Abstract
Throughout history, architectural debates have shifted between periods of experimentation and a return to familiar, human-centered forms, often responding to societal disconnection from the built environment. From Renaissance classicism to Gothic Revival, from New Urbanism to recent calls for traditional federal architecture, these moments reflect a deeper pattern: a recurring recognition of timeless design principles that foster identity, continuity, and meaning. This paper introduces Deep Place as a framework for understanding why certain architectural forms persist across cultures and epochs. Drawing from Jungian archetypes, Christopher Alexander’s Pattern Language, and memetic urbanism, I argue that successful design is not about aesthetic mandates but about evolutionary, place-based principles that resonate deeply with human experience. Rather than reinforcing ideological battles—whether between modernists and traditionalists or preservationists and developers—Deep Place offers a way forward. By studying patterns of lasting architectural significance, we can move beyond the top-down imposition of style (whether classical or avant-garde) and instead embrace organic, human-scaled urbanism. Using historical and contemporary examples, this paper explores how societies repeatedly rediscover the importance of deeply rooted, psychologically resonant places—not through rigid stylistic prescriptions, but through the enduring language of place itself. In doing so, it advocates for an approach to design that is adaptive, evolutionary, and deeply attuned to the human condition.
Presenters
J.P. HallAssociate Professor of Historic Preservation, Associate Chair, Architecture, Ball State University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Deep Place, Memetic Urbanism, Pattern Language, Jungian Archetypes, Human-Scaled Design, Meaning in the Built Environment, Evolutionary Urbanism, Genius Loci, Historic Continuity
