Urban Placemaking: Poetry of Travel

Abstract

Through a study of mapping comes an understanding of urbanism and its development through history. The goal of this collection is to form a relationship between mapping as a means of visual communication (through lines and photographs) and poetry (words). The three cities selected for this study are connected through their network of urban grids and city forms, which are remnants of the Holy Roman Empire that once bridged these cities together. Each location is subdivided into two or three sections (which are indicative of the urban states that occur in all three areas). One section illustrates urban centrality, which mandates the existence of a center and a periphery. The poems in this portion reflect experiences within these principal spaces. More specifically, they seek to convey an idea of the burgeoning growth that these cities experience due to an increase in urban traffic, as well as the personal growth that occurs from traversing these areas day to day. In the second section, water is selected as a focal point because of its ability to both connect places as well as break them apart urbanistically. In each city, water is examined as it creates tightness (center, or connectivity) and then release (periphery, or separation). The third section seeks to convey the city as a contrasting entity- one that is seen in light and shadow, night and day, beauty and imperfection. An urban node is a mix of these different aspects, which together create a place’s identity (also known as "placemaking" - the title of this collection). The shared urban experiences between the three selected locations have formed stories, which have been documented through journals and photographs. These memories have been taken from relayed anecdotes, newspaper clippings, personal notes, and drawings all composed while on Study Abroad (January-June 2011).