The "Social Architects" and Their Architecture of Social Change

Abstract

American communitarians of the nineteenth century described themselves as "Social Architects" committed to the redesign of society. Their "architecture of social change" represents a conscious effort to reshape the life space of alternative societies. Their goals included uniqueness, accountability, perfectibility, collectivity, and credibility. Their environments were characterized by isolation, unique architectural features, recycling within closed systems, architectural adaptation, "perfect" details, inventions, elaborate transitions between public and private spaces, and prefabrication for easier assembly of the "model" town. The effects of "the architecture of social change" demonstrate the importance of alternative environments to the success of contemporary alternative institutions.