on just geographies

In regards to my last post, I have to give credit to Edward Soja for his consideration of locational discrimination - as it may apply to the rural citizen - although it need be viewed under an alternative lens. His essay The City and Spatial Justice is written with respect to the urban setting, but the principles are contextually ubiquitous.

So, how are his ideas on the just city applicable to the rural setting? I think one quote in particular stands out: 'Locational discrimination, created through the biases imposed on certain populations because of their geographical locations is fundamental in the production of spatial injustice and the creation of lasting spatial structures of privilege and advantage.’ (The City and Spatial Justice) As I alluded to in my last post, the needs of the rural citizen are typically secondary to those of the urban citizen - both in terms of awareness and capital investment. The residents are well-aware of this preferential treatment, and have made their voices heard. Especially so in the last election, wherein the ‘fly-over’ states became a highly contentious point of discussion.

I can say, having grown up in a not-quite-impoverished, but certainly sub-median income small community - a town of about 3000 - nearly all of my social interactions were with people of meager means. Without delving too deep into political partisanship, suffice it to say that in the rural region of South Carolina where I was raised, these locals did not hold government policy and intervention in high regard. I would tend to disagree, but they are right to be resistant.

When the government has intervened in rural America, historically, the intervention has at times been a double-edged sword wielded by a heavy hand. I believe that government and architects have a role in bettering the living conditions of our rural neighbors, but the strategies must be given the same tact and thoughtfulness that has come to be expected from the urban citizen.