Architect Marwa al-Sabouni believes, amid the rubble of Homs, lay insights for building better communities Marwa al-Sabouni would be the first to tell you that architecture, and design, aren?t the main concerns in her hometown of Homs, Syria. Bombarded throughout the ongoing Syrian conflict, Homs was once a thriving home for its more than 650,000 residents. It?s easy to see it as just a tragic situation. Al-Sabouni asks outsiders to look past the media portrayal and see what she does; how this ancient city represents street-level urbanism, built up over centuries, filled with lessons on how to create stable communities.
But while day-to-day realities dominate her life?the architecture office she shared with her husband was bombed and destroyed? al-Sabouni isn?t just focused on what her and her fellow Syrians have lost. She?s also thinking about what comes next, and how the country can rebuild in a manner that helps restore this fractured nation. In her widely viewed TED Talk and her book, The Battle for Home, she advocates for streets and cities that respect their country?s heritage. She believes architecture can influence how communities interact: while mass-produced, impersonal tower blocks and stratified developments can pull at the community fabric, and in the case of Syria, exaggerate sectarian divisions, more thoughtful design can help reverse the damage Homs and other such cities have suffered. ?This is my life approach, not just about architecture and desig...