Ideology at stake: unfolding Ludovico Quaroni’s plans for Syria and Tunisia

In 1960, the Italian architect and planner Ludovico Quaroni established a branch office in Tunis. Assignments in Tunis followed a series of plans developed for four Syrian cities; however, most importantly, they occurred in the aftermath of a visiting period as a lecturer at MIT. In the meantime, Quaroni had emerged as one of the leading figures in the Italian architectural and planning debate. Through the agency of a young Manfredo Tafuri, he navigated the debate positioning himself as a mediator capable of challenging the ‘end of ideologies’ and overshadowing the dominant technocracy through a systematic and methodical exercise in doubt. A careful re-evaluation of Quaroni’s planning activity abroad, however, might help to question this prevailing narrative. While reaffirming Quaroni’s vocation to negotiation, in fact, foreign practice seems to unveil the presence of a few but more substantial set of references. Grounded on extensive archival research, this paper represents a first attempt to look below the surface of Quaroni’s public discourse delving into his professional trajectory from the United States to Syria, Tunisia and – partially – Iran. The aim is to offer an insight on the other side of his practice, alternative to the doubtfulness characterizing his profile.