The unseen economic, ecological, social and cultural challenges facing contemporary societies are being addressed by architects and planners as they search for a new definition of progress and the right balance between man and the environment. The understanding of design as a collective process based on shared ethics, methods and experiments has been rewarded since 2007 by the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture™. An honour created by the architect and professor, Jana Revedin, in partnership with international scientific institutions and the Cité de l'Architecture & du Patrimoine of Paris. The award received the patronage of UNESCO in 2011.
The 2011 and 2012 award winners and their achievements are presented in this critical review by Marie-Hélène Contal which discusses the rich global debate about architecture as it addresses society's transitions. This is preceded by a new theoretical approach to urban morphologies and participatory design, "The Radicant City : Why Sustainable Living Space Grows Like Ivy" by Jana Revedin and a foreword by Christopher Alexander.