Island as Urban Artifact/archipelago as Urban Model

Abstract

This essay introduces islands as urban artifact and archipelagos as urban model in order to deepen the rich interdisciplinary discussion between island and urban studies through the specificity of an architectural analysis of islands as built form and archipelagos as urban systems. Four examples are presented here to demonstrate the use of islands as “urban artifacts” and archipelagos as “urban models” within architecture and urban discourse. Built island artifacts and the widespread use of archipelago as model for urban design have been deployed as apparatuses of political power and social exclusion, often in conflict with ecological systems. Island Studies provides a novel interdisciplinary lens for furthering analyses of the social equity and climate crises imperatives implicit in the use of islands and archipelagos as metaphors in architecture and urban design. In conclusion, the paper links Island Studies and oceanic thinking to the concepts of patch dynamics and the metacity. By reconceiving planetary urbanism as an oceanic rather than terrestrial system, this essay seeks to critically propose the critical and reflective use of island artifacts and archipelago models as designed ecosystems of meaning, inclusion, and belonging within seas of difference.