2. Inventing a project idea
• We need to look at which sites are worth pursuing in civic
contexts (areas/locations/people)
• We need to look at what concepts/inquiries related to
place are worth pursuing in the sites and in SLC generally
(angles)
• We need to look at how to manage our study of sites and
concepts (scale/scope)
3. Q1: What specific area/site would be interesting
to write about for a critical audience of engaged
citizens?
4. Q2: What concepts of place have we identified and
which are worth pursuing in SLC?
• “Noticed a revitalization project . . . [which] made us think about the
relationship between revitalization and the larger socio-
cultural phenomenon of gentrification”
• “Marmalade is known as SLC’s ‘gayborhood,’ but we were left
wondering about the future of this status, as we discovered that the
Utah Pride Center was one of the organizations that recently left the
area.”
• How do the contradictions between old and new in Marmalade
generate a sense of this place for current residents of the
neighborhood or of the greater SLC area?
• What would a historical investigation of the Marmalade district
reveal about the evolution it has undergone and how change has
affected who resides in, moves through, or “owns” the
neighborhood?
5. Q3: How far and wide should the project reach?
Should it cover a lot of ground or a single building?
Should it be far-reaching in terms of audience and
geographical location or not?
6. Group Activity (10-15 min):
• In your groups from last week, use your walking
tour narrative to imagine a tangible project idea that
you could research this semester. Answer the three
invention questions we just discussed to guide your
idea.
Editor's Notes
Note here how we’ve addressed invention so far: inquiry-driven explorations of place. Asking questions. We need to focus more readily now on creating specific research projects we can pursue this semester
To discover and define our projects and inquiries, we should move forward as follows. I want to talk about these three issues of project invention in a moment but I want you first to quickly review my sample post on Marmalade district. Go there and skim through the post I wrote.
What site and what about it makes it particularly interesting for a critical audience?
Marmalade: On the cusp of change with new things coming.
What do you sacrifice when you take on more sites? When you narrow your study to one?
Whole Class discussion follows group activity. Students should focus on the concepts of place classmates have uncovered and consider whether or not these concepts might transfer to their own developing project ideas.
TRANSITION to introducing THE PROJECT PITCH
