Research Question/Abstract

A Comparative Visual Study of Use of Urban Transport in Seattle and Amsterdam

In the city, urban transport is crucial to infrastructure and viability. People often generalize their environment, and this obscures their ability to notice the detail of their surroundings. In our study we plan to explore the interaction between individuals and the overlooked aspects of their environment, specifically related to public and private transport. How do people interact with these aspects of their environment, and how does it differ between people in Seattle and Amsterdam? We will take photographs of similar urban transport areas or items contained within this setting in both Seattle and Amsterdam. Proposed field sites will include various bus stops, bike racks, parking lots, train stations and tracks, and other related areas. Through analysis of these photos we will note the differences in the subtleties of both cities’ transportation systems. This analysis will be coupled with our observations of people within these environments at different times of day and different days of the week. We will also do an online exploration of photo communities such as flickr and video communities such as YouTube to see what others have noted about urban transport. We will incorporate analysis of these visual medias into our study.

(note: although Mark and I didn't specify it in our abstract, he is going to try to focus a bit more on public transport while I will focus on private transport...we figured it would be more interesting if we weren't doing the exact same thing)