As a double major in Earth an Oceanographic Science and Economics, I think that I would benefit most from taking part in the research group for infrastructure as it pertains most to the subjects that I have studied in my past years at Bowdoin.  I am particularly intrigued by the active decisions that local governments and city councils make about the distribution of both monetary and physical resources and the motivations behind these important allocation decisions.  Are the decisions motivated by local environmental issues, improvements in efficiency or quality of life of a city’s residents, or are decisions simply made based on most lucrative outcome?  Or is the motivation a combination of these reasons and more? Studying the infrastructure of a smaller city like Portland would begin to answer these questions.

In the article titled Claiming Urban Landscapes as Public History, Hayden states that “all of these different kinds of private and public planning activities and public works have a social as well as technological history.  People fight for and against them.  People also construct and maintain them.”  This quote struck a chord with my interest in motivations behind planning decisions because clearly if  “people fight for and against [the private and public planning activities],” then they either wholeheartedly agree or disagree with the meaning of the project or motivation behind the proposed infrastructure; this controversial relationship creates a split between the people and the council within a city.  Moreover the idea that “people also construct and maintain [the private and public planning activities]” speaks to whether civilians adapt their beliefs and values or potentially leave the city.  And of course all of these opinions and variables are constantly changing over time which makes studying city infrastructure  that much more interesting.

In addition, Townsend’s lecture on Smart Cities explored more about the motivations behind decisions about city infrastructure and the future of the relationship between technology and the future of our cities – is there more of a shift in motivation in city planning decisions towards  local environmental issues or improvements in efficiency or quality of life of a city’s residents? Perhaps.

I have not spent much time living in cities – I grew up on a 25 mile long island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  And yes I was fortunate enough to have travelled with my family to and through cities but I have never spent extended amounts of time in large cities.  Hamilton is the only city in Bermuda and while it is beautiful (BEAUTIFUL!), its extensive views of waterfront and delicious restaurants along a few blocks of buildings is a not quite what I think of when I think of a ‘city’. Because I’ve only spend shorter bursts of time in cities, one of the first things I notice and am critical of is the infrastructure or public transportation within a city. I’d love to know more about motivations behind decisions about allocations in cities because it is an ever evolving dialogue that arrises from differences and changes in perspectives.