READINGS

Beatriz Colomina, “The Lawn at War: 1941-1961,” in The American Lawn, ed. Georges Teyssot (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999). Link to book. 

Diane Harris, “Where was Jim Crow? Living in Frank Lloyd Wright’s America,” in Segregation and Resistance in the Landscapes of the Americas, eds. Eric Avila and Thaisa Way, (Harvard University Press, 2023). Link to book. 

Karen Tongson, “Queer Suburban Imaginaries with Karen Tongson” Interview in The Funambulist 02 Suburban Geographies (2015). Link to interview.

PROMPT

This week’s readings describe the often contradictory and ambiguous position of the lawn in American culture—as a symbol of the American Dream, a therapy for and metaphor of war, a landscape representative of exclusionary and segregated housing practices, and an incubator for queer and other countercultural practices. Drawing from multiple authors, extrapolate on these discussions of lawns and their meanings. Then, provide your own reflection: What relationship do you have to suburbs and lawns, and how does this inform your design thinking?