"A unique and informative study, "Geographies of Trash" is exceptionally well organized and presented making it an invaluable and highly recommended addition to professional, corporate, governmental, college and university Environmental Studies reference collections in general, and Waste Management supplemental studies reading lists in particular." —Paul T. Vogel, Midwest Book Review
"Landfills aren't a one-stop shop; disposal of our garbage follows human geographies. Geographies of Trash tells the story of waste, from the curb to landfill, taking us to Michigan, where architects have joined engineers in reconciling our garbage and our natural landscapes." —Metropolis Magazine
"Nobody wants to think about garbage. At least that is the assumption. But treating garbage as an "out of sight, out of mind" problem is not healthy – neither for people nor the planet. Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy's Geographies of Trash is a book-length argument for architects "to take on problems that had once been the domains of engineering or regional planning." The "Represent" section lays out their argument through essays and illustrations, the latter focused on trash in the state of Michigan, while the "Project" section presents five design scenarios for dealing with garbage as a building material or morphological element of urban form. Lastly, "Assemble" documents through photos the duo's installation that created a spatial object from their five projects. Kudos to the graphic designers at Thumb, who took the great visuals and turned it into a beautiful book." —John Hill, A Daily Dose of Architecture
"To expose the waste that society has for so long tried to make invisible, Geographies of Trash reimagines how people deal with refuse by bringing it back into the focus of everyday life. The book analyzes current waste systems of the state of Michigan and suggests five strategies for the design and reintegration of the state’s trash for the Detroit area. By using design methodologies such as creating monuments out of capped land fills, recycling waste into everyday mate- rials, or remediating waste so that it can contribute to the health of an ecosystem, Geographies of Trash suggests coming to terms with a process that humanity will never be without." —Landscape Architecture Magazine
"Exploring the relationship between architecture, design, trash, space, and
urban environments, this work describes design methodology for representing
political and economic geographies of trash and waste disposal. Five
speculative projects for Detroit, Michigan, are presented as examples of
architectural strategies to reintegrate waste management into the city. The
book stems from "Research on the City," an initiative at the University of
Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. It will be of
interest to architects, urban planners, and urban theorists interested in
raising public awareness of garbage and waste disposal and how to better plan
for it. Color photos, art, charts, and graphics are included throughout. —Eithne O'Leyne,
Editor, ProtoView
