Histories of Everyday Sustainability
Prof. Rob Gioielli | EVST 2059
From Classroom to City
Class lectures and discussions provided the base of historical knowledge and the tools to better learn from our time in London and Munich. I especially appreciated how we discussed the question "what is a city for?". Our group listed needs like education, labor specialization, and culture, and we could used these core elements as benchmarks in our observations of the larger cities. During our time with Urban Design London (UDL) we discussed what to prioritize in a city’s design. Having established that definition of why cities exist in the first place allowed us to focus on how to fit those needs into the multi-timed city framework.
Our readings and class time discussing London's economic history was also necessary for analyzing class in the places we visited. The Engels reading and presentation on council housing gave me the lens and awareness to poverty in London. In viewing the contrast in neighborhoods across the city, our excursions in Hackney Wick, and additional histories from the Transport and Docklands museums, I could recognize the same themes from class. We went from studying spatial separation of classes and the setup of those divided areas, to walking on the sidewalks Engels and Booth might have walked centuries ago.
Above these specific observations, our class time encouraged a inquisitive mindset, or perspective, to hold as students of both history and design. In this course we were pushed to keep asking questions and go deeper into the values and motivations that shape our society.
Journal Entries
"Why do you ride a bike?" May 16, 2023
When I think of riding a bike, I think of family picnics, exercise, and the summertime. I ride a bike for recreation, rather than as a means of transportation. It is contained within my neighborhood or the local park, and thinking of riding a bike to work or school feels irrational. Because those trips would each take one hour on a bike, it is difficult for me to view biking as a feasible means of transport at this point in my life.
"What makes a home?" May 14, 2023
Home is community and comfort. What we find in the people we love, in the spaces we rest. I find home in places like my aunt's kitchen, where food and family are never far from reach. Places like my violin teacher's living room, where memories of music lessons and recitals play on. I treasure these places as physical containers for that feeling of home, one much greater than the spaces themselves.