Scott Burnham 
By thinking of what something Could Be instead of what something Is, new realms of possibility are revealed. Look at the image above and say to yourself “This could be a rubber band.” For some, this might seem a ridiculous statement. “It obviously is a rubber band”, comes the reply. Which is exactly the mindset …
In conjunction with the arrival of the Reprogramming the City book, Metropolis asked me to write an Op-Ed / Opinion piece for them: “By Simply Repairing Infrastructure, We’re Missing Huge Opportunities to Make Cities More Resilient and Responsive to Citizens’ Needs” which outlines why reprogramming existing assets is such a vital need for cities.
The culmination of years of research, exhibition, and projects, the Reprogramming the City book is now available! “Anyone reading Scott Burnham’s essential book will emerge reassured by the transformative power of agency and creativity in the world’s urban centers that is still within our grasp.” – Renée Loth, Editor, AchitectureBoston Reprogramming the City is a 214-page, full-color collection …
There is tremendous power in the cross-pollination of skills and their application. Mastering a skill or craft is a great achievement, but the full potential of a skill is often unrealized when it is not applied outside a specific discipline. History is full of repurposed skill sets resulting in exceptional achievements when applied to areas …
Read morePlumbers Made the Terracotta Army Possible – The Power of Repurposing Skills
Yesterday I was thinking about a line I read in the book Chipper Jones, BallPlayer: “Make the adjustment before the pitcher does.” It’s powerful advice that applies far beyond baseball. Making an adjustment to respond to what is going to come your way before it arrives. It’s a lesson I’ve applied to my creative practice …
Read moreAdopt a Creative Strategy from Baseball: “Make the adjustment before the pitcher does.”
My latest initiative, NatureStructure, launched in May 2018 in Boston. The exhibition featured dozens of architectural, design and infrastructure projects that represent a new model for the relationship design and the built environment can have with nature. The history of the built environment could be broadly defined as a battle against nature: barricading cities and …
Phone booths are an endangered urban species, joining the ranks of newspaper boxes, parking pay meters, and other urban elements whose original function has been replaced by technology and changing social behavior. A common thread runs through all these pieces of the urban landscape that are too quickly deemed to be obsolete: they contain a …