Metanarrative and Transnational in the Concept of Soft Power Architecture

Abstract

Soft power is defined as the capability to attract and persuade without coercion and payments. Consequently, soft power architecture is viewed as its spatial manifestation. Soft power architecture is seen as an amalgamation of processes and outcomes that must be examined and explained as an indissoluble structure rooted in various narratives. This paper explores theoretical understanding, mapping, and classifying the (re)production processes for spaces aimed at communicating the officially sanctioned images/messages of identity(-ies). Such displaced typologies share declarative values analogous to core messages and their delivery. The findings of this paper suggest a shared metanarrative that is universally applicable and will be decoded through rigorous observation of placemaking strategies for displaced typologies and their impact on the built environment where they are placed. The conclusion indicates that these processes will be instilled by a specific set of values. However, since they operate within a complex network of various stakeholders, the question remains regarding the surrounding processes that promote a specific value(s) as a dominant trait. The "finished product" (displaced spatial manifestation) will not always accurately reflect the prevailing (meta)narrative due to the intricacy of these processes, but it will have significant spatial consequences on the urban matrices as well as provide further insight into the spatial tug-of-war between nations.