Rush Hour Thoughts

In today’s class David bought up a unique point. The fact that architecture and design is so important to us (architects) but to the everyday user it is just background to other tasks. I deal with this dichotomy everyday with my twin sister. It is especially evident when we explore a new city together, I am ogling at details or spaces while she is walk and shopping. I talk about what the design is supporting and how the users are interacting. It is almost an invisible world to her, but hidden in plain sight. The idea that there is great power in design and we need to use this power to better the built environment of not only the city but everywhere.

When talking about equity and the use of transportation and accessibility. I think toward the city I will be calling home in May, Charlotte, NC. I have worked there the past two summers and have only used their public transportation system once. I will be living about 20 mins North of the city in Huntersville a suburb of the Charlotte. That is uniquely located between the city and Lake Norman. The accessibility to the city where a large portion of the community works is through Interstate 77. The bain of my existence during rush hour. I try to offset my schedule to be on the edge of traffic, or adjust my route to take backroads to get into town easier. When I sit in traffic I think of other cities I have done commutes in and my summer interning in San Francisco comes to mind. While there I traveled using public transportation 100% and only had an issue when the train went on strike they even provided extra buses to help with the influx. I loved my morning commute on the train where I would be able to read a book or relax, I interacted with the city more on my walks to the station, I also had the freedom to move where I wanted to in the city without the tether of a car. Back to one of the fastest growing cities in the country Charlotte, they have a single train line that connects the east and west side of the city, and a diverse bus system. There has been rumors of having  new train lines added to compete with other similar sized cities like Denver. The line I am most excited about is the Lynx Red Line that would connect Mooresville to a new Uptown terminal hub with 12 stops working from North to South to the center of the city. There are a few key corporations far north so this will help move citizens in both directions to provide a more equal access to work and amenities throughout the metro area.