Indefensible Space: The Architecture of the National Insecurity State

Showing how the upswell of paranoia and growing demand for security in the post-9/11 world has paradoxically created widespread insecurity, these varied essays examine how this anxiety-laden mindset erodes spaces both architectural and personal, encroaching on all aspects of everyday life. Starting from the most literal level - barricades and barriers in front of buildings, beefed up border patrols, gated communities, "safe rooms," - to more abstract levels - enhanced surveillance at public spaces such as airports, increasing worries about contagion, the psychological predilection for fortified space - the contributors cover the full gamut of securitized public life that is defining the zeitgeist of twenty-first century America