I took a class last semester called Reconsidering the Margin: Creative Practice on the Fringe. The main thrust of the class was to ask what the relationship is between architecture and society, and whether marginal architecture (which challenges the definition of architecture as habitable structure) speaks more to marginal cultures than traditional architecture does. We considered "marginal cultures" to be minority cultures, ostracized sub-groups of majority cultures, activists, etc. Our readings covered discussions of the rise, fall, and current transformations of suburbia, and the writings of social and spatial theorists like Lefebvre, Soja, Jane Jacobs, bell hooks. It's the best class I've ever taken.
The last third of the semester involved proposing a project -- not necessarily architectural -- to improve a problem in a low-income community on the outskirts -- the margins -- of Saint Louis. We spoke with the mayor and other town leaders, who poured out their concerns about their small community, Pagedale.
My teammate and I focused on educational concerns. Children in Pagedale loose interest in reading as they enter middle-school, and their performance drops noticeably. By installing "branded" shelves throughout the community, we proposed to distribute age-appropriate books in dispersed locations, encouraging the process of discovery in learning. The project uses non-profit book-trading programs like The Book Thing in Baltimore as precedents for a book-trading program in the community that fosters involvement toward a long-term donation system.
Community members can sign in the books that they take or donate. A posted "Wish-List," compiled by Pagedale's middle school would include required books for classes, relieving any burden that some parents might have in purchasing their children's books. Start-up locations for the project include the middle school's front office, the post-office, and the local grocery store.
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