Non-cities – Urban Utopias

Posted on June 6, 2020June 5, 2020 by Tommy O'Donnell

Visible Yet Unverifiable: The Panopticon

A section plan of an "inspection house," a circular building with 6 floors of cells along the outer edge and a central tower lit by a skylight.

Surveillance pervades modern society. From CCTV cameras to cellphones to digital tracking, it can be impossible to tell whether someone is watching. This monitoring almost certainly affects our behavior, and theories about exactly how it does have a long history, tracing back to a model of the ideal prison: the Panopticon. Read more

Posted on February 15, 2019March 12, 2019 by Tommy O'Donnell

Henry Ford’s Museum Town: Greenfield Village

The two plaques at the entrance to Greenfield. The top one reads, "In 1929, Henry Ford created Greenfield Village. Guided by the philosophy of 'learning by doing,' Ford not only paid tribute to his friend and hero, Thomas Edison, but also gave Americans a chance to experience history firsthand. His vision was realized by relocating and preserving an unrivaled collection of authentic historic buildings into an American village. "Today, Greenfield Village embodies the spirit of Henry Ford's bold vision. Farmers, artisans, inventors, writers, shopkeepers and railroad workers carry our their daily tasks throughout this changing landscape. The energy is unmistakeable as their powerful and inspiring stories bring 300 years of the American experience to life every day." The second reads, "Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. 1982. National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior."

As mentioned in my previous Henry Ford post, Henry Ford’s failures in Alabama were not the end to his development aspirations. Around the same time Ford was attempting to remake Muscle Shoals for the future, he was preparing to bring the past to Dearborn, Michigan. Read more