Matt, the sketches were cool J
In response to the first entry, you spoke about Birmingham city streets and how we as a traveller move through them. I was reading through MAKE's promotional brochure and came across something that applies.
MAKE have a vision in Birmingham that landmarks or buildings of significance can be linked together in a logical sequence so that the visitors to Birmingham can follow a connective path to such buildings. I personally think that this applies to mobility. Our movement is so much easier when paths are highlighted for us. The markings on the pavement from New Street station to the Mailbox are one form of delineating pathways and directing foot flow. The coloured lines are a conscious effort to move people a certain way. The same can be said of signage around the city centre. So what does this say about social control? These lines are consciously directing us one way, in this instance, towards a retail environment which has a higher average spend than others. Is this a conscious decision to direct visitors to the Mailbox to spend? To make Birmingham the ultimate shopping destination and fund our economy? More so, what does it say about the people who are following them?
After the last lecture on Friday, I began to reflect and apply it to Birmingham. Peter Larkham talked about the post war reconstruction and regeneration of the city. There are the obvious links to mobility egg. The ring road development. What I found interesting was the displacement of people to create regeneration. Peter Larkham commented that "movement of society was a part of regeneration."
The more I think about it, mobility is about displacement, whether it is the journey of travel from A to B, the migration of society from old to new town to allow improvement, sending knowledge from one point to another or a ranking system in society and trying to move up it.
Add other email accounts to Hotmail in 3 easy steps. Find out how.
No comments:
Post a Comment