The Day the Streets Stood Still
There is something beautiful about a revolution led by the people. When the voices of the majority want to be heard, they leave their private boxes and crowd the in-between realm of the streets. Streets that were previously characterized by the constant motion of society come to a screeching halt. Barricades are built, conflicts rise, and the once invisible passerbyers make their discernable stand.
We as urban designers help facilitate these revolutions when we design urban spaces.There is something liberating in the idea that a drawing of a city plaza, or college quad, or a sprawling park, can one day facilitate social change. When we design, we need to plan for these moments.
Thinking back on when the Black Lives Matter protest occurred at Clemson. Bowman Field, a lawn typically used for recreation when covered in sun bathers, volleyball players, and plenty of dogs, transformed into a crowd demanding change. The crowd gathered and voices were heard. In the end, change occurred in the form of Clemson renaming their honors college.
Inspired by these events, I hope that one day a space that I design leads to a difference in the way society operates.
John,
ReplyDeleteThe responsibility we have in designing public spaces is a powerful one. I am curious on what the design framework would look like in creating public spaces that are "revolution-friendly". What are the distances between objects? Are they vast for large crowds? But then these crowds become too uncontrolled. So do we design a space that can hold the right sized crowd for organization when shoulder-to-shoulder? Also, what are the materials?
Thinking of places and spaces for cultural movements to take place in creates quite the challenge. However, I agree that it is the architect's responsibility to premeditate space for social change. Vast, open spaces where people can fill empty land and come together is mandatory for social change movements and needs to be arranged and orchestrated for such activities. I am also curious as Geoffrey is on what does the design framework look like for something of this magnitude? Would it rely on the vernacular of materials and existing spaces of the city it exists in?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I completely agree. Thinking about how much impact we do have on the wide world is powerful and inspiring. We can do this with not just urban spaces but also buildings we design. The National lynching museum in Alabama tells a story without saying a word. It has brought so much awareness to things people did not know still exist to this very day. I believe we as architects have a greater power than we realize and I am really glad you see this. Gives me hope.
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