5/6 Reflection

Initially I was not all that sure as to why our design methods have changed so much over time. The changes were something that were obviously occurring and I was witnessing, but I never gave much thought as to why. Looking at historical design of the first cities in this country, it seems there were a definite set of values that planners cherished when laying out city centers, shops, and living quarters. I would like to think that "values" have remained the basis of our design decisions since the post-war years when design ideas started to shift to the sprawl we see today, but the results don't reflect a very including human structure I would like the think this country strives for. Once again, the values I see pushing our design in dominate directions are those reflecting big business, corporate power, and superior government wants and needs instead of the best design for our citizens and the environment live in.

Although the information points out the design paths we took and decisions made which led us to the brink of disaster we are approaching, the material really doesn't provide much insight as to how we can salvage this sinking ship. It could very well be that the answers are unknown, far from feasible, or just haven't surfaced yet, but whatever the future holds, I hope the design decisions incorporate successes seen in the past and avoid mistakes we made in previous years.

Having only limited knowledge of our nation's history, and even less of our past as it relates to design, the information from Friday's lecture and readings gave a pretty eye-opening perspective linking the results to what we see around us today. I realized how much our lives are shaped by the environment we live in for better or worse, and unfortunately seem to have had little control over as the general public in the last 70 years.

As stated earlier, I am interested as to what the authors of the material suggest we do to change our environment and design for the better from now on. They offered great information as to how are design has been influenced in the past, but do they have any ideas of how we can move forward in an environmentally sustainable direction?