The Man on the Podium vs. The Man on the Ground
A topic that stood out to me in Margaret Crawford's Everyday Urbanism is the discussion of how a city fosters interactions between different social classes during everyday life, and how, architecture has negatively impacted these discussions. The hierarchical social ladder of the American correlates physically, with architecture. The higher up someone is socially, the higher up they are physically (ie in penthouse apartments and top floor office spaces). There becomes a disconnect so strong that the top floor executive won't even look at the man who spends his life on the ground plane. This is where everyday urbanism can be impactful. What if, during those short moments where the executive walks the ground plane, to work, to his car, or to dinner, we psychologically take remove him from the podium and encourage conversation. Alternatively, what if we elevate the ground man up to the level of the executive? One way or the other, I believe urban design has this power and should be utilized to create a more cohesive society.
John,
ReplyDeleteThese are very interesting thoughts, and I do think that somehow, this can be done. I don't know how well the community would respond to the new urban design that you are proposing, but I do think that if the people 'on the ground' are exposed to 'higher up' people, it could change their lives in many different ways-- and vice versa. I think that this is really something to think about as we move into the responsibility of becoming architects.
John,
ReplyDeleteI would love to see both of these interaction types happen in our lifetime. I think architecture could influence this change but it wont be the only factor that does so. As architects we need to do a better job of collaborating with and learning from professions that never touch ours.
Discourse on social reform is becoming so prevalent now that we are entering an age where allowing these disconnects to continue would be unethical. I like your analysis of the situation and completely agree. Maybe the solution involves rethinking vertical and horizontal distribution of programs or where public and private spaces interact.
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