Contemporary global design practice is immersed in a constant state of flux, exchange, and displacement—the movement of people, resources, geographic designations and boundaries, money, ideas and social/cultural understanding. These movements are impelled by political or environmental changes, world conflicts, global market and policy shifts, and generational changes in interaction through technology, among other factors.

Within this push and pull, “displacement” evokes simultaneity and reciprocity between two competing conditions, one emerging in influence and one diminishing or being offset.  As architects, we are both an active part of these flows and engaged in negotiating, mitigating, fostering and accommodating them. This year’s Global Dialogues looks at a broad and diverse range of urgent sites for engagement by the global design community through the lens of “Displacement.”