Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Marwa Al-Sabouni: How Can The Architecture Of A City Play A Role In War?

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode The Life Cycles Of Cities.

Architect Marwa Al-Sabouni says French colonial design segregated Syria's cities and laid the groundwork for division and civil war. The future of the country may depend on how it decides to rebuild.

About Marwa Al-Sabouni

Marwa Al-Sabouni is a Syrian architect and writer. She is the author of The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria. Her book draws on her personal experience living and working in war-torn Syria, and the role architecture plays in whether a community crumbles or comes together.

In 2021, she will release a new book, Building for Hope, which analyzes how cities scarred by conflict and crisis can be healed through design and urban mindfulness. She and her husband also run the news site "Arabic Gate For Architectural News."

She obtained her Ph.D. in Islamic Architecture and Philosophy of Architecture from Al-Baath University in Homs, Syria.

You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR/TED Staff