Disobedient Architecture: Lessons from the Autonomous Zone

Throughout the history of state-building, systems in power were translated into urban architecture. Public spaces and buildings were designed to maintain order and reinforce the socio-political narrative – architecture became a tool of support to the status quo. In response to the harmful practices, citizens show their collective dissatisfaction in various forms of disobedience, such as protest. The disobedient assemblage of bodies and objects within the urban fabric has the potential to challenge the status quo, and re-organize power structures ingrained in physical space.

During the summer of 2020, the protest demonstrations culminated in the creation of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (C.H.A.Z.) in Seattle. The architectural potential of disobedience will be revealed through the study of harmful narratives ingrained in physical space, as well as how C.H.A.Z. challenged them. The research culminates in the final project of the disobedient People Zone: temporality, adaptability, and locality expressed in built form, with intent to continuously support the civic voice.