Local and Global, Persia to Calgary

We repeat the meme to ourselves so often, it seems mundane: Canada is a multicultural society, a synergy of many peoples from many places.

And then, you see the results.  The SFU City Program frequently taps the City of Calgary’s urban designer, Sonny Tomic, for our Certificate Program in Urban Design.  He’s just contributed to a new book:

Architecture and Globalisation in the Persian Gulf Region

This is the first book ever to examine the architecture and urbanism of the Persian Gulf as a complete entity, dealing equally with conditions on the eastern Iranian shoreline as in Arabic countries on the western side. …

The outcome is a unique record of the Gulf in the early-21st century at a point when global capitalism is making major inroads and yet questions of architectural design, climate change, ecological sustainability, cultural identity and so-called ‘Facebook Democracy’ are likewise shaking up the Middle Eastern region.

The book thus offers a fresh reading of the architecture and urbanism of a fascinating and often contradictory region, while also showing how globalisation can be analysed in a more engaged and integrated manner.

Sonny sent some of the images he contributed – from Persia:

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And others from a project in Calgary that he’s had a hand in shaping: