Jordy: Temporal Contract

Temporal Contracts: On the economy of the Post-Industrial Landscape
Ellen Durham-Jones

Corporate America is ruled by temporary contract
- planned obsolescence of goods
- buildings and employees as disposable assets…etc.

post-industrial landscapes characterized by short term profit, and minimal commitment.

If it is the condition to consume and become obsolete in the post-industrial city then why don’t we accept it as such and design for it? Why couldn’t we have buildings that are highly affordable and market friendly, but can be quickly dismantled and recycled? Is inefficiency a necessary condition of consumerism?

Has durability become more valued to hedge off the unease if rapid change?
Or has it become less valued, perceived as irrelevant and unnecessary?

Information age and service economy

Ruptured marriage vows
NAFTA
Cyberpsace
Freeways,
24 hour convenience stores

In the post-industrial landscape where do

If we are positioning consumerism as a problem in our contemporary society, in that it creates placelessness, waste and superficiality, then what ways can this problem be addressed?

If it is a matter of consumption then we can demand that the players in the game regulate their actions. So, the corporations would produce less; the consumers would produce less; and the stockholders would demand less. However, this approach relies on the conservation or reduction of action. Why not approach the problem in the opposite manner? What if you pushed consumption to even greater levels? For instance, when someone is attempting to quit smoking you could either convince yourself to reduce consumption or smoke an entire pack to the extent that you make yourself sick.
Essentially, what if you pushed for a “heart attack of consumption”?

What does it mean to make place? Is it in the physical construction of a place or is it tied into our emotional understanding of place? Can we construct a place or does