Inclusive Practices?

This is a reflective account, informed by immersive research and experience, by Monica Albonico Sack, Architect and Urban Designer, and Thireshen Govender, Architect and Urbanist, that examines methodologies of “manufacturing consent,” drawing on Noam Chomsky's seminal work and its provocative analysis of the interplay between media and political power and other related debates and concepts.

This discourse aims to critically examine the policies and methodologies employed in public participatory processes. It seeks to dissect political agendas and scrutinise their roles in shaping our environmental, spatial, social, and economic realities—often constraining the very diversity and nuances they purport to advance.

This engagement endeavours to evaluate the potential contributions of architects and urbanists in advancing principles such as inclusivity, spatial justice, and urban ecological sustainability. The purpose is to invite contestations and embrace diverse perspectives, informing further debates to help reframe our foundations of engagement as spatial practitioners.