RunningAnUrbanCrossSection

Grady Clay, in a set of studies starting in the 1970s, came up with rules for running a transect through a city as part of a field excursion to explore the landscape. He describes these in his chapter in Everyday America: Cultural Landscape Studies After J.B. Jackson (Chris Wilson and Paul Groth, eds., 2003). A précis of these is below:

1. The cross-section route must cover the entire range of the "commutershed".
2. The route must continue in one general direction and not double back on itself.
3. If the route gets boring or repetitive, turn off and explore side spaces.
4. The route must deal with the city center.
5. The route must explore the historic district of the city, asking how it came to be.
6. The route should include the zones where the city's major export goods and services pass from.
7. The route should include at least one dying area.
8. The route should encounter at least one growth area.
9. The route should explore ethnic enclaves, old and new.
10. The route should explore at least one area of the best residential addresses.
11. The route should pursue at least one "main drag".
12. The route should bring its travelers into contact with the major topographic feature of the area.
13. The route should provide an overlooking view of the city, from some high point or building top.
14. The cross-section should be fun.
15. A single trip is never enough.

-- Allan

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This is so interesting and useful. I want to think how to apply it to Chennai and my blog. Thank you! -- Nancy. I don't know if this belongs here -- it's a link to [The Recent Past Preservation Network] - a collection of recent past resources, classified by types of buildings. It's part of a larger website that looks at first glance as if it might have some useful stuff in it.

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