Methodology for Design Architects and planners play a crucial role in the potential to reduce global consumption of energy. As I continue to mature as a designer, it has become apparent that sustainability is as much about lifestyle and choices, as it is about architectural elements which are simply schemed into building design. In an effort to do my individual part to reduce our ecological footprint, I am drawn to a city like Portland where I can utilize mass transit, effortlessly recycle my waste, and travel safely by bicycle. As a recent resident, I hope to learn how Portland and similar cities have become successful in their endeavor to become more “Green”, and use this valuable environment as fodder for my current and future designs. One of the easiest steps toward a sustainable lifestyle is the reduction of our automobile dependency. With Europe as a model, we can see that a lifestyle less reliant on the automobile is quite possible. Since Americans have placed such high priority on the automobile, we have let this dependency dictate the growth patterns of our urban fabric, rendering it non-pedestrian and severely disconnected. While attending the University of Oregon, the projects I’ve thus completed have given me the opportunity to utilize and interact with light rail transit and this mode of transportation has developed into an important focus of mine. In my short exposure to Portland, it has become obvious the advantage light rail provides in both moving people and becoming a catalyst for urban activity. Creative urban planning solutions and the utilization of several varieties of public transportation are imperative if we hope to overcome our oil dependency and mitigate one of the largest contributors to global climate change. It is at the beginning of every project that aspects like organization, program, typology, and processes are questioned with the intent to explore better and more appropriate design solutions, fully understanding that everything is relative. There is this habit for designers to gravitate toward predisposed ideas and apply them without ever questioning their intentions. On the other hand, an inquisitive approach has the ability to uniquely develop a quality of architecture that is both stimulating and concerned with the advancement of the profession. We forget that although we are typically designing for a specific client, our biggest client, more often than not, is the general public. Urban architecture gets in-filled into a setting where it is forced to fit among a diverse context of edifices, as well as the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Every urban project has the potentiality to repair or enhance those places in which people spend their day-to-day lives. It is in this setting where its success is not only measured by it response to context, but its ability to interact with the people that support its function. A positive response from the public is key, which requires providing spaces that people want to use and be in. This has led me to believe that a dense city is one that’s healthy, active and sustainable. As my studies continue and culminate in a Masters degree of Architecture I am excited to learn more about the inner workings of the Urban Environment. My infatuation with Light Rail transit has fueled my independent research the last two quarters. My research thus far has examined the planning, design strategies, and implementation of Streetcars in North America. Once complete, my intentions are to present a proposed alignment to the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, my hometown. My research will continue to peak as I seek the answer to my own million-dollar question: What makes a city, healthy, active, and sustainable? Success should not be measured by notoriety, as much as the satisfaction derived from knowing that our innovative designs are capable of alleviating our dependence on nonrenewable energies. These solutions need to function to serve many generations to come. Design aesthetics do not have to be compromised by climactic factors, and should be a visual representation of the harmony between form and function. Thank you for your time and consideration,
Matthew N. Byers