I am very interested in the infrastructure research group. While public space and housing are important parts of any community, I feel that infrastructure is unique in that no community can exist without it. Infrastructure literally connects isolated spaces to create a community: roads, bridges, railroads, and many other facilities and structures are essential for bringing locations together. Were it not for these structures, cities would be little more than individual, disconnected places. I am also interested in learning more about how infrastructure is changing with time; public Wi-Fi networks and other technologies are quickly becoming widespread, for example.

Townsend’s lecture in particular made me want to learn more about infrastructure. With the seemingly exponential advances in technology made in the last several decades, there are more ways than ever for people to be connected to one another. Traditionally, we think of physical structures as comprising the infrastructure of a city. Only recently have digital networks been put in place in cities, but the effects they can have are tremendous. Wi-Fi hotspots, public transportation smartphone apps, and automatic highway payment services like EZ pass are but a few examples of recent innovations that have revolutionized how cities function. While the idea of smart cities is relatively new, I am fascinated by the prospect of cities being optimized using various new infrastructural concepts.

I feel that some of the most genuine “city experiences” come from exposure to various elements of a city’s infrastructure, such as public transportation. I love being able to meet new people from many different backgrounds while riding the T in Boston. While some people come from more privileged backgrounds than others, almost everyone has the same access to infrastructural resources. Whether you are a wealthy businessperson or a low-income student,  you use the same roads and bridges as everyone else. In this way, I see infrastructure as an equalizer. The idea of public resources available to and necessary for everyone excites and intrigues me.

The trip to Portland today also made me want to learn more about infrastructure. The problem of homelessness is huge, as we saw during our visit to the Preble Street Resource Center. Although I doubt there is a simple fix to an issue as large as that of homelessness in cities, I am certain that there could be more infrastructural means of helping those in need. I would love to learn more about how infrastructure can be implemented to tackle major issues such as this.