Category
Oral - Creative and Artistic
Description
This presentation examines the inhumane nature of our current built environment. Automobile-centricity was ushered in to America after World War II had ended, and this development ultimately led to significant dependence on vehicles. This prevailing dependency directly eliminates the population’s choice; dictating where people will go, how they will spend their money, and ultimately, their lives. This subjection has ramifications for everyone, but the effect is more pronounced for the elderly, disabled, children, and those without access to an automobile. Present solutions consist of more vehicular accommodation, more travel lanes, and more parking for automobiles. This only addresses the symptoms (and even then, partially), not the true root of the problem. There is a viable and time-tested solution, which already characterizes many beloved cities in the United States and undergird much of Europe’s cityscapes. New Urbanism, a movement that prioritizes the pedestrian, focuses on community resulting from proximity, and beauty as a cornerstone of the built environment, charts the way forward, built on a foundation of past principles synthesized with modern innovations. Not only is this solution viable, but it is also highly desirable as many feel, consciously or not, the draining effect of our sprawling cities. How could New Urbanist principles remedy the Sprawl generated by post-World-War II auto centricity? The visual documentary medium lends itself to displaying the stark contrast between sprawl and humane planning. The images themself tell the story, with little exposition needed for one to sense their conflicting nature. Human beings universally long for a place called home that is filled with interaction with neighbors and the freedom to choose how one lives. New Urbanism provides the opportunity to rehabilitate dysfunctional cities.
Place We Call Home: The Death of Human Flourishing in Non-Places
Oral - Creative and Artistic
This presentation examines the inhumane nature of our current built environment. Automobile-centricity was ushered in to America after World War II had ended, and this development ultimately led to significant dependence on vehicles. This prevailing dependency directly eliminates the population’s choice; dictating where people will go, how they will spend their money, and ultimately, their lives. This subjection has ramifications for everyone, but the effect is more pronounced for the elderly, disabled, children, and those without access to an automobile. Present solutions consist of more vehicular accommodation, more travel lanes, and more parking for automobiles. This only addresses the symptoms (and even then, partially), not the true root of the problem. There is a viable and time-tested solution, which already characterizes many beloved cities in the United States and undergird much of Europe’s cityscapes. New Urbanism, a movement that prioritizes the pedestrian, focuses on community resulting from proximity, and beauty as a cornerstone of the built environment, charts the way forward, built on a foundation of past principles synthesized with modern innovations. Not only is this solution viable, but it is also highly desirable as many feel, consciously or not, the draining effect of our sprawling cities. How could New Urbanist principles remedy the Sprawl generated by post-World-War II auto centricity? The visual documentary medium lends itself to displaying the stark contrast between sprawl and humane planning. The images themself tell the story, with little exposition needed for one to sense their conflicting nature. Human beings universally long for a place called home that is filled with interaction with neighbors and the freedom to choose how one lives. New Urbanism provides the opportunity to rehabilitate dysfunctional cities.
Comments
Undergraduate - 2nd Place Award Winner