“What is the role of an architect today?”

Mr.Doshi added. “Are we going to be service provider working for a client, or are we going to be useful to the masses.

I have saved so many quotes from my early architecture days regarding things that people said about this practice. I want to share some snippets here.

“First life, then spaces, then buildings. The other way around never works.” Jan Gehl

This quote by Jan Gehl is the one thing that makes me stay in the field of urban life.

Some people hate cities, but it’s what I know, it’s where I grew up! Urban life is the life that I know of. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it’s the first that resonates with me. But now, I’m a planner.

And reading up about the highly regulated local governments and working in one in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m torn. I’m seeking validation to the very nature of architecture and what it brings to life within urban spaces.