Landmark issue 2

Geography field trips

By Ewan Livingston

In spring 2007 a group of nineteen students, accompanied by Dr Mia Gray and Dr Molly Warrington, travelled to Berlin for five days.

Travelling to our hotel on the first night, bitter cold and communist high-rise flats as far as the eye could see made our first impression of the city more akin to Moscow. However three days of group research followed by two days of personal projects and investigation revealed a vibrant, varied and, perhaps most strikingly, dynamic city.

Staying in the old East Berlin gave a valuable insight into the urban form of communism. After the reunification of West and East, Berlin expected a mass influx of people into the city – an influx that never really materialised. As a result, vast areas of the East appeared as ghost-town, sparsely populated and sprawling. The streets seemed empty and eerily quiet. However a short tram ride away were vibrant, thriving communities. Indeed there are areas of the East that would not seem out of place in any Western European city, and likewise areas of the West that felt more Soviet than anything else. Mass urban redevelopment is slowly but surely changing the already varied landscape of Berlin. For example, investigation into the use of ‘temporary spaces’ for a variety of purposes revealed both the abundance of available land in the city, and the determination of its citizens to make it a better place to live.

Any investigation into contemporary Berlin requires, however, an appreciation of its history. Amongst other things, we visited the Holocaust Memorial, Check-Point Charlie, and were constantly reminded of a more divided past by the remnants of the Berlin Wall that scatter the city. In the final few days of the trip, students carried out individual research into any area of their choosing. The choices made were, unsurprisingly, varied, ranging from investigations into the views of Berliners about the appropriateness of retaining parts of the Berlin Wall, to the use of street art in the city.

Berlin was only introduced as a field trip option this year, but it will be happening again. The popularity of the trip was self-evident, and the variety of areas investigated made for an interesting and stimulating five days, thoroughly enjoyed by all the students involved (and I assume the staff too!) Perhaps this popularity can best be summed up by recalling the constant talking on the first couple of days about the other trips to more exotic locations (particularly when we were outside in sub-zero temperatures). This talk subsided however as the trip progressed, and by the end the topic was barely mentioned.

Thanks must go to Dr Mia Gray and Dr Molly Warrington for organising and running an excellent field trip, one which future students will hopefully enjoy for years to come.