ABSTRACT
This chapter traces a historical trajectory spanning six decades indicating a continued association of ‘DIY’ (‘do-it-yourself’) with the construction of the individual and communal self. Through reference to the discourses on DIY from the post–World War II era through to the present—including those related to ‘DIY architecture’ and ‘DIY urbanism’—a shifting focus from individual to dispersed communal social identity will be identified, a shift that inflects not only the self-actualization of the do-it-yourselfer but also the identity of architect as an authorial figure and master planner. Since the popularization of the term and notion of DIY in the mainstream media of 1950s North America, it has been associated with a diverse if not divergent range of self-initiated design projects, from small domestic artefacts through to the construction of entire buildings and urban installations. In the words of historian Stephen Gelber, DIY is understood “quite literally as anything that people did for themselves” (Gelber 1999, 283). Although DIY conventionally refers to non-professional pursuits, it has nevertheless been associated with architects and architecture since the popular Time magazine featured a cover story on the DIY phenomenon in 1954. Whether self-building their own homes or temporary community projects, the DIY ethic enables professionally trained architects to diverge from their traditionally independent professional role in order to become a coexistent project initiator, hands-on builder and project occupant.
