The President of our Country is a Real Estate Developer

Abstract

Professors of Iowa State University and specialists in Socialist architecture and urban development, Kimberly Zarecor and Vladimir Kulić spoke in their interview about their approach to research and teach socialist architecture. They see the aim of their research in reintegrating the history of Eastern European and Soviet architecture into the general history of architecture. The main contribution of Soviet architects, they argue, was on developing typologies of public architecture, in contrast to the canonical Western architectural history, which celebrates private buildings. Soviet architects developed an entire culture of original, functional and economic public design. They see their course ‘The Architectures of Global Socialism,’ taught at Iowa State University, not only as an opportunity to learn from social legacies but also to start a broader discussion about socialism today.