Overall, I want to agree with what she is saying, but the probability of what she wants to achieve is slim. I feel that to change societies overall view of segregation and classes would take generations, at best, to achieve. However, is that our generation’s ultimate goal? Should it be? Proof being the civil rights movement that she discusses. You can easily argue that civil rights has gotten better between African Americans and White Americans, however there is still a long way to go.
I do agree that gated communities cause a disconnection to the public surroundings. I consider it a castles drawbridge; open it to the good, close it to the bad. I agree with two statements that Bickford has in the essay; one: gates “actively construct relations of separation,” and two: “for when we begin to imagine that ‘the world’ consists only of those inside our gates.” As designers/architects we can not consider what is only inside of our ‘gates’, as we will probably fail at success. If all of our designs take similarity to what is behind our ‘gates’, where is the challenge and thought? What keeps the motivation?
Another note that I agree with from Bickford’s essay is the following: “As Elkin and others have argued, institutions govern and structure how citizens experience each other and (I would add) how then experience the built environment.” Architecture should be an experience and enjoyed by all aspects of the community as a whole.
In all, I feel that what Bickford is trying to get at is that a community should be what it is, a community. The essay starts off in some ways harsh, but seems to loosen up as it continues. I seem to sense that she is passionate about wanting a community that is together and not separated by petty class or social differences. Again, that likely hood of the happening is slim, unfortunately.
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7 comments:
Hi Chad! I am in agreement with you when you say the likelihood of Bickfords utopian society is slim. Mostly due to the fact of our upbringings (where we grew up, the financial situations of our parents, how we were raised to view others) - Bickford, as you said, has some great ideas, but with no real way to implement them.
Chad,
Its interesting to me that you found the essay to "soften" as you read it further. I had nearly the opposite feeling. I thought that her third heading "The Private and the Public" took a markedly harsh and almost finger pointing tone - perhaps though that marked the point in my mind where Bickford completely lost me.
Your thoughts on the essay we're interesting though, and I felt you and I had some similar ideas on the concept of present race/class relations.
Chad,
Great comments on the reading. As designer's and architects we seem to be caught in hard place when working for a client that might not want to consider the people outside the gate or possibly want to build a bigger gate. Architects and designers have interesting moral and ethical opportunities right now, they must see the result in what they have helped create.
The awareness needs to be seen for what it is now, whether it takes a few generations to see any affect.
Back in the 1950s, a British sociologist named Terrence Lee did a study of a village environment that focused on the dual definitions of "neighbor." The first definition is "someone who lives near me," and the second is "someone with whom I share social and helping relations." In short, it's the difference between the guy who lives next door and the guy who lives next door from whom I borrow tools and have over for dinner.
As we imagine what "community" means, we have much the same definitional question. Is it just a bunch of people who live in proximity, or is it also a bunch of people whom you could turn to for support and friendship? And if we aspire to the second definition, how could we design in ways that help to bring it about?
Hi Chad,
I am in agreement with Michelle's point of yes, Bickford does have some good ideas but fails to show any way of implementing them. Personally I have a problem with people that love to point out all the problems in the world without coming up with possible attempts of resolving them. I know that for some people it may be their forte, but they should be responsible and at least collaborate with someone who has ideas on how to fix them and get the thought process going. Picking out problems and faults of mankind is the easy part. And this is true even for us as designers. It is easier to pick out the faults of a design (which my boss is really good at) and much harder to come up with ways to resolve them (the task that I'm usually left with).
Ditto on that, Schommer!
Prof. Childress –
I like your question regarding theory on how to design around a community who would be willing to deliver support and friendship. I am not sure that I have an answer to that. I will have to think about it and respond later. I understand what you are saying and am curious as well as to how to achieve that.
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