Making a home in the in-between : an exploration of the ideas of Ivan Illich and John Turner through the history of Sudoeste del Besòs

This thesis explores the ideas of Ivan Illich and John Turner as a continuous development of a theory of anti-industrialism rooted in analysis of the divorce of production from consumption. For Illich and Turner, this divorce ultimately leads to planetary overreach, global inequality in access to resources, and loss of personal freedom. Both authors put forward an alternative framework to industrial productivity which emphasizes localism and individual control over the means of reproducing everyday life. Illich offers a more high-level analysis applicable to all sectors of society, whereas Turner applies Illich’s philosophy to the production of housing. After exploring each author’s thinking through a close reading of one text by each, this thesis will attempt to illustrate their critiques of industrialism through a historical and anecdotal account of the building of the Sudoeste del Besòs neighborhood in Barcelona and the experience of some of its first residents in the 1960s.
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.1 - Per a 2030, assegurar l’accés de totes les persones a habitatges i a serveis bàsics adequats, segurs i assequibles, i millorar els barris marginal