The blurring of political, architectural, and most importantly, cultural boundaries were the subjects of note for Teddy Cruz, who spoke to Miami University students and faculty Sept. 28 in the Shriver Heritage Room.
His lecture, "Border Urbanism: Strategies of Surveillance, Tactics of Encroachment," is another part of the Center for American and World Culture's series, Intersecting Lives: Globalization if Diversity in the 21st Century.
"How do we, as architects see ourselves as designers of social conditions?" Cruz said to the packed room.
Cruz, a distinguished architect from San Diego, outlined his visions for the transcultural landscape between Mexico and the United States - namely, the international border zone between Tijuana and San Diego. Although only a few miles away from the affluent houses of southern California, Tijuana is stricken with low-income housing and destitute poverty.
"(The border is an) import and export of progress, shaped by two different attitudes of constructing space," Cruz said.
Interspersed throughout this dialogue, he showed the audience stark pictures of the long fence that divides the United States from Tijuana, and how that one architectural landmark has radically defined this area.
Cruz also discussed how affordable housing and other architectural landmarks such as community centers and commercial areas are able to shape the social and political conditions of a community.
He pushed for the plight of nonprofit organizations working within Tijuana, such as his firm, Estudio Teddy Cruz, which collaborates with other nonprofit organizations on housing projects, as well as promoting urban policies that include social and public programs.
"The future of housing lies in these hands of small, community based, nonprofit organizations," Cruz said.
Cruz then outlined many designs for this future, many of them using a new "mixed-use development," a strategy which reuses existing structures, as well as relying on recycled materials, to create new spaces.
Responsible for Cruz's visit to Miami was Diane Fellows, an assistant professor in the department of architecture and interior design, who chose Cruz primarily for his prestigious accomplishments.
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"He comes with a lot of experiences, and a kind of pedigree ... including working with groups who are migrating," Fellows said.
The philanthropic work with his firm has led to various awards, including the American Institute of Architects' award for his low-income housing designs, as well as the 1991 Rome Prize in architecture. He is also the recipient of the 2004-05 James Stirling Prize for his "Border Postcard: Chronicles from the Edge."
While San Diego, California and the Mexican border may be far away, Fellows explained that the issues Cruz discusses are the same across the world.
"How do people find a home?" Fellows asked. "How do people find themselves? We all ask ourselves these questions."
Also during his visit to Miami, Cruz will conduct workshops with the design studio, including Fellow's, which looks at international relations at the Canadian border.
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