In the article “This Detroit House is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design”, Peters (2016) illustrates how a group of three architecture graduates, through their project ‘“Motown Movement”’, aim to share the techniques of constructing a “sustainable” house. The locals had already implement some forms of eco-friendly practices but still lack in knowledge of modifying their houses in a more cost-efficient way. Therefore, the students constructed a house and converted it into a "training centre" to educate the public on energy efficient methods such as a "septic tank". A “do-it-yourself” approach is adopted and materials used are available at various local supply stores. They aim for the project to be applicable across different global climates and to increase awareness of this movement. In my opinion, the students should come up with a less aggressive approach when introducing drastic changes into the community of making Detroit environmentally friendly.
The first reason that makes the students approach too aggressive is because not many people would be open to such drastic changes. People in general would have a difficult time having to do something that they are not normally used to do. Yes, I do agree on the students’ eco-friendly techniques to make the houses in the community more energy efficient. However, they should focus more on how they can get the people of Detroit to ‘buy’ their idea. There are different forms of communication methods which can affect different groups of people. It is mentioned that having the proper means of communication empowers the speaker to convey uneasy subjects without any conflict in interests (Robinson, Segal & Smith, 2016). It is also important that one has to pay attention how the target audience process the information and whether the intended effect has been achieved (Moser, 2009). Subsequently, with a proper approach this may allow the locals to have less possibility of reluctance to change and a greater appreciation for the purpose of “Motown Movement”.
When conducting such talks or hands-on workshops, the students can introduce and elaborate on the various ways to achieve an ecological environment. This can give locals a bigger picture on how sustainability is important and how it can benefit themselves in the long run. It is mentioned that there are many examples of renewable energy source such as solar energy in a solar cell generation or even wind power to turbines producing electricity (Marquit, 2009). This teaches the people of Detroit there are indeed other possible ways of achieving sustainability besides the techniques that the students aim to introduce. However, the methods to be displayed in the “training centre” are more applicable to the locals in achieving sustainability more cost-efficiently. On top of that, techniques that are displayed in the model house are achieved through the use of a “do-it-yourself” approach as the materials that the students used are readily available in the local supply stores. Again, this will emphasize on the purpose of “Motown Movement”.
Having better communication approach will make the people of Detroit more accepting and understanding the importance and benefits of achieving a sustainable house at a more cost-efficient way. The training facility will then be more welcoming for the community to visit and be better educated on other techniques that the students have to offer. In the long run, the students can keep updating more techniques that the community will be very interested to imitate such a relatable sustainable model. I believe by doing so, they will be able to achieve their aim of being able to put to application and educate other regions of the world in the long run.
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