At a time when the U.S. is divided on so many key issues, the greatest divide might not be any specific political or social issue but where someone lives. Ettore Santi, an assistant professor of architecture and cultures, societies and global studies at Northeastern University, says geography is more important than ever, especially when it comes to urban and rural life. It’s a divide he hopes to address using the tools of his trade––architecture––mostly by recentering urban people and the challenges they face in the conversation around some of the biggest issues facing the country, and world, today.
“This is absolutely essential right now because what we see in politics and what demographic data is telling us is that really the biggest divide in the U.S. is the urban and the rural,” Santi says. “I think we need to factor the geographical component of where you come from to really understand American society right now and how to make it better.”
