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Exercise 10: Landscape II (Field Research)



On this map I have created a driving route and used polygons to section off plots of land as a focus. I have divided up my investigation into 6 places. The 6 places I have chosen are "Highland Road Homes", "LSU Lake Homes", "Downtown Highland", "The Bottoms", "Garden District", and "Government/Florida Blvd Homes".

Through Lewis's article Axioms I have investigated these places using The Axiom of Landscape as Clue to Culture. Within the Clue to Culture Axiom, I am focusing on The Regional Corollary and the reasons one part of Baton Rouge looks so different from another part of Baton Rouge.

 By examining the Highland Road homes and LSU Lakes homes and comparing them to the "Downtown Highland" and the "Bottoms" there is a striking difference between the homes and style of homes. One of the reasons for this is the old, large plantation homes created off Highland. Many of these homes are historical and have been kept up and remodeled over time. 

 The LSU lake homes are very expensive, desired homes based off their location and curb appeal. People with a high class economic standing buy these homes and remodel them to have extravagant features that can be seen from many angles due to the lake view. 

 Downtown Highland and the Bottoms are sectioned off due to the physical features of the land. The name the "Bottoms" comes from where the land physically dips off and forms almost a bowl. This part of town was prone to flooding, so many people with the economic means to build a home on higher land took the opportunity. This left many people of a lower socio-economic standing to build homes in this area, and rebuild in times of natural disasters. A connection to the axiom of Environmental Control can be drawn here since the environment has a large impact on the makeup of this landscape.

 Homes in the Garden District are very popular for families. It is a heavily desired location so many people are willing to pay a little more for smaller homes. It goes back to a movement of wanting kids to run around and play in front yards, and have local restaurants and coffee shops. 

 Florida Blvd homes are another middle ground. This area of town typically does not attract upper middle or higher income people to live. There is not a lot of upscale businesses or unique features to this part of town, so these homes are often marketed and targeted at a lower price range. 

 By examining these facts and using the axiom of Landscape as a Clue to Culture and The Regional Corollary, the different looks of certain parts of Baton Rouge are expressed. The Regional Corollary states that if some parts look substantially different,, that chances are the culture of the two places is different as well. The culture between upper class and lower class incomes in Baton Rouge is growing over time. With  more development in the Baton Rouge area, more niche restaurants and shops, and more high-end boutiques and activities, the cultural divide between people in Baton Rouge has continued to increase.

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