Brutalism Redux: Relational Monumentality and the Urban Politics of Brutalist Architecture

Brutalism is an architectural form that is experiencing somewhat of a revival of late. This revival focuses almost purely on its aesthetics, but there is an ethical dimension to Brutalism that often gets overlooked in these narratives. This paper therefore reanalyses the original concepts and ethics of brutalist architecture with a reaffirmation of the original triumvirate of brutalist ethics as articulated by Raynar Banham as monumentality, structural honesty and materials “as found”. The paper then articulates these through the literature on architectural affect to argue that brutalist ethics are continually “enacted” via a relational monumentality that brings the building and its inhabitants together in the practice of inhabitation. Using the case study of Robin Hood Gardens in London, the paper posits that a “brutalist politics” comes into light that can help catalyse a broader critique of contemporary neoliberalism.     

INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHICAL ECONOMIES OF CREATIVITY, ENTERPRISE AND THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

This special issue brings together creativity and enterprise through the geographies of the creative industries. In recent years the focus of academic debate has privileged business and corporate economies, and so this issue seeks to contribute both empirically and theoretically to the burgeoning literature of creative industries. Economic geography offers a rich domain through which to engage with these debates, exploring the nuances of creativity and enterprise. Our aim, as well as bringing together a set of interesting papers, is to contribute critically to understanding the organization and spatial structure of creative industries and the broader creative economy.     

The Company Town that Outlived the Company: Haydenville,Ohio

The company town is often an ephemeral phenomenon on the landscape. When the mine or factory closes, the town closes too, and its houses are removed or left to decay. A few company towns survive the removal of their economic base. Haydenville, in the Hocking Valley of southeast Ohio, has physically changed little since the boom days of the clay products industry. Its founder, Columbus industrialist Peter Hayden, wanted to build a self-contained community where employees and their families would live, work, play and worship together. The kiln-dried building tiles and conduit made at the company plants were used to build family houses, a church, post office, community center and store. The generally benevolent rule of the company gave the town social cohesion. When the plants closed in the 1960s, many families chose to stay in Haydenville, buying the company houses they had rented. Although the town has lost the sense of community that a single employer provided, most of the houses and public buildings still stand today—a striking testimonial to Haydenville's industrial past.