http:\/\/youtu.be\/hooal480lAk<\/p>\n
When looking at the landscape of Waterville, it is quite clear that the city is built around Colby College. This fact is visible in a few ways, but is most clearly accessible in what I have termed \u201cThe Prospective Student\u2019s Path.\u201d Quite simply, this is the well-traveled route which brings travelers and prospective students from the highway, I-95, to Colby. A few subtle messages about the city can be deciphered from the close study of this path and the surrounding landscape. This popular route from the highway to Colby is evidence that the city\u2019s economic well-being is centered around the business that students and their families bring to Waterville. From the landscape, one finds that the path to Colby College is laden with messages about the stressed relationship between the Colby \u201cbubble\u201d and the rest of Waterville.<\/p>\n
Located right after Thayer hospital on North Street, I stumble upon the most obvious of all boundaries on the prospective student\u2019s path. Here, the buildings disappear, the chain stores are nowhere to be found, and I cross a bridge, quite literally and figuratively. This is the location where landscape dramatically changes between the school and the city. Things suddenly become rural, the road smoothes out, and I start driving uphill. The only reminder that you are still in Waterville is an old railroad bridge at the base of the hill that is rusted over and crumbling on the sides. It may be old and in need of repair, but even this bridge has a bit of charm. It reminds me that we are indeed still in Maine, but the \u201cgood old\u201d kind of Maine that pleases wealthy tourists from out of state. The bridge over the river, the green trees lining the road, and the old railroad bridge provide a rustic scene that is quintessential Maine. After all, isn\u2019t that what visitors are looking for? Students and parents want a well-kept, private college in a picture perfect winter setting; they don\u2019t want reminders of a failing local budget and a city that is slowly slipping into disrepair.<\/p>\n
The wealth expressed through the scenic buildings on campus, the commercial zone greeting travelers off the highway, and the roads and residential homes left in disrepair are all in tension with one another. The commercial district relies on the college and the residential zones are completely disregarded and tucked away. The city\u2019s different zones create a confusing dynamic, but the prospective student\u2019s path is, overall, a pleasant trip, carefully presented and developed for its intended viewer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/youtu.be\/hooal480lAk When looking at the landscape of Waterville, it is quite clear that the city is built around Colby College. This fact is visible in a few ways, but is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2867,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77340,73322,71579,77343],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2867"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":498,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions\/498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/built-environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}