FRAMING THE SOUTH
- Francesco Procacci
- May 7
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 18
Urban Lessons from 20 Years in Vietnam
A book by Francesco Procacci
“You don’t frame the South to define it. You frame it to finally see where you’re standing.”
This is not a manual.
Not a portfolio.
Not a memoir.
It’s a collection of urban moments — lived scenes, unexpected lessons, built projects (and sometimes erased ones) — through which I slowly learned to rethink my profession. And myself.
What you’ll find in this book
📍 20 years of design practice in Vietnam, shared not as a list of achievements but as a human journey through the contradictions of the Global South.
📍 A direct, accessible language, blending personal stories with urban insights and critical reflections.
📍 Three main parts:
• Entering the City: the first shock, the need to unlearn.
• Operational Contradictions: navigating power, hierarchy, and performance.
• Borderless Principles: takeaways that transcend Vietnam and speak to cities everywhere.
Who is this book for?
For designers.
For urbanists.
For anyone who loves cities — especially when they’re messy, vibrant, unfinished.
And for those who believe that the South is not a space to fix, but a perspective to learn from.
Why read it?
Because Framing the South invites you to shift your gaze.
To question “best practices.”
To find meaning in the overlooked:
in the 90 centimeters of sidewalk that hold a life,
in the market that overflows into the street,
in the gesture that creates public space without a plan.
A glimpse?
“I tried to photograph a street vendor from across the road. The shot was perfect. And dead. Only when I sat down beside her, ordered something I didn’t know, and joined the scene — it came alive. I wasn’t observing the city anymore. I was in it.”
👉 Buy the eBook now:
📖 Format: eBook (PDF)
🖋 Language: English
✍️ With black-and-white sketches
🌏 A personal and urban journey — from Vietnam, for the world.
Comments