Human Scale

Last week during our second session of my Honors class, known as a Praxis Lab, we watched a film titled Human Scale. In this video, it reflected on the fact that cities, for the past 100 years, have been created in the wake of the automobile. Most cities have been designed to accomodate the vehicle instead of the pedestrian. Mostly, I saw how cities today do not allow for pedestrian access, which is something that my classmate Marie brought up as a vital sign for cities. The more access a city offers , the better off it is. This can apply to transportation, education, retail settings, access to nature, etc.

My favorite part of the film was the last Chapter presented. This chapter touched on a city in New Zealand called Christchurch. This city was hit by a devastating earthquake, and the downtown area is in need of a complete rebuild plan. The city officials asked civilians what they would like to see in the reconstruction. The city had a ton of replies, mostly asking that the buildings remain low, and to have more areas for social interaction. This stuck in my head because those portions of a city which allow social interaction, are EXTREMELY vital to the functioning of a city. I think it is very important that we create spaces for people to gather, and then they will. The more technology that is created, the less social interaction we have with one another. I'm sick of seeing people walk down the street with their noses in their phones instead of walking with their head held high and a smile plastered onto their face, because they are just happy to be alive that day.

I would love to be able to apply this access/social concept to the places that surround me. I have actually begun to do this in my own house! Recently I made a trip to Ikea (yesterday) and decided to buy some more lighting for my room. I don't know what it is, but the more soft yellow light in a room, the better for me! I hung up my new paper lantern last night, and I am already loving the space. I've spent more time in my bedroom in the past 24 hours than I have since I moved in (at least it feels that way)!

Most of the time when I leave for school in the morning, I drive my car :(. Yes, I wish that I could bike to school everyday, but life doesn't always allow for such things. Usually when I am on my way, I start to get nervous about not making it to class on time. I don't have a parking pass, so free parking is pretty limited. If I were to ride my bike more often, I wouldn't have this problem and that stressor would be removed from the long list of all that I feel in one day. I love when I can find a place to park! It completely changes my mood (which is, frankly, pathetic). Why do I let something so small affect me in such a large way? Well, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe, if there was a better path to bike on from my house to the U, one on which I felt safe, I would bike more. I'm just scared of getting hit by a car, and sometimes by lightning too.

I'd like to share a story with all of you before I log off. During the first class I had for this Praxis lab, my professor Stephen Goldsmith, spoke to us about having more social interactions during our commutes. He spoke about how we've lost daily social interactions to technology and, really, a city created for the automobile. Well, on my way up to one of my super secret parking spots, a woman called out to me and said, "do you want to see something cool?" I admit at first I thought this was a bit weird, which in turn made me sad because it shouldn't be weird for a stranger to talk to me, but society has made me believe such things. Anyways, I didn't hear her the first time, so I politely said "Pardon?" She then repeated her first question and I started to walk towards her. She had spotted a wild tarantula on a stone wall! This was the first one I had ever seen in nature, so I thanked her for showing me and went along on my way. I couldn't help but think (with a smirk on my face), after having that first class, "Someone is trying to tell me something."

#coffee