Sept 26, 2022
Antonella De Michelis: "Myth busting Your sense of Direction. How to Read a City"
You may have heard someone say, "I have no sense of direction." Perhaps you have felt guilty of this yourself. In this talk, I will argue that cities are as legible as the written page - or as illegible depending on the author and not, in fact, on the reader. Cities can be broken down into parts and as an active participant, you can recognize these building blocks and learn to "read" a city. Just as some books become the great American novel, there are those cities that are vibrant, memorable, and exciting. What is their secret? We will investigate what cities have in common, what sets them apart, and what gives a place that distinctive "there-there" that makes us want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
You may have heard someone say, "I have no sense of direction." Perhaps you have felt guilty of this yourself. In this talk, I will argue that cities are as legible as the written page - or as illegible depending on the author and not, in fact, on the reader. Cities can be broken down into parts and as an active participant, you can recognize these building blocks and learn to "read" a city. Just as some books become the great American novel, there are those cities that are vibrant, memorable, and exciting. What is their secret? We will investigate what cities have in common, what sets them apart, and what gives a place that distinctive "there-there" that makes us want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.