"What do you mean by Urban Livability?"
In a conversation with a classmate about the Weiss fellowship, I once again stumbled in explaining urban livability and thought I would attempt to give it another try, hopefully with help from everyone. It seems to me that some grand theory or definition of urban livability could never truly exist, since it is or I believe should be historically, culturally and individually situated within the urban space. However, understanding that we must start somewhere, basic access to health, nutrition, shelter and sanitation programs would be essential to sustaining life in the urban setting. Of course these"essentials" reflect my research interest and can be demonstrated through material culture, so please feel free to add your "essentials" to the list or comment on mine.
posted by Kelly at
1:04 PM
1 Comments:
I would add: aesthetic beauty in the local/spatial environment, whether it be in the form of public arts, good urban design, natural open space, or some other aspect of the community. Perhaps I add this to distinguish between "living" and merely "surviving." If anyone reads this comment, surely they will disagree - because clearly a) beauty is subjective and b) beauty might be considered a "luxury" rather than a necessity. But (a) has recently been somewhat dismissed by studies showing universal aesthetic preferences amongst different cultures for similar facial and body attributes in men and women... I'd be interested in the take of a neuropsychologist (umm any Fellers out there?) to discuss the role that their field finds beauty/art to play in our collective mental health. Physical beauty often triggers perceptions of longevity or health in the onlooker, for example. There must be some important psychological benefits to percieving oneself to live in a thriving, successful community...
Maybe?
Go forth and discuss!
And, as a 2007-2008 Weiss Fellow, I'm excited to see that this blog is still rollin' :)
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