34) Human dignity.

We can find the basis of human rights in a very simple phrase: human dignity. It means worthiness! A person always has the right to be valued for his or her worth, to be respected, and to receive ethical treatment. The dignity of a human person is not only a fundamental right in itself, but constitutes the basis of the Universal Declaration: recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Human dignity means that an individual or group feels self-respect and self-worth. This is characterized by physical and psychological integrity and empowerment. When you talk to the homeless, they speak about feeling excluded. Isn’t exclusion a matter of architecture? Through spatial practices, we gain a sense of identity, a sense of power, and a sense of communion. We gain a sense of where we belong as well as where we do not. We evaluate, categorize, and understand the world from this urban identification and division. In what ways can human dignity become naturalized in the contemporary fabric of our cities?

Pain, violence, victimization, and injustice have long been elements of human reality.  Can we change, or are we doomed to repeat ourselves and despise one another until the end of time? The answer is not obvious. But one thing is certain: as long as we live in a cave we are not going to resolve this conundrum.

Architecture can prevent the violation of essential human dignity and freedoms. Such violation takes place through the imposition of disadvantage, stereotyping, or economic or social prejudices. Architecture can provide a simple reality check to counteract such violations: the architect can ask whether a project looks at the homeless as equally capable and equally deserving of our design concern, respect, and consideration?

Architecture can explore the modern challenges of ensuring dignity and human rights. It can also resuscitate a new and more coherent secular ideal of dignity as a spatially valid guarantee of human rights. While architecture cannot eradicate racism or the stresses that result from it, it might just be able to create environments that provide a buffer for those people who experience discrimination on a daily basis. That buffer can be an architecture that increases the dignity of all people and enhances their ability to express themselves.

Is it possible, therefore, to develop a meaningful idea of dignity in our urban landscapes that can offer new grounds for human rights? And is it possible for architects to view people first in the heart and eye, before they harden into categories, styles, or definitions? And if it is possible to do so, to reconcile the layers of meanings and to pull from all these contradictions some organized space, the act of conferring dignity to all will finally begin.