Architect and researcher Ronald Rael does not support a border wall between the US and Mexico. But he accepts it. “The wall is a material condition that exists,” he says of the almost 700 miles of fence that already run along the 1,900-mile border. “Why not use it as an armature for a new kind of infrastructure?”

In his forthcoming book, Borderwall as Architecture ($30) Rael explores how architects can undermine the wall not just structurally, but conceptually. Today, the wall symbolizes xenophobia and fear. Designs that promote social, economic, and ecological development on both sides of the border could rewrite that narrative. In the past, groups have gathered on both sides of the wall to hold yoga meetups and stage horse races. Rael draws inspiration from these and other examples to highlight opportunities for subversion and change. “We can smuggle in design,” he says.