China, in a 2nd or 3rd tier city...that is, if you have the guanxi

Brazil

I've heard that Brazil is extremely hard to legally set up a business...like the few weeks in USA takes more like a year in Brasil in comparison.......I wonder if any Brasileiras on this board could clarify for everyone?

I would say , "The Moon"...Cause your free to do what ever you damn well please.  I think that is why the guy from Virgin Airlines is so interested in getting to the moon with commercial adventures.  Just think about the opportunities.

Istanbul. Satisfies numbers 9, 10 (kind of) and 11 but it is hella expensive.

this sounds like ted mosby, architect from that show ‘how I met your mother’.  like any other young aspiring architect with pipe dreams, he went into business that only last 6 months before he had to quit the profession. those who can, do…those who can’t, teach. which is what he ended up doing. 

According to Ram, Lagos, Nigeria. haha just kidding. But I get a gut feeling it will be his next target.  Southeast Asia is also up and coming place. Make sure to check that area too.

Did you try Singapore? Thailand? Malaysia? Not so sure about Indonesia, Vietnam and Burma. Most of them are English colony, so English is almost second language for these countries.
What I like
1. Decent people
2. Food is fresh and cheap.
3. Rent is not too expensive.
4. Nice women and beautiful beaches.
5. Interesting tradition and cultures.
6. Peaceful and tranquil environments.
7. Majority of laws are based upon English Law.
8. Since 1997 finical crisis, the whole region came long long way from back water Chinese style economy to more balance economy.
9. Still should be a good region for at least next two decades.

zip to zap...that is North Dakota....it is another country...sorta..! 

The energy boom  has made Dickenson North Dakota the number one corvette dealer in the country.

If you like to hunt, hike ice fish, ride horses it is a grand place to live.  It is unlikely you will know anyone cause the average age is about 25.

How about Berlin, Germany?

most places in asia.

labor unions haven't bent over business owners and risk takers over there, yet.

Finally someone that can come to the defense of sweatshops.

Singapore. you can apply for registration later, US education is often accredited. cheaper labor from neighborign countries. cozy, safe and nice place to live in.

tuna, 

I think you will find that in many design schools.. those who teach are also doing... and maybe if more people who do were also teaching we wouldn't have such a disconnect between academia and practice.. just a thought..

as for the question at hand.. India!

seattle

I second Berlin. It's cheap as heck, has a huge amount of start-ups, lots of design community and culture, and there are loads of expats here who have started businesses and could probably advise on all the legal stuff. Germany has the strongest economy in Europe and the street food is unbeatable. 

Outsource to Detroit

1 - you a licensed architect in the USA; Licensing not an issue.

2 - have about 15 years project management experience; Young architects are appreciated.

3 - could move ANYWHERE in the world -  kinda tired of the USA & would love to live/work in other place(s)...but not opposed to a great American city; Like no other U.S. city you have ever seen.

4 - probably wouldn't know many people in the end result city - especially nobody in the design/construction/development field; Small, open-minded design community also a growing amount of VC for IT and creatives.

5 - loves contemporary architecture & want to practice the same; Strong design history and openness to new design approaches

6 - only knows English fluently, but has slight knowledge of other languages & is hungry to learn other languages; No language barriers; if you want to learn a new language you can choose to live in one the many Hispanic, Hmong, or Bangledeshi communities

7 - you have traveled extensively in asia, europe, south america & loves what the world/other places have to offer; DTW is a Delta hub with non-stop access to most world cities.

8 - needs to be able to squeak out a descent living, nothign lavish, but comfortable; Incredibly low cost of living - where else can you buy a 6,000 SF mansion or a Mies-designed townhouse for under $100K?

9 - the location should be easy to set up a studio (professionally/legally); Very well organized design community with CDC/Foundation supported start-up costs

10 - the location should have a healthy economy (as healthy as possible in these years) with vast quantity of clients that APPRECIATE what architects/designers do & love contemporary work.; Quicken Loans and their subsidiaries have taken over downtown; Chrysler is moving employees downtown; GM is headquartered there; burgeoning IT start-ups - opportunity to get in on the ground floor of major economic resurgence.

11 - has good food :-). Coney dogs, 'nuff said.

Above brought to you by the Detroit Regional Chamber and Chrysler LLC. ;-)

Seconded won's suggestion of Detroit - low point of entry and start-up cost,  low proportion of architects to population, very interesting and smallish scene, people tend to be pretty open to contemporary arch.  You will need a car (and some form of protection), though.

I third won's suggestion. 

I am a recent Detroit transplant for one of the sunbelt states and I have to say that there is a lot of opportunities here in Detroit / Windsor area. Also if starting your own firm flops there are plenty of architectural firms that are hiring in the burbs...who would have ever imagined right? Detroit is not a bad place, don't believe what you hear on Faux News. Sure there are bad parts in town, but that is with any major city.

Good luck on whatever decision you decided.  

Also I want to add that I am making much more than I ever have in this profession since I moved to the D. 

Detroit huh.....will have to learn more. Thanks all.

stick to US or Canada if you're just another one of them who call themselves architects but can't design for real, manage projects well and build similar cookie cutter architecture.  You get paid fairly well in North America and the competition isn't as fierce like in Europe.

Check  Georgia  the country- there is a lot of new construction including whole new city to build, easy to set up business, they love foreign architects, great food and you will have  room full of friends in couple of days. 

http://www.davislangdon.com/upload/WorldConstructionReport_2012.pdf

an interesting overview of the international construction business. seems like asia is the place to be in the next 10 years

I second the 2nd or 3rd tier city in China, if you want to work outside the US. There is no other country in Asia that compares. Sure, you could move to Singapore, but it is a bit too 'clean' for my taste, and is quite saturated with architects.

India also has better growth than the US, but you will get very very frustrated if you are not used to how Indians work.

The other aspect to consider is that, for a fresh company that wants to work in Asia, you might want to stay put in the US or Europe. Most clients look at young companies with a certain degree of suspicion, but that is alleviated if you are the "American" or "European" architect

Any African country with stable government: Ghana, Senegal, Mauritania, South Africa , Zanzibar, etc.