https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2701-298X
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ABSTRACT
As one of the most exteriorized architectural elements, façades are significant features of the urban image and important contributors to the aesthetic and other urban experiences. However, discussions on the subject have lost relevance in academic and professional circles following arguments about physical determinism, façadism, beautification, and aestheticisation practices. Reflecting on the multiple contributions of façades to contemporary urban life, this article re-engages with the debate on façade design and the aesthetic and other urban experiences it affords from a political perspective to interrogate the impact of individualistic design practices in an era dominated by capitalist place-making.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa and UNSA Investiga Funding for the support provided for this research.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. At the heart of physical determinism is the causal belief that a built environment can improve people’s behaviour and quality of life.
2. By afforder, it is meant someone or something that affords or makes available.
3. It is important to note that most countries in the global North and South have planning regulations that define the street wall and the building envelope in which the architecture is placed. However, design codes or architectural standards that regulate the elements that compose façades, are generally found only in developed countries. Most developing countries do not have this type of regulation, or if they do, local governments find it very difficult to enforce it (see Rezafar Citation2023; Rezafar and Turk Citation2023).