Freewrite #6

I started my inquiry by trying to see how certain structures, buildings, and public places help to shape public behavior. This was a very good start for me because it is something that has always fascinated me. Before this class I never put a ‘word’ or idea to this but I had always wondered why something was the way it was. Designers put doors in certain places for certain reasons. To me this is boggoling because they could have potentially done a million other things instead but they ultimately choose this one. It could have been a subconscious decision or one that they spend hours debating but the truth is, it ended up how it did. Once I started reading for this class and learning more I realized this is what I had been doing all along, just without thought. It had become second nature for me to question things.

After this I began to look deeper and learned that I needed to narrow my topic down. After analyzing all my potential options, I realized that Washington, D.C. was the best place to analyze because there is always a lot going on. Most of my potential topic points and ideas were focused within our nations capital. Still this was very broad so I determined to look at the National Mall and its immediate surrounding areas. This land in the heart of Washington, D.C. is one of the most memorable places and has millions of visitors every year. Beginning to look at how this area shapes public behavior is something that really began to fascinate me.

Washington, D.C. is a city with a very rich history that spans multiple centuries. This city is always vibrant and full of life. It is also a city that has been meticulously planned and established. Every new building must be analyzed and investigated before even the first brick can be laid. The city wants to know how it will change its flow and ultimately change the public’s behavior.

Based upon the research that I have done so far I have learned a great deal about the National Mall. I have learned that the National Mall is only a small stretch of land, however it has truly shaped our great nation. I have learned that all of the buildings around the National Mall still follow an original plan. This plan was established by Pierre L’fant back when it was decided to move the Nations Capital to this stretch of land given by Maryland. This new inquiry has changed how I think about this area because I did not know that it still follows this plan. Over the centuries, our government has slightly motified this plan, but they have always stayed true to the orginal designs. This careful planning by the city has keep it beautiful and appealing to everyone.

I still want to learn more about L’fant’s original plan and why he choose this design. I know that he wanted to have the city radiate from one central point and focus out, but why the way that it was. Having the National Mall in the center of the city helps to establish its dominance, but there were probably a lot of other buildings that wanted to go there at the time. I want to look at this and see how the public has changed because of it. I want to look more into the Roman architecture that the city has established and ask why. Many people suspect this because Rome was a very powerful city and thus they want to mimic that style, but how has that helped shape the public’s behavior in the why that it has? It is going to be hard to understand the why, but hopefully I can make very educated assumptions about things.

There are probably a few gaps in my research that are open to potential research but I only can notice a few. I have noticed that most sources do not seem to actually analyze the National Mall, but give more of a history to it. This ultimately leaves a lot open to interpretation by me alone. I am trying to find as much research as I can to back this but this can always potentially be a problem. I have not seemed to find that my research contradicts itself because most people have seemed to take different approached to research or they have not fully analyzed what I am trying to look at.

At this point I am trying to look more into the why and the actual shaping of public behavior. I have become very intrigued by L’fant and the original Washington, D.C. plan and have learned a great deal of history about this cities planning. I hope to use some of this in my research and try to tie this in with the why. Every idea has a reason and I hope to establish why. Tying together past information with present research might also give me a great way of looking at a very historical city.

Thesis:

The National Mall in Washington, D.C. is a great iconic landmark of this nation. Its design has held strong for generations and has helped to shape public behavior in extraordinary ways.

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