GBH Openvault

WGBH Forum Network; John and Margaret Myer: People and Places

10/17/2006

John and Margaret Myer: People and Places John Myer, former dept head, architecture, MIT Margaret M. Myer, prof emer, psychology, Tufts & Harvard Med John and Margaret Myer offer an explanation of what attracts us to certain places and what makes us comfortable once we arrive. John, an architect and the former head of architecture at MIT and Margaret, a licensed social worker who taught at Harvard, and Tufts Medical Schools, discuss the connections between the fields of architecture and psychology as they present their new book People & Places: Connections Between the Inner and Outer Landscape. The Myers' groundbreaking treatise leaves room for discussion and encourages us to think about how designers and users can work together to create spaces that will nurture and support us in the future. Their book was written for those engaged in making places - urban planners, housewives, architects, politicians, builders, students, or simply those people who want to understand their deep connection to a place or places. The Myers relate the level of comfort that we experience in different places, to our early childhood needs as described by Erik H. Erikson. Through the study of what makes a person, drawing on Erikson's work, the book explores our early and lifelong needs and then relates these needs to places. It shows how places and people are tied together by describing the design process of three different types of places. Finally, it looks to the present state of place making, its precedents from the past, and the rapid cultural changes that leave us without precedents for the postindustrial electronic age. The Myers suggest that, as we look to the future, we need to value the past so we can make harmonious and continuous communities that are places for people in the future.

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Series

WGBH Forum Network

Program

John and Margaret Myer: People and Places

Program Number

3288

Series Description

The WGBH Forum Network is an audio and video streaming Website dedicated to curating and serving live and on-demand lectures given by some of the world's foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policy makers and community leaders. These events are hosted by world-class cultural and educational organizations in the Greater Boston area. Through this online service thousands of interested people across the world partake of these lectures from the comfort of their home or office at any time they choose. We are proud of the role we serve in our community, of protecting and projecting the public voice; and of informing and inspiring that public voice to foster deeper understanding of and civic engagement in important issues.

Program Description

JOHN AND MARGARET MYER: PEOPLE AND PLACES JOHN MYER, FORMER DEPT HEAD, ARCHITECTURE, MIT MARGARET M. MYER, PROF EMER, PSYCHOLOGY, TUFTS & HARVARD MED

JOHN AND MARGARET MYER OFFER AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT ATTRACTS US TO CERTAIN PLACES AND WHAT MAKES US COMFORTABLE ONCE WE ARRIVE. JOHN, AN ARCHITECT AND THE FORMER HEAD OF ARCHITECTURE AT MIT AND MARGARET, A LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER WHO TAUGHT AT HARVARD, AND TUFTS MEDICAL SCHOOLS, DISCUSS THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE FIELDS OF ARCHITECTURE AND PSYCHOLOGY AS THEY PRESENT THEIR NEW BOOK PEOPLE & PLACES: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER LANDSCAPE. THE MYERS' GROUNDBREAKING TREATISE LEAVES ROOM FOR DISCUSSION AND ENCOURAGES US TO THINK ABOUT HOW DESIGNERS AND USERS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE SPACES THAT WILL NURTURE AND SUPPORT US IN THE FUTURE. THEIR BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR THOSE ENGAGED IN MAKING PLACES - URBAN PLANNERS, HOUSEWIVES, ARCHITECTS, POLITICIANS, BUILDERS, STUDENTS, OR SIMPLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO UNDERSTAND THEIR DEEP CONNECTION TO A PLACE OR PLACES.

THE MYERS RELATE THE LEVEL OF COMFORT THAT WE EXPERIENCE IN DIFFERENT PLACES, TO OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD NEEDS AS DESCRIBED BY ERIK H. ERIKSON. THROUGH THE STUDY OF WHAT MAKES A PERSON, DRAWING ON ERIKSON'S WORK, THE BOOK EXPLORES OUR EARLY AND LIFELONG NEEDS AND THEN RELATES THESE NEEDS TO PLACES. IT SHOWS HOW PLACES AND PEOPLE ARE TIED TOGETHER BY DESCRIBING THE DESIGN PROCESS OF THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLACES. FINALLY, IT LOOKS TO THE PRESENT STATE OF PLACE MAKING, ITS PRECEDENTS FROM THE PAST, AND THE RAPID CULTURAL CHANGES THAT LEAVE US WITHOUT PRECEDENTS FOR THE POSTINDUSTRIAL ELECTRONIC AGE. THE MYERS SUGGEST THAT, AS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE, WE NEED TO VALUE THE PAST SO WE CAN MAKE HARMONIOUS AND CONTINUOUS COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PLACES FOR PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE.

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Audio

Genres

Event Coverage

Citation

Chicago: “WGBH Forum Network; John and Margaret Myer: People and Places,” 10/17/2006, GBH Archives, accessed December 3, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_1111CC39DC29481AAA8724E2C4DCB7EE.

MLA: “WGBH Forum Network; John and Margaret Myer: People and Places.” 10/17/2006. GBH Archives. Web. December 3, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_1111CC39DC29481AAA8724E2C4DCB7EE>.

APA: WGBH Forum Network; John and Margaret Myer: People and Places. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_1111CC39DC29481AAA8724E2C4DCB7EE