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.

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".