bricks and mortar

I’ve always talked about who I am in relation to my environment. It is likely that this fact subconsciously influenced why I chose to go on and study urban policy during my undergrad years and why I intend to pursue urban planning at the graduate level at some point in the future. Simply put, I have always viewed a person’s surrounding environment as one of the most affecting circumstances of life. Whether it is immediate surroundings or the larger built-environment of our cities and towns, the influence of location on our psyche inevitably has profound implications on our happiness; at least it does for me.

Environment has the ability to transform and enliven, motivate and inspire, it has the ability to make believing possible. It is everywhere and it is everything. It is walls, buildings, cupboards, floors, stairs, vases, curtains, photos, flowers, sidewalks, cafes, storefronts, art, businesses, layout, details and design, policies, economics, and most importantly, people. Environment is important; it shapes who we are and who we can ultimately become.

So here I embark, to reflect upon the structures of memory. It will be writings about the bricks and mortar, the steel and stone, the wood and nails that give context to my world. It will be an endeavor to understand exactly how and why the structures of our life are, in a way, the story of our life.