Dialogue lies at the core of any republic; it is not a coincidence that congress chambers, where highly sophisticated forms of dialogue take place, are constantly depicted and glorified by states that represent themselves as open and inclusive, even if they are not.

Below is a parody on the first stanza of John Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn. This Poem, (see title above) aims first and foremost to critique the language used in written conversation between construction workers, architects, and technicians. The symbols used normally to represent the flow of sewerage and electricty have been transcribed to the latin alphabet to the right, this will be your guide in translating the below poem. Beware, some symbols are similar to others... Some of them might not be used... in fact, the guide might be out of date with the poem. Good luck.

How can architecture and urban design understand narratives? And, do our design methods consciously choose to react to or ignore existing narratives? The new European research network, Writing Urban Places, addresses these issues. This article opens up a dialogue on the aim of the research with the Chair of this network, Klaske Havik (chair of Methods & Analysis, department of Architecture).