Nonsolution

Problems require solutions. But what is defined as a problem, and how are answers and solutions found? In view of the climate catastrophe, the unjust distribution of wealth, and the demand for liveable housing and urban spaces for all, purely technical solutions are often promoted, while existing power relations are ignored. In contrast, the authors propose the concept of the “Nonsolution” as a radically democratic and politicized approach. Coined by sociologist, historian, and urban theorist Siegfried Kracauer, the term opens up a field of experimental thinking: rather than avoiding solutions, it practices an active form of non-solution. The “non” emphasizes conflict and opposition, challenges closed identities, and opens planning processes to their respective contexts and possible futures.
With regard to housing and urban development under the pressure of capitalisation and exclusion, the book connects planning practice with political theory and formulates a fundamental critique of architectural practice.