Foundations 19 – Infrastructure Space

must not see infrastructure space as another thing. “It’s a large sociotechnical system, too large to be in any one place,” says Keller Easterling, “and it cannot be assessed by its name, shape, or out- line, but rather by its disposition.” Even when buildings may look more or less similar regardless of their location, the underlying infrastructure space can be totally different. Recognizing it is the first step to bringing about real change. But these changes are not easy to achieve – because infrastructure space is not always governed by logic. “The stories in infrastructure space are usually stories where reasonable things don’t happen, where innovation comes up against those political superbugs and bulletproof forms of power.” Because the powers in this world – polit- ical, economic, or cultural entities – know very well how to manipulate and control infrastructure space. “Infrastructure space constitutes a kind of extra-statecraft,” says the architect, “a realm of governance outside and in addition to and often in league with the state.” »

It’s time to see more than buildings, to look behind the scenes and recognize infrastructure space.

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Infrastructure space is currently an underexploited medium of innovation.

In infrastructure space one must know how to establish linkages, networks, and interplay.

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