Since the bombing on Marathon Monday, I have been struck by the strength of the people of this city that I call home. The tragedy seems to have fortified everyone’s love for this city, it’s people and the community, as well it should. This is a great place to live and an even better place to call home.
It has caused me to wonder even more why people call a place home. What is it that speaks to an individual about a place, be it a city or a town that makes them “settle in” as it were. Why do people get such a sense of comfort from a place and their surroundings? Maybe it has to do with what they have heard about a particular community, but is that the only thing? Is home only where the heart is….
For some, where they land, has little to do with it being home. They may be here or there for their education, work experience, etc., knowing that this is just a stopping point in their lives and they will move on, but for countless others there is something that sticks and causes them to “grow roots” here. I feel that everyplace someone lives, even for a short time, has something physical about it that makes one choose it as part of their journey in life. I grew up in Connecticut, but I haven’t, for a long time, identified that place as my home. It was a great place while I was there and will always be part of my history and where my most of my family lives, but it was only part of my journey in life. Boston is my home.
Many people settle in the same area in which they grew up, but I question whether it is just their family or the familiarity of their surroundings that has kept them there… is it something about the architectural character that has settled into their minds? Does this also give them comfort and fortify in their identity?
I found an article in The Atlantic, written by Julie Beck called “The Psychology of Home: Why Where You Live Means So Much” in the article she references Susan Clayton, an Environmental Psychologist at the College of Wooster, who, among other things, speaks about how where one lives is part of their self-definition, their public face and extension of themselves. Also in the article Ms. Beck references a conversation, which she had with William S. Sax, who wrote about South Asian communities in one of his books. What she learned from this is that “a home is not just where you are but who you are” and that most westerners believe that “your psychology, and your consciousness and your subjectivity don’t really depend on the place where you live,” Sax says. “They come from inside — from inside your brain, or inside your soul or inside your personality.” I feel that there may be more at play inside one’s brain and soul when making a choice about where to call home. I feel that there is also a visceral reaction to one’s environment.
I have often wondered how much of the architectural detail or planning of a city or environment affects our opinion and decision making for where we choose to call home. Is it the scale of the neighborhoods, the style of the homes and buildings, the height of buildings, the street level experience, the building cornice and how it meets the sky or the building materials themselves, which also have a strong influence on people’s decisions. In addition to good schools and local conveniences, is this what also makes people choose their places to live, work and settle down. I feel it may very well be many of those architectural elements of a place that settle into one’s subconscious, makes them happy, eases their souls, gives them comfort or reminds them of something in their personal history. I also feel it is part of what eventually develops one’s sense of community within. I think that, when asked the question “where do you call home” the architectural character of a place is seldom part of the response because it is an inner feeling about one’s environment and is hard to put into a “sound bite” type of answer, but it is there as part of one’s story none the less.
For me the architecture of a place, it’s details and it’s scale, has a lot to do with how it resonates with me, but I am handicapped in a way, as I am an architect by profession and the analysis of the built environment rarely get’s shut off and is more often at the forefront of my brain. It forms my opinions even when I travel as I try to picture myself living in a foreign city or country. I always question what is it exactly about Boston that makes me feel so at ease. To me it is more than just the people I have grown to love or the community I am a part of. For me it is the character of the brownstones, their rhythm and their asymmetrical repetition, where at first glance they look alike but upon further study their details make them unique. It is the way the afternoon sun warms the brick facades to give them a comforting glow. It is the blend of historical architecture and modern architecture as a testament to an ever-evolving environment. I wonder if others even realize that the architecture or planning of a place or city is having a profound effect on their decision-making, their feeling of ease or their sense of comfort and community. The challenge is to bring those influences about one’s physical surroundings to the forefront of their thinking to make it part of the conversation. This can only lead to everyone being engaged in the development of a stronger environment, community and sense of home.
Boston has endured a tragedy, which has had an affect on all of us, we will endure, change and grow stronger from this, like the ever-changing city we all call home.
-Tom
