I think the community engagement event was very beneficial for the community and for our studio. We received positive feedback and many people seemed to be pleasantly surprised to see an effort for improvement brought to their community. Although mid-city has many problems, one problem is not a lack of community. To these people mid-city is not just where they live, it is their home and they care about it’s future. The community wants to see their children flourish and for mid-city to develop into an area with more resources for the people that live there. 

      The event turned out differently than I expected. Prior to the event and for the first hour, I was a little skeptical that we would have a good turn out. The boards did not receive the best feedback and I was concerned that the people did not care to share their opinions. After the church let out the event populated which attracted others to join in. The people seemed to enjoy what we were doing and very openly shared their opinions. I think most of the speculations we had about what the community desired was accurate with the exception of the housing aspect. I found it interesting that they saw a program with housing as a negative influence because it would drive out the low income residents of the community and they would feel unwelcome around new housing communities. There was also a huge concern for safety in the area and the community responded well to an event that they could attend with their children without feeling at risk.

What architecture is to me....

The problem with Architecture is the disagreement on what it is or what it should be. I believe architecture should be selfless, intentional, and practical design. Architecture is not for the Architect. Buildings are designed in first world countries as monsters that function impractically and use unnecessary amounts of material and energy. They harm the environment and are deemed insufficient within a few years. They are built to please the architect, not to provide for the client. To me, that is not architecture. Architecture to me is entirely for the users. “Form follows function”. Architecture is for living and for sheltering. Architecture can be art, but art is not architecture. Art does not function in the practical way that Architecture does. Architecture to me is to improve the lives of others. Architects have the ability to create practical things that will change the way people live but many have been clouded by their own pompous desires to design abstract art. I want to design buildings that run efficiently and sustainably. In serving my community I want to simplify architecture. In the United States, where A/C’s blast at 65 degrees and the average person uses almost 200 gallons of water per day, I want to change the way people think about how they live.