ABSTRACT
The first time I heard the term “global practices” used was in a graduate course on the international construction industry, a course devoted almost entirely to analyzing economic opportunities more than anything else. Questioning how the means and methods of design services would shape the social, political, and stylistic relations between the developing and developed nations-or even between designers and users-was a distant concern. That monetary profit was a central focus in that class is not so remarkable, nor was it particularly enlightening. But, one set of course discussions struck me then and continues to be mulled over in my mind.
