In architecture, as in food, local is an idea whose time has come. Of course, the idea of an architecture that responds to site; draws on local building traditions, materials, and crafts; and strives to create a sense of community is not recent. Yet, the way it has evolved in the past few years in the hands of some of the world's most accomplished architects is indeed defining a new movement. From the rammed-earth houses of Rick Joy and Pacific Northwest timber houses of Tom Kundig, to the community-built structures of Rural Studio and Francis Kéré, designers everywhere are championing an architecture that exists from, in, and for a specific place. The stunning projects, presented here in the first book to examine this global shift, were featured at the thirteenth and final Ghost conference held in 2011, organized by Nova Scotia architect, educator, and local practitioner Brian MacKay-Lyons. The result is the most complete collection of contemporary regionalist architecture available, with essays by early proponents of the movement, including Kenneth Frampton, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Pritzker Prize–winning architect Glenn Murcutt.

Design-Driven Research encompasses many different forms of research in which architectural, design, and artistic practices and the results thereof, are implemented as a means to generate and disseminate new knowledge. This includes contemporary alternative formulations of the field, like Artistic Research, Research by Design, Practice-Based/Led Research, Creative Practice Research. CA2RE+ is a joint Erasmus+ strategic partnership of nine European universities in association with EAAE, ELIA and ARENA, and it supports early-career researchers and Ph.D. students to improve the quality of their research. CA²RE+ explicates the transformative and innovative power of highly individual strategies in artistic research, the diversity of research traditions, and the integrative nature of architectural design research, able to face the contemporary knowledge fragmentation from humanities, social sciences, and technology. Along with the CA2RE+ timeline project, the focus of Milano conference narrows by comparing design strategies and tactics applied to highlight common approaches and methodological specificities within the consortium and the broader community involved.