weekly discussion #13, (anth 101, class)

Pick one of the following problems and explain how you think anthropology could contribute to finding a solution:

- Unequal access to health care and pandemic threats

- Education of diverse students in public schools

- Mediating religious conflict

- Planning and designing cities and public transportation

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I feel that anthropology can (and needs to) contribute greatly to the planning and designing of cities and public transportation. In order for cities to operate in a functional way the people of said cities and the persons using the public transportation need to be taken into account.

Anthropologists can play a crucial role in understanding cultures and the people of those cultures and how they interact with the cities and environments they live in. Planning a city or a new route of public transportation requires an understanding of people that I don't think is as well understood as it could be or should be.

Too often all that seems to be taken into account is the politicians and their budget desires and whims and not enough the needs and cares of the people who have to live in those cities the politicians decide to form as they wish.

These decisions, made solely on the part of the politicians and governments, results in lack of transportation or inadequate housing availability for those who may need the support of their local governments and politicians to make it.

Anthropology is about studying people and culture, and an anthropological stand-point and view on the cultural and city/transportation needs and problems would be crucial and key to understanding how to help the culture and people. An anthropological stand would help shift the outlook from a political view to hopefully to a more people-oriented one.

Surely the government will always be the government, and politicians will always have their biases and slants, but I am still hopeful that more involvement from anthropologists would help lessen the impact of agendas.