Viewing Britton in the context of a “natural” lens

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

I used the lens “landscape as nature”. I applied this lens to Britton Plaza. When observing I took the people out of the scene, which caused me to think about what it would be like if this space was “natural” and untouched by humans. I tried to imagine what this place would be like if it had never been found by humans but I also looked at aspects of nature that influence how people interact with this space. Some of my artifacts included large trees that I think could have been there prior to this area being influenced by human. While many areas of this space are meant to look natural and untouched they clearly have been influenced by humans. These include smaller trees, the grass and walkways that include some hilly aspects.  Those have all been touched, as I assume the large trees have been as well. Everything is groomed but not to the point of looking unnatural.

Aspects of this space that are influenced by nature include the climate and weather. That influences whether students use this space, which gives the natural world over influences that humans have had on these spaces. An important line in the description of landscape of nature is “Whatever he does upon the surface of the earth, even his greatest skyscrapers, dams, and bridges, are, by comparison, minute, feeble, and transitory; mere scratching’s on the skin of Mother Earth. “. This line demonstrates that while humans are capable of doing things to nature they are truly unable to influence it in the way that the natural world can. Areas will be influenced and destroyed by people but there are aspects where the natural world will still have more influence beyond humans building things.

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Ideology of a Construction Scene

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

In his essay “The Beholding Eye: Ten Versions of the Same Scene,” D.W. Meinig suggests that a landscape can be viewed as “ideology,” shaped by the cultural values of the people who interact with it. Underlying every scene is a set of human ideas about their relationship to the landscape.Through this lens, this construction scene strongly reflects a philosophy of progress, and especially progress as mastery of our world. The road is a tool for mobility, which allows society to expand in space and allows people to command that space with as little effort as possible. We want everything interconnected, available at our convenience. The road signs further evoke this sense of control: they are evidence that this road is part of a carefully mapped network, broken down into numbered units. They reflect a Fordian notion of mechanization and uniformity, which also shows itself in every man made item in the scene. The vehicles, the workmen’s clothes, the construction tools all come from batches of identical items, pumped out by a mechanized production scheme.

The construction work, meanwhile, demonstrates how laborious and imperfect our efforts are to maintain and achieve control. In this case, materials must be forced into place with heavy machinery to perform the purposes set for them. We keep at this task with stubborn persistence. Human use and natural elements wear away at our controlled structures, and the fight to hold degradation at bay can itself be disruptive. As this repair job progresses, a gaping hole in the ground fragments the sidewalk; the construction equipment blocks half the road. The traffic cones and crossing guards represent an attempt to gloss over this disruption of order.

While the process of development and mechanization is clear in the central and obtrusive construction scene, it has also solidified itself in the surroundings. The brick walls of the HUB are the product of yet another construction project, another battle for order and control. The stones are cut to fit perfectly together, in a pattern designed to fit human ideas of what is functional and attractive. The building provides a space where humans can have thorough control over their surroundings, where every surface can be straightened and leveled and even the lighting and temperature are mechanized. Meanwhile, the surrounding greenery provides an example of human control over other forms of life. Each tree, shrub and patch of grass is positioned and cultivated with the human eye and human convenience in mind.

This concern with aesthetics is linked with another aspect of progress: progression of social status. Everything surrounding the road is part of an institution of higher learning, whose reputation rests on its appearance as well as its academic quality. Its students work toward degrees as symbols of intelligence, discipline and expertise. Their education is intended as a pathway to respected careers and financial success. Through their education, the ideology of progress is passed on- but it can also be questioned and altered. With the evolution of ideas, the landscape continues to evolve.

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Landscape as Habitat in Philadelphia

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

The Cira green building at Drexel University- apartments for students

A quick trip to visit my cousin in Philadelphia led me to a beautifully constructed dorm. What struck me first about the building was park located on a rooftop in the middle of the building. The actual roof also had green space and a pool. A building meant for college students seemed like a wealthy persons favorite hotel.

The park however, was mostly grass with concrete linear paths slicing through the green patches. There were trees and small shrubs in some of the quadrants of green space as well. Railings guarded the sides of the roof and yet the grass went up to the very edge. The architecture of the building we exited to get out to the green space was just as aesthetically pleasing. No boarded up windows, glass lined the entire building letting in so much natural light there was almost no need for artificial ones.

I observed this place through the “landscape as habitat” lens explained in detail by D.W. Meinig. Using this lens to observe this place, gave me a different overall perspective on the functionality of the space. This lens treats all landscapes, urban or otherwise, as being a part of nature.

Meinig explains that even landscapes that don’t seem a part of nature because of a “maladjustment” are  simply in a transition phase of reaching the synchronicity between man and nature. This dorm building in Philadelphia, was a step in the right direction. They had figured out a way to maximize space that already existed to incorporate elements of the natural world- trees and grasses. This was a place designed for mans pursuits, whether to walk dogs or to enjoy the weather it was designed for the people living in this building.

The isolation of this place did not seem so deliberate but was still apparent. Nestled on the roof of a building, and sandwiched between several others it related to Meinigs discussion of the reworking of nature by man.

Using this lens was quite useful in assessing this space, because I had mixed feelings about the space. It was nice that there was somewhere dogs could be walked that wasn’t concrete, but it also seemed like it could be a roof used for solar panels, or they could have planted more trees and had less concrete.

This lens allowed me to see this place as one in transition. While there were certainly improvements that could be made to have more of a balance between “man” and the natural world, it was still much greater than the concrete roof that once existed. It provided an opportunity for students to enjoy being outside- it would be a perfect place for star watching if it wasn’t located in the city. Nevertheless, enjoying sunsets, grass and a breeze this Cira dorm building of Drexel University shows some level of balance between the development of cities, and the nature that once ran rampant before.

 

Works Cited:

Meinig, D W. “Ten Versions of the Same Scene.” The Beholding Eye, 1 Jan. 1979, pp. 1–8.

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Observing a Scene

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

I am interpreting Britton Plaza through the lens as of a landscape as a habitat.  Britton plaza has been constructed to fit the exact needs of college students.  The space reflects the values of the group of students that attend Dickinson College.  The space has adequate seating that is set up in a social manner for college students to utilize.  The plaza has a seal at the center that serves as a symbol of the student’s shared bond through the institution.  Moreover there are outdoor plugs spread across the plaza so that students may enjoy the space and utilize their technology at the same time.  On the plaza students are enjoying their habitat by using their cell phones, doing work on their computers, eating and socializing.  On the sides of the plaza are several buildings, the hub, library and biddle house.  Each of these buildings serves a different purpose and was placed in this space to be easily accessible for the students.  These resources are here to provide them with places to learn, professionals to consult on various matters and food to eat.  On the plaza the Popel Shaw Center for Race and Ethnicity has a display setup to educate students on issues of neurological atypicality.  This is obviously an issue that the institution believes to be of importance.  The plaza is also strewn with markers of sustainability with the bike racks, solar panels, recycling bins and reusable water bottles on the students’ tables.  It is interesting to note what is absent from this landscape.  This habitat is set up for college students, there is practically no variation in the ages of the people utilizing this space.  Moreover the space has been carefully groomed, there is no sign of wildlife and it is highly doubtful that the plants in the space are native to the area.  This space is a habitat for college students and no one else.

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This Auditorium is a Problem

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

Rumor has it, the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium (ATS) is named for a trustee who agreed to fund the building if she could design it herself. Schlechter was not an architect. One performance artist grumbled that she wished she had a sledge hammer to break down the ridiculous dividing walls between the upper and lower seating areas. Aesthetically, the auditorium reeks of the 1970s. As a supervisor to many Clarke Forum events in ATS, I often see this landscape as a problem. I will share my observations of a particularly crowded lecture to shed light on some functional and aesthetic problems in the landscape.

ALT TEXT

Dickinson College Archives

To look beyond symptoms in the problem lens, D.W. Meinig asks the viewer to use “greater awareness of what is happening and why”. He divides design problems (ATS is a failure of design) into function and aesthetic. As a human landscape, the problem arises from how both of these systems amplify behavior.

The lobby to ATS is vast – visitors may mill about in confusion as they look for the obscure theater entrances. This is also where the landscape problem begins. Groups arrive in waves. Students pour in as late as possible. The first visitors approach from the right staircase, relative to entering. They quickly fill up the raised seats to their immediate left and bottom right but mostly neglect the spaces past these first sections. The sharp left turn at the top of the stairs disorients visitors and amplifies a couple feedback loops which, in turn, amplify clogging behavior.

Alt Text

Dickinson College

Professors in the first couple rows of the floor level and far-left seating areas require students to sign-in for class. Students waiting to sign-in talk with friends. Groups continue to enter the space from behind them. Stalled and blocked, the new groups fill up the seats to their immediate left even faster. The seating area stairs in ATS are functionally dangerous, mismatched. Flow slows and a crowd backs up on the entry stairs. To avoid danger, project managers orient crowd flow to an alternative stairwell. A similar problem emerges, and the flow alternates again.

Relationships define social spaces. As groups and couples fill the seats, small pockets remain unoccupied. Rather than scramble over human terrain, leaving friends behind, visitors sit against the back wall, along the aisles, or stand. The question and answer section of the event redefines the power relationship of the landscape. Through hostile past experiences, the facilitators must view the potential problem in this landscape. The traditional lenses absorbing the speaker’s answers for knowledge creation are secondary to the nonverbal communication between facilitators and screening of audience members. The platform for airtime is in relatively short supply so its moderation is very important.

The aesthetics and function of ATS amplify behavior which clogs flow. This landscape through the lens of a problem demonstrates the amplifying effects of design on behavior. Other useful lenses could be history, aesthetic, system, or artifact. From the role of a supervisor, this horribly designed landscape is a problem.

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Observing Landscape as Place on the Streets of Downtown Carlisle, PA

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

Carlisle, PA

Sounds and Feels

Cars whizzed by me on the street as a constant flow of traffic entered and left the intersection. Occasional car horns broke through the rumbling engines in stopped traffic and the music coming from inside people’s cars. Car brakes screeched and airplanes passed overhead. Pedestrians on the sidewalks and crosswalks crunched leaves in their paths. People near each other, on the same side of the street, could hear each other speak but most people passing by foot or by bicycle travelled quietly. Warm breezes from the sun’s heat combined with the traffic exhaust came in waves. It is possible to sit on solid stone ledges or wooden benches (with backrest and armrest).

Visuals and Smells

A mild odor from car exhaust filled the air. People crossed the intersection, using crosswalks, alone and in groups from 2-4 people. One couple pushed a stroller with a toddler inside while several other individuals carried backpacks. All pedestrians travelled at a leisurely pace on the sidewalks and while crossing the streets. Littered with cigarette butts and dead leaves, the sidewalks leading up to the intersection remained open. However, the streets were relatively clean and free of litter or debris. Trees planted in the sidewalk lined the streets, but buildings towered over them. Signs for the interstate and state highways become visible for drivers approaching the intersection from all directions. The buildings situated at the intersection’s four corners were the county courthouse, the old county courthouse, and two churches respectively. A historical marker could be viewed in front of one of the churches. A cluster of large stone war veteran memorials occupied the space at one corner of the intersection in front of the old courthouse. A large American flag flapped next to a Pennsylvania state flag in the air on a flagpole in front of the new county courthouse.

Pedestrian walking signals and buttons as well as red light cameras were placed on all four sides of the intersection. Bicycle lanes were drawn on either side of the street, in both directions but only a few cyclists passed. In between the two bicycle lanes, the traffic divided into four lanes (three for one direction and one for the opposing direction). Smaller cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, and motorcycles passed through the intersection using the lanes drawn onto the street.

Carlisle, PA

Interpretation

The traffic light system created a hub where groups of people and groups of vehicles stopped and collected in the same space. Although vehicle-related noises dominated the soundscape of the intersection, the presence of bicycle lanes and public benches as well as wide sidewalks demonstrates that the space is functional for people and vehicles. The mixture of trees and pavement as well as leaves and cigarette butts suggests that the city designer incorporated nature into the suburban town. It is important to note that Carlisle, Pennsylvania is a distribution hub for the east coast and many trucks transporting goods pass through this city as two interstates run through the city.

This lens could be helpful for understanding the significance of risk, resilience, and human security in a landscape because the unique characteristics of a scene often indicate social norms and values that people would consider relevant in their every day lives.

Carlisle, PA, USA

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Observation Assignment: Britton Plaza Landscape as System

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

At first glance, Britton Plaza is a place I have walked through many a times. It seems like I walk though it at least once a day if not more. For this assignment, I tried to see this landscape as a system. Using systems thinking, it seems like Britton is more like a system within systems. Like mentioned in “The Beholding Eye” by D.W. Meinig, the trees are a subsystem acting as chemical factories and biological transformers of energy (Meinig 3). There are systems within each building surrounding Britton Plaza, like the Holland Union Building (HUB), Biddle House (the career center and the register’s office), and the library. Each building has a separate function. However, all these buildings exist in the network of interactions. By looking at the flows, these buildings start to create a matrix of interactions. Instead of just seeing objects, there are elements like people, trees, outdoor seating areas, the seal, and bike racks in additions to the buildings. These elements all interconnect and interact. The exchanges of ideas and information create a social system. The weather is even a part of the system. Good weather might cause more people to engage with the outdoors spaces like the seating areas and create more exchanges. The seal reflects some form of self-organization, since we adapt with changing conditions to not step on the seat. When is snows a pattern is created to walk a circle around the seal as to achieve the purpose, avoiding the seal.

Meinig also states that “landscape can be regarded as a laboratory” (4). We can observe the landscape with its “dynamic equilibrium of interacting processes” to study the world (3). It is also important for me to note, my way of analysis and synthesizing the systems at play may be completely different than others. This is also just one small segment of larger systems, so when thinking about system we should keep our system boundaries in mind.

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Validity of NASA’s Climate Change Information

Posted on September 26, 2017 by

Being that the topic of climate change has been increasingly debated over the past years, it is important to know whether the information you are reading is from a credible source or not. Nowadays, two people can easily get into an argument about whether climate change is real or not, and that even includes respected politicians. However, if you have looked at credible sources, you will have plenty of evidence to back up your arguments. To find out if a source is valid or not, you can ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who is the author and does he/ she have enough experience in this field?
2. When was this written? (Sometimes sources can be very outdated, and you would want the most accurate source)
3. Where did the author get his / her information from? (They could have done independent research or you can look at the citations that they provided)

For example, to find out more information about a source that is often used, I evaluated NASA’s Global Climate Change (Vital Signs of the Planet) website, which provides articles, facts, solutions, etc., regarding climate change. NASA, which stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was established in 1958 with the vision to “reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.” NASA brings together astronauts, engineers, scientists, technicians, and so on, with valuable credentials and expertise in their fields. The Global Climate Change website was specifically designed to provide information for the public about climate change. A lot of the information used by scientists comes from space satellites, information provided by scientists, and photographic evidence, and various space missions. Some of the information that space observations are able to provide include “…solar activity, sea level rise, the temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans, the state of the ozone layer, air pollution, and changes in sea ice and land ice” (NASA).

Space earth-observing satellites


Earth science became more of a priority when congress began to cut NASA’s funding in the 1970s. They then decided that they wanted NASA working on research that would contribute to national needs. In the 1980s “recognition that climate could change on human timescales made climate processes much more interesting research topics. It also spurred political interest” so the government began to provide the necessary funding. NASA’s climate change committee has provided valuable information for the past decades. In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, which submits reports on the latest climate findings to world leaders in order to influence the policies that are made, uses information provided by NASA.
Since the people working for NASA have done substantial research and have provided a lot of evidence based on models, satellites, and space missions, you can say that their website is a very credible source.

Citation

Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. (2017). Global Climate Change: History. [online] Available at: https://climate.nasa.gov/nasa_science/history/ [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].

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Analyzing Climate Change Data

Posted on September 25, 2017 by

When analyzing data in regards to climate change, one must look towards the authors, whether or not the findings have been peer reviewed and vetted by fellow scientists, and the sources that are cited within the report. I first look towards one of the most highly regarded climate change reports, the fifth climate change assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is an international body that gathers, reviews, and distributes scientific works for governments, the United Nations, and scientists. Their reports provide a scientific basis for every aspect of climate change in order to provide policymakers correct and factual climate change information to better understand the impacts and potential risks of climate change. The IPCC controls and regulates climate change talks under the UN Climate Conference, better known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (IPCC 2013)

With such sweeping international bodies that make up the IPCC, one must then look at how it chooses its authors that assess and provides climate change data. The IPCC authors are meant to reflect a,” range of scientific, technical and socio-economic views and expertise, geographical representation (ensuring appropriate representation of experts from developing and developed countries and countries with economies in transition), at least one and normally two or more from developing countries, a mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC, (and) gender balance” (IPCC 2013). The IPCC authors are chosen to reflect a diverse group of well-regarded and trustworthy scientists who have the credentials and previous credible scientific experience / literature.

To gain a better understanding of one of their previous member scientists whom has contributed literature towards the IPCC Assessment Reports, one may look at Susan Solomon for an example. Susan Solomon is recognized throughout the world as one of the leaders in atmospheric / climate science. She is credited with having been a leader in the discovery and subsequent publication of climatic data that suggested how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) interacted with polar stratospheric clouds to cause the hole in the ozone layer (Royal Society 2017). She then went on to lead the expedition to Antarctica to later confirm her theory and help form the literature and basis of the UN Montreal Protocol. This protocol, considered to be one of the most successful climate protocols, then proceeded to phase out the creation of substances that emitted CFCs. Solomon had received her Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in chemistry from University of California, Berkley, and her B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Solomon was also elected by Time Magazine in 2008 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and currently serves as professor of environmental studies and chemistry at MIT (MIT.edu).

The IPCC Assessment Reports are considered to be one of the most credible climate change publications currently in circulation. Their choice in authors, such as Susan Solomon, and scientific literature are put through a thorough and lengthy vetting process to help insure the quality and credibility of each piece of climate change information that they publish.  Their well-balanced choice of sources and contributors bring many different perspectives and data from some of the world’s leading climate scientists to some of the best information on climate change available and should be an example for other institutions and publications that wish to do the same.

 

Works Cited

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Procedures for The Preparation, Review, Acceptance, Adoption, Approval, and Publication of IPCC Reports. 18 October 2013.

Mastrandrea, Michael D., et al. IPCC Factsheet: What is the IPCC? (30 August 2013).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Susan Solomon | MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. 6 September 2017.

Royal Society. Susan Solomon Biography. 2017.

 

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Evaluating the Credibility of Climate Sources

Posted on September 25, 2017 by

There are hundreds of documents reviewing climate change. How can you be sure of which ones are accurate? In order to ensure you are receiving solely factual information, it is important to evaluate the credibility of sources while reviewing them. There are several factors to assess when ensuring a source is factual and relevant.

  1. Is it peer reviewed?
  2. Is it supported with evidence?
  3. Do the authors/organizations have relevant expertise?
  4. Do credible organizations agree with this information?

One news article relating to the effects of climate change is “U.S. Climate Has Already Changed, Study Finds, Citing Heat and Floods” by Justin Gillis. This article was published by the New York Times in May of 2014.

The main strength of this article is its abundance of relevant evidence. The whole of the article is reporting on the findings of the National Climate Assessment, which was published earlier that year. The article is arguing that the climate has already changed, due to anthropogenic causes. One relevant piece of evidence it provides is a U.S. map showing temperature change, provided by the National Climate Data center.

The National Climate Assessment is an extremely credible source, summarizing current and future impacts of climate change on the United States. It was produced with the help of over “300 experts guided by a 60-member Federal Advisory Committee… which was extensively reviewed by the public and experts, including federal agencies and a panel of the National Academy of Sciences” (National Climate Assessment). While it is unclear whether the article itself was peer reviewed, nearly all of the information listed comes directly from the National Climate Assessment, which was thoroughly researched and reviewed.

It also cites other credible sources, such as direct statements from former President Barak Obama, and several climate scientists. One climate scientist, Richard B. Alley, was not involved in writing the report, but is quoted in the article. According NASA, Dr. Alley has “authored many publications, chaired the National Academy of Sciences’ and National Council’s panel on abrupt climate change, has been involved with advisory groups to improve national and international research, and has been active with media outreach translate research findings to a broad audience with appearances on television, radio and print outlets”. This makes him a credible source.

The author of the article, Justin Gillis, is a frequent New York Times journalist and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. He has also been reviewed by Climate Feedback, a site where climate scientists review the validity of articles. The majority of his articles listed were cited as having “very high” scientific credibility. While fairly left leaning, The New York Times itself is a well known, reputable newspaper. It was founded in 1851 and has won 122 Pulitzer Prizes- more than any other newspaper.

I have come to the conclusion that this is a reliable, factual article, which provides brief, yet thorough account of the most pressing pieces of information from the National Climate Assessment.

Sources:

Gillis, Justin. “U.S. Climate Has Already Changed, Study Finds, Citing Heat and Floods.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 May 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/science/earth/climate-change-report.html. Accessed September 24th, 2017.

Dunbar, Brian. “Meet Dr. Richard Alley: Evan Pugh Professor in the Department of Geosciences and the EMS Environment Institute at the Pennsylvania State University.”NASA, NASA, www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/sealevel_alley_bio.html. Accessed September 24th, 2017.

“Analysis of ‘Seas Are Rising at Fastest Rate in Last 28 Centuries.’” Climate Feedback, 21 Feb. 2017, climatefeedback.org/evaluation/sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change. Accessed September 24th, 2017.

“Overview.” National Climate Assessment, nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/overview/overview. Accessed September 24th, 2017.

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