Urban Pilgrimage in the Modern Desert

Seven dedicated field studies used walking, photography, route documentation and observation. The September résumé records 132 miles of street walking. Observations extended across Cincinnati neighborhoods and into Newport and Bellevue.

Physical proximity did not always mean meaningful access. Hills, heat, crossings and gaps in the walking network could make a nearby destination difficult to reach. Conversely, a legible grid and landmarks could make a place easier to navigate.

Walking also challenged assumptions about neighborhoods. Historic buildings, active streets, inequality, vacant land and new investment could coexist in ways that resisted a simple story of decline or revival.

These are field observations and developing interpretations, not a representative social survey. They inform the thesis’s questions about arrival, dignity and neighborhood connection. No change in neighborhood conditions is attributed to the research.

Mapping and synthesis continue during the academic year. The accompanying Sorin Fellows reflection describes the summer’s observations and their significance for the thesis; it is a reflection, not the final research synthesis.