Uploaded on 2014-12-09 by claudiavisa

[1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14180878576910613.jpg Here is an image of a construction site from Bucharest, Romania. While I could embark on the tedious process of naming all the different materials used and where each of them comes from in order to prove (once again) the global character of today's construction process, I will not do that. Instead, I would like to argue that while "*Construction used to be a localised activity, but with the advancement of construction processes and construction materials almost every building contains components of a globalized economy.*" is true enough in most cases it is far from an universal truth. So for argument's sake I would like to speak instead of the dangers of the "one size fits all" approach of generalization and point out that not all oldies are goldies: indeed there are plenty of examples throughout history of building materials being imported from far away lands, such as the long voyage of the stones that make up the pyramids: circa 900 km over 4000 years ago! Moreover, the reverse is also plausible and possible: not all new technologies and materials are "global" or otherwise inherently unsustainable. Again, for poetic reasons I call upon colourful examples: recycled materials such as tires or bottles are gaining popularity in a number of places.. My brief conclusion to this rather unorthodox text would be not to forget the importance of context and indeed there is no one size fits all when it comes to future cities (amongst other things).