How is a class about sexuality and gender, or more specifically on Queerness, particularly useful to thinking through different aspects of space (space at any scale, space today and in the future)?
HSD: When we think of “Queer space,” it is usually associated with one’s sexual orientation and identity. However, the very core of a “queerness” is actually a space devoid of any judgment, where the notions of normalization and categorization are non-existent, where identity is unique but not differentiating. In a sense, when we strip off all the “labels” we put on people, their gender, their race, their sexual orientation, their class, etc., what we are left with is just “the individual,” who is “queer” or “strange” in a wondrous manner. In this class, we are trying to discuss and identify such spaces where individuals are not judged, where they are free to be whoever they want to be.
MLR: Gender and sexuality are lenses that we can use to analyze and assess space, both for planning it and for understanding its existence. Part of what constitutes placemaking is imbuing a landscape with an identity, so using such lenses allows us to better understand the people that have made that space what it is, both formally and informally.
What inspired you to propose a class on the topic of Queer spaces and Queering spaces?
MLR: During the summer of 2020, as the nation was grappling with the institutions of racism that still persist in this country and across the globe, AAP began discussing what our place would be in advancing diversity and inclusion within our own college. Clearly, the primary goal was to tackle instances of racism and inequity, but little seemed to be happening with regard to LGBT+ issues. I brought this concern to my department chair — Jeff Chusid — and he recommended that we think about starting a class of some sort concerning our role as planners with regard to LGBT+ issues — as he himself had done as a student at UC Berkeley in the 70’s. We then sent out invites to all of AAP to discuss what such a class would look like, which led us to form this deeply interdisciplinary approach to understanding where all three of our disciplines intersect: the planning and designing of space.
HSD: Yes, and we also got a taste of queer theory in our first semester, which also created within me a curiosity to know more about this topic and how as a planner, I can incorporate elements of Architecture, Art, and Planning into “queering” space.
Why is it important that it is interdisciplinary?
MLR: I think the interdisciplinary approach allows us to view space in ways that we usually wouldn’t do within our own disciplines. As planners, we bring a sense of analysis that might pertain to design but likely has a political/policy orientation as well. For artists and architects, they bring an entirely different approach to space, as their concerns deal with the physical structure of space and its aesthetics. By coming at it from these different perspectives, we can fill in each others’ gaps of understanding of spaces by providing our own analytical tools to the discourse.
HSD: Matt has said it very nicely. I would add that queer space actually goes even beyond the three disciplines of architecture, art, and planning (as we are discussing in our class) to incorporate themes of sociology, capitalism, religion, law, etc. Queerness lies within all of us and so within all the disciplines that we study, and hence it is important to understand it in our lives and in things we are passionate about.
Who are some of the people leading this discussion beyond AAP that you’re interested in learning about or seeing integrated into discourses on space?
MLR: We are lucky to be conducting this class at a time where barriers are diminished through the applicability of Zoom meetings, considering that such thinkers operate in every corner of the world. For instance, during our second week, we were visited by Jeremy Atherton Lin, the author of Gay Bar: Why We Went Out (2021). The way he writes about queer spaces is beautifully crafted and imbued with a level of detail that truly transports the reader into the places he describes in his book. We will also be bringing in the Indian-Canadian photographer Sunil Gupta to discuss how the idea of queer spaces interacts with experiences of various diasporas, which will provide another approach to understanding intersectionality within such spaces as well.
HSD: I agree with Matt, we have a very interesting list of guest speakers, and they bring forth some very diverse views to our class.
What is most exciting about the class (its format, topic, reading list, etc.)?
HSD: For me personally, and something I am looking forward to very eagerly, is the final project for the class. We are free to choose whatever interests us and incorporate our learnings from the class. I will be proposing a visionary plan to “queer” a central plaza in my hometown, Chandigarh. In every lecture, I note new things I will be using for my project, and it is super exciting for me!
MLR: I genuinely think that the most exciting part of this class is how interdisciplinary it is. In my own work, I mostly deal with issues of policy within urban planning, so to be able to understand queer spaces through the eyes of architects and artists is a very new experience for me. Moreover, I think that the other students in art and architecture will also appreciate being able to understand how planners approach these topics as well.
Matthew Reyes (M.R.P ’21) is a second-year student in the Department of City and Regional Planning. His research focuses on planning during peacebuilding, international development, and LGBT+ movements in the Global South.
Harman Singh Dhodi (M.R.P ’21) is a second-year student in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University. His interests revolve around planning for infrastructure systems, their environmental impacts, and resulting social influences.
By Edith Fikes