Just a short note regarding the group project, which from what I understand will be quite a massive undertaking, likely to require late nights in our "group room" and potentially to strain personal relationships (though they say we can mitigate this risk by developing a "group contract" to establish mutual expectations).
I've got a group, and a topic! Last week we had a few rounds of attempted group making, with the goal being to form 5 groups of 5 people each, each with a topic of interest to the involved group members. I've never done a group "assignment" this way, where it is more or less the whole class standing around a room with a list of topics, trying to figure out how to make it work. We had some facilitation from our program director, and in the end I think things came out really well. I'm in a group with 4 other people, a german girl, czech girl, french guy, and danish guy, all of whom seem very capable and interesting. Our topic area is roughly "bicycling and copenhagen". From here we need to "clearly define the question" (thanks branden!) and identify some specific research questions for further study.
I think a lot has been written on the physical infrastructure, so it wouldn't be too interesting to catalogue these interventions (cycle track, sidewalk markings, etc). However it could be interesting to pick a comparable city that has struggled to increase cycling, and propose a strategic approach based on the success of cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Or it could be interesting to look at some of the more social aspects - is there a relationship between cycling and safety, or vibrancy? I'm hoping this will require some field work, i.e. trips to Copenhagen and/or Amsterdam :)
Any suggestions?
I've got a group, and a topic! Last week we had a few rounds of attempted group making, with the goal being to form 5 groups of 5 people each, each with a topic of interest to the involved group members. I've never done a group "assignment" this way, where it is more or less the whole class standing around a room with a list of topics, trying to figure out how to make it work. We had some facilitation from our program director, and in the end I think things came out really well. I'm in a group with 4 other people, a german girl, czech girl, french guy, and danish guy, all of whom seem very capable and interesting. Our topic area is roughly "bicycling and copenhagen". From here we need to "clearly define the question" (thanks branden!) and identify some specific research questions for further study.
I think a lot has been written on the physical infrastructure, so it wouldn't be too interesting to catalogue these interventions (cycle track, sidewalk markings, etc). However it could be interesting to pick a comparable city that has struggled to increase cycling, and propose a strategic approach based on the success of cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Or it could be interesting to look at some of the more social aspects - is there a relationship between cycling and safety, or vibrancy? I'm hoping this will require some field work, i.e. trips to Copenhagen and/or Amsterdam :)
Any suggestions?
Come to Groningen! The infrastructure is fascinating here--better than Amsterdam, I think, in my limited experience with it. Plus, then you could buy cheap flowers to bring back with you and have a beer with me and Michael. :)
ReplyDeleteReally. It would be easy to study. Just set up a camera at two intersections and compare the behavior relative to the intersection design. And you can buy a roundtrip ticket to Amsterdam for 13 euros if you travel in a day on the weekend.
ReplyDelete