Komac, Urša2014Komac , U 2014 , ' Why architectural design and research are not more relevant in the real world? ' , Revista Lusófona de Arquitectura e Educação .1646-6756Revista Lusófona de Arquitectura e EducaçãoArchitecture, to be successful, has to be influential and relevant. It cannot thrive byitself, apart from the world. Resources are limited. Costs and benefits are not borne only by the client. The growing suburbia, based on standardised vulgarisation of styles of the past has become to be the most successful contemporary residential typology. Suburbia is not only prevalent, in its most vile form, in North America and,in a more amiable form, in Europe, but it’s threatening to attract the aspirational middle class in the overpopulated, thriving emerging economies. The ongoing transferof the office park, shopping mall and detached suburban house model is leading to construction of horrendously unliveable mega-non-cities like Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur.I believe architects should influence decision-makers on the search of alternatives tomake cities walkable, cyclable, connected, and efficient. These alternatives must lie beyond the mixture of naïveté and kitsch of the so-called New Urbanismapplication/pdfengopenAccessARQUITETURAESPAÇO PÚBLICOURBANISMOSUBÚRBIOSCIDADESARCHITECTUREPUBLIC SPACEURBANISMSUBURBSCITIESarticle