Boston: A public melting pot of intellectuality
To this day, I can vividly remember the initial shock I felt holding my grandmother’s hand and curiously walking up the marble steps of the Boston Public Library at just the age of eight. Peering out, I saw clusters of people from all walks of life conversing and admiring the blazing greenery and grand roman architecture. As I was gazing at the refined statues and colossal works of art enrobing the many rows of books, articles, and archives, one question was repeatedly buzzing in my head: how is this intellectual experience free to the public?
The Boston Public Library is just a small example of the inclusive public spaces that make Boston a hub of rich history and intellectual inclusivity. Though it is surrounded by numerous private universities, the ideas and innovations produced within the membrane of the North End all the way to Fenway are evidently disclosed to the public. The diversity of not only Boston’s provinces, but also inhabitants that inhabit the public spaces are what makes the city abstain from a polished and intelligent characterization.
Even just as a child, I have some of the most astonishing memories of speaking with other children on the playground and witnessing events that insinuate civic discussion and action event as children: whether that be a girl breaking her arm, or a little boy and his father watching their car get towed from illegal parking. I even remember a young boy I met trying to convince me that the tunnel he was digging in the sandbox would lead all the way to China (I was and still am very skeptical of this).
Though anecdotal in nature, these small instances of public discourse facilitated in Boston’s numerous public spaces are part of a much larger picture of what makes Boston so special. From the Quabbin Reservoir to the greenery in Harvard Square, Boston uniquely fosters diversity through its inclusivity in spaces intentionally and unintentionally. What truly inspires me is the multifaceted fields of work and study that explode through the different boroughs. I will never forget the way in which the ballet dancers in the Berkeley School of Dance’s (public) Production of The Nutcracker practically pulled me on stage with them. Their public display of passion, discipline, and commitment for their art drew me right in, and I have been practicing ballet ever since. From murals, to sports, to street performances, my microscopic experience of undevoted inspiration in a large city explodes on much larger scales through Boston’s ability to let the public see the talent it produces.
Living in Ithaca and being a student at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, I am often critical of the lack of public display of art and knowledge that Cornell displays in accordance with the rest of Ithaca. Though there are some patches of greenery that align specific academic quads, it is nowhere near as integrated into the greater Ithaca community as a local strolling through Harvard Square. Feeling almost as if I am an encaged zoo animal with occasional spectators, I often wish that I could leave my courses of study and interact with residents from all diverse backgrounds and walks of life as opposed to just funneled students.
That is why Boston not only encapsulates the place where I grew up, but additionally the place that raised me and my values of curiosity and inclusivity. Bringing world renowned students that are pursuing excellence in differentiated courses of study and integrating them with residents that inhabit the same city represents the beauty of the urban built environment. In my courses of study in City and Regional Planning, I plan to use my childhood in Boston as inspiration to rezone and plan cities to foster not just innovation, but public innovation to meld all different perspectives and backgrounds.
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