My Dear family,
How are you? I hope everything is well on your side. I started my first semester as a Ph.D. student in the Landscape architecture department at Virginia Tech University in January, and I am excited for the journey ahead. Yes, it was a difficult start, because I was trying to adapt to the new environment and the changing situation and still am, but I am adapting fast and getting help from friends I have met recently here in Blacksburg.
I promised to keep you updated about my time in Blacksburg and thought to share with you the work I do here at the university. I have met with my advisor recently and we have discussed possible ideas and topics that I will be working on during the coming years. However, it turns out that the subject that I had planned to research is not applicable due to the lack of resources and Data available. The effort needed to just obtain the Raw data for the research will take too much time, according to my advisor, as I was planning to do something related to Jordan.
During this semester, I tried to take as many beneficial courses as I could to put me on the right path. Each class requires a lot of readings and writing assignments. I then realized that I need to strengthen my skills for such demands, which does not leave me enough time to think of the project or what I need to provide for it. Other courses need weekly assignments and readings where you must present it to the students as a way of establishing an understanding of the data you have read. It adds a lot of pressure on me, but I have managed to survive each week until this moment. I am sure you are aware of the pandemic case of the Corona virus. the whole nation is on quarantine now and they have changed all classes to the online format. unfortunately, as you know, Jordan is not familiar with such action, so it is a scary situation for me now. However, here at the university, they are familiar with it and we are waiting for the spring break to end and resume our semester virtually online. It is a new challenge added to what I need to deal with as you already know that I am a people person and I need to be surrounded by family and friends. Thus, I need to figure it out and work upon it. I am optimistic about the work that I want to start with, and I will be soon proposing it via the internet to my advisor this Friday, to see what their opinion about it and if it is applicable or not.
The main purpose of this letter is to share with you the work I am planning to do for my research. I work in the field of landscape architecture, specifically cultural landscape, trying to map all the cultural sites in the area of interest. Why do we do that? Due to its heritage importance to the people and the public realm. The tricky part is to identify the sites that could be categorized as cultural heritage sites, as it might have tangible and intangible features to identify it such as history, a trace of memory, or already have an archaeological element within its boundaries.
What is also important to know is that these sites are as important as parks or plazas as it preserves it from neglect or destruction. One example that might be familiar to us both, the old factory site in Fuhais city or the phosphate mines sites in Rusaifeh city, those are considered as important cultural sites that should be maintained and preserved due to its importance to Jordan’s history and its culture. These are indicators of the first industry establishment in Jordan. These sites now are left out and neglected, with no policies or strategies from the authorities for its transformation. These cultural sites should be well-designed to promote the right for everyone to access.
For this proposed project, I will be using several tools and steps to map these sites and claim its importance into the urban content. first, we do site visits to evaluate the existing situation of the proposed site; then we do a preliminary survey with people living around it to get more data. After that, we design a strategy of mapping the physical features of the site where we use a site surveyor tool called the one-point cloud 3d model as it captures the elements with its location coordinates. Each point has information with x, y and z levels to end up with a topographical model showing the existing site with all of its elements trying to analyze the site accordingly. The trick is to map the people's stories with this model, the history, the heritage and the importance of this site to bring the best application for it in terms of the cultural landscape design.
To come up with guidelines or strategies for identifying future cultural sites and preserve it as a cultural landscape.
I have already done one mapping for a site in Jordan, and we have published a paper describing the process, the site and the proposed design for the area. furthermore, we have promoted a concept for a geo-park that is new to the landscape but familiar in other fields. It is mainly a park that is accessible to the people where they have museums and exhibitions that are held in existing buildings within the site as an adaptive reuse for it. an exhibition was added with elements about the geo-heritage and the culture of the site. But the major thing is addressing the right for free access to these sites to prevent the misuse by the people or investors and even the decision-makers to transform it for new functions that don’t complement its importance.
I am still not clear about what the final topic or the title is. I need to read a lot to have a comprehensive idea with the proper base. Our profession is harder than others, as we work to come up with a philosophy and a theory for any topic. We don’t have experiments or tests to do rather than an opinion or observation to solve or an issue to discus and add to the literature of architecture. I believe after some time things will be clearer and I can be more confident about the research and the project I will be working on. For now, I am content with what I have explained to you and looking forward to your response. I will be sending you letters more often once I start on my research. Please send my greetings to the family and see you soon.
Your beloved
Kawthar Alrayyan