PRESENT AT THE CREATION OF EKISTICS

Suzanne Keller, Princeton University President of the World Society of EKISTICS

In my brief talk I will focus on C.A. Doxiadis as creator of a social and intellectual movement that inspired not only architects but leaders in business and politics, the professions and the arts. I will describe the experience, as a Sociologist, of participating in this pioneering effort and the key debates and discourse it spawned. Doxiadis, a compelling speaker, was a star on the international stage. His ability to communicate across national and disciplinary boundaries drew myriads of acolytes to his school, research endeavors, yearly symposia, and planning projects. He was both visionary and practitioner, "a mason" as he liked to say. He was also a man in a hurry who put all his impressive energies into a multi-faceted approach to creating a safe and benificent habitat for humanity. His expansive view is being honored today for its prophetic insights into the urban global world in the making.