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).

These past years I can recount several moments when I was moved emotionally by a space. In fact, I admit that two months ago I shed a tear when I said goodbye to the village in Southern France, where for several years now, I have spent careless and liberating summers. One could argue that my emotion is not sparked by the surroundings; it is instead triggered by nostalgia, the realization of fleeting time, the 'return' to normal life. This is true, but more than anything else, I feel a connection to this space specifically. In the words of Swiss architect Peter Zumthor: "There is magic in the real".

In context of the promotion of her new book Urban Warfare: Housing under the Empire of Finance, we had the honour to talk one-on-one with Brazilian author Raquel Rolnik. As architect and urban planner, she has been deeply involved in policies concerning social housing for several decades. During 2008-2014 she was the UN special reporter on the Right to Adequate Housing. We asked her about her drive, her ideals, and the current global challenges the social housing sector is facing.