. Edward Dimendberg, an American architectural and urban historian, critically analyses the impact of the Trump administration’s architecture policy – devised by non-experts – on the country’s architectural landscape. He strongly criticises an executive order that has mandated the use of classical style across all federal public buildings. In a reality where respect for history and diversity, as well as the values of inclusion and solidarity, are easily dismissed and approach extremism, Dimendberg’s call for support from the global architectural community prompts reflection on resistance, unity, and the relationship between democracy and architecture. Editor
United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. (1800). Wikimedia Commons / ©Oren Rozen
Each day the consequences of the reelection of Donald Trump as president of the United States become more evident, not only to Americans but to many across the interconnected contemporary world. Although the disruptive effects of the economic and foreign policies of his administration receive constant attention, their equally disruptive impact on architecture in the US receives less attention. Tariffs on imported Canadian lumber and steel or materials from other countries will inevitably drive up the costs of domestic construction. Clean energy alternatives such as solar and wind power dependent on technologies imported from China will become more expensive, right at the moment that their use is growing and dependence on fossil fuels diminishing. As already high interest rates r...
