II.

Highways: The Dichotomy of the Technocene





Ellen Ma
Carolina Noguera
Polly Ren



The story of the Technocene is a story of dichotomies, the dichotomy between the built-up environment and the surrounding nature, between rich and poor communities, and between the hustle and bustle of the urban systems and the peace and serenity of protected wilderness. We focus on highways and nearby impaired waters to show this dichotomy in the Technocene, as these highways serve as the foundation of the Technocene.


They enable people, goods, and services to travel across state borders. They enable technology to flourish and economies to expand. At the same time, these highways serve as avenues for pollution to spread and for inequalities to exacerbate. As our project explores the relationship between the highways and the nearby 3/4 Coast, it becomes evident that they epitomise the complex dualities that are intrinsically linked to the Technocene.

Visit the project website for more...





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INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL SPATIAL MEDIA / CEGU 23517 / ENST 23517 / ARCH 23517 / DIGS 23517 / ARTV 20665 / MAAD 13517 | WINTER 2024

INSTRUCTORS: Alexander Arroyo, Grga Bašić, Sol Kim

URBAN THEORY LAB   |   COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY, AND URBANIZATION   |    UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO