(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
Early American town planning resulted in numerous new towns where public space was designed as the heart of the community. The social/political/cultural community heritage these spaces embodied and supported was challenged by changes in American urban life, suburbanization, and urban design ideology. The fate of many public spaces was ultimately sealed by demolition or substantial reconfiguration. The result is a loss of heritage rooted in place, where cultural and community memory evaporated. Current trends in urban design only continue this trajectory, where corporate interests seeking profit provide simulacra of urban spaces planned as entertainment or recreation hubs. The loss of physical public spaces as the genuine heart of communities coincides with the political and social stratification of American society. While this history of urban public space is one of neglect, mistreatment, and theoretical dismissal, urban scholarship supports the physical analysis of the built environment and reconsideration of urban public space as a critical physical component of social infrastructure that can foster gathering, meeting strangers, and building new social bonds. This paper explores the role and morphology of public space in American cities historically and into the present using the civic core of Brooklyn, New York as a case study to better understand the potential meaning of urban space to the community. A careful analysis of historic maps, newspaper accounts, and photographs reveals the evolving morphological condition of the physical place but also its use patterns for community celebration and commemoration. This analysis shows the impacts of the “despatialization” of this civic place while study of the installed monuments allows the exploration of issues of representation and memory. The findings offer insights into the potential to re-establish spatial identity and significance to the community as key steps to re-constructing public spaces as places for community commemoration, celebration, political expression, and memory.
Jason Montgomery is an architect, urban designer, and educator. He worked in several international practices where he led design projects in Morocco, Costa Rica, England, Egypt and the US. These projects include the extension to Selwyn College, Cambridge, the Columbia School of Social Work, and the site analysis for a New Residential College at Yale University. Professor Montgomery’s teaching experience includes appointments at University of Notre Dame’s Rome Program, Yale University, and Andrews University. His is currently Associate Professor at the New York City College of Technology and a Futures Fellow at the CUNY Grade Center. His is also a board member of CNU NYC. His research reflects his broad interests in architecture, urban design, and research methodology. Professor Montgomery’s work focuses on the nature of place, rural and urban space, and building tectonics. His current research focuses on place-based sustainability and urban morphology. He co-organized conferences and symposia addressing the complexity of cities, the evolution of downtown Brooklyn, and housing along the Brooklyn waterfront. He holds a Masters of the Arts from University of Wales at Cardiff, Graduate Diploma from the Prince of Wales’s Institute for Architecture, and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame.
10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Thursday 16th June, 2022