Transcending Everyday Life

The notion that Crawford lays out that “everyday life has never been of much interest to experts” sparks in interesting notion on a micro level that of course us we as designers should think more about our day to day routines and flood these concepts within our designs. Yet, it left one to think further in regards to how I as an individual truly think and view our day to days. I pondered on the notion that as a designer, I don't pretend to understand why suburbanites like living the way they do. Yet I do however, understand that I must respect their principles in all regards. 

Moreover in extension to that line of thinking, being that I am personally for diversity in cities, especially in the United States where there needs to be a bigger push for walkable cities with fewer gas guzzlers, I take heed to the authors claims that the city is in constant dialog amongst its residents. The notion that we simply must meet society where it currently is and build upon its existence is agreeable to an extent. Being that people are already sprawled out living in suburban places, we can’t just tear them down and restart. There is culture and history that resides in such areas. But can the architecture do something to slightly juxtapose these ideas of building onto what already exist?

Sure on a micro-level with residences, but how are we addressing it on a macro level being that suburban cities are so spread apart which in result has contributed to the construct of hyper-individualism. Are there ways that architecture can combat this construct whilst those still carry on with their everyday life within the comfort of their communities? These newer “urbanist movements” may provide the best chances of prosperity building within up-and-coming cities ready to attract new generations of like-minded individuals wanting life to flow seamlessly together along with those apathetic towards the notion of car dominant communities. 

Still hyper-individualism has caused us to isolate from our communities and our neighbors and hinders us to relinquish this shell of total privacy. Whilst living through a time of uncertainty, looking forward in a post-pandemic society, one can’t help but wonder that if we lived in more intimate established spaces with architecture on the pinnacle of that (not just based on cost) could this improve relations and problems that plague ourselves and this country socially?  Could our everyday-day to day truly be affected.

In junction there needs to be a way that we can allow the taste of individualism whilst merging the idea of suburban cities to densify in order to bring us closer together. We can build commercial areas with storefronts facing walkable streets with parking off to the side or in the rear similar to what Mount Pleasant has done with a portion of Coleman Blvd to name as an example. This can all happen in areas that already exist yet still maintains the reconnaissance of a recognizable suburban area. Culture to a degree is essential when it comes to understanding the world and interacting with our surroundings and the architecture within it.This is where we should start to think of when it comes to everyday life because it transcends routine. 

                                                

                               Bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the everyday life of the Khmer people