ABSTRACT
It is rare to find a chapter on architecture in an introductory text on urban geography. However, this is perhaps an odd omission given that cities are composed of collections of buildings and structures and that landmark buildings are often key markers of a city’s identity. This is not to say that architecture has been ignored by urban geographers, but that its consideration was rather tangential to the core of the discipline in the past. Indeed, as we saw in chapter three the consideration of urban form is one of the longest areas of enquiry in urban geography. However, detailed consideration of architecture as both form and practice has remained outside the mainstream of urban geographical research and discussion until relatively recently. It is
with the resurgence of culture as an area of enquiry in geography (see chapter seven) that discussion of architecture has increased. In particular, there has been a focus on examining the symbolic quality of architecture in reflecting the ideologies and values of those producing the building or structure. Equally, interest has been stimulated by the increasing promotion of landmark, spectacular architecture for urban development schemes by city authorities, often designed by globally recognized architects, in order to enhance the city’s image in an increasingly competitive global urban network (see chapter nine).
