From the introduction: "To talk about this project is easy, because the story of its making is so complex and the results (the public places, the houses, the feeling of civility in the air) so wonderfully rich. There is always something thoughtful and provocative to be said about Borneo Sporenburg. When one reads or hears about the vicissitudes of the project's evolution--about the long approval processes and the large cast of characters--it all seems like an excellent piece of narrative, a great plot replete with subplots leading us to intense episodes of dramatic action. There is something for everyone in the story of these peninsulas."

Rodolfo Machado is Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design and the Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Read More by Rodolfo Machado:

• The Favela-Bairro Project: Jorge Mario Jauregui Architects, The Sixth Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design