Governing by design : architecture economy and politics in the twentieth century Governing by Design offers a unique perspective on twentieth century architectural history. It disputes the primacy placed on individuals in the design and planning process and instead looks to the larger influences of politics culture economics and globalization to uncover the roots of how our built environment evolves.In these chapters historians offer their analysis on design as a vehicle for power and as a mediator of social currents. Power is defined through a variety of forms: modernization obsolescence technology capital ergonomics biopolitics and others. The chapters explore the diffusion of power through the establishment of norms and networks that frame human conduct action identity and design. They follow design as it functions through the body in the home and at the state and international level.Overall Aggregate views the intersection of architecture with the human need for what Foucault termed governmentality societal rules structures repetition and protocols as a way to provide security and tame risk. Here the conjunction of power and the power of design reinforces governmentality and infuses a sense of social permanence despite the exceedingly fluid nature of societies and the disintegration of cultural memory in the modern era