May 7, 2025

Brigitte Stepanov

Walking as Methodology

I have been thinking of walking as a kind of methodology. Walking slows us down enough to notice what faster modes of transit might not allow us to see. Walking is a way of being in the world, letting us attentively observe what surrounds us - a community garden tucked between two lots, the civil rights history embedded in a mural, or complex ecosystems gleaned, in small part, from a patch of lichen or an epiphytic flowering plant (Tillandsia usneoides, aka Spanish moss, is but one example!)

In the context of ETL, we aim to observe the contradictions that surround us in the cities of Atlanta and Metz through walking and being-in-space (while studying other cities as referents and points of comparison for design, accessibility, and philosophies of motion, time, and environment). Many of the site visits during the SLS program, for instance, are done on foot, with busing and biking used for longer distances. I am hoping to incorporate experiential learning at GT's Atlanta campus, too.

Walking, moreover, is rarely linear, and pedagogically mirrors "spiral learning." The principles of "spiral learning" rest on revisiting concepts, adding depth and complexity with each stop. Walking from site to site, returning to sites or passing by them regularly can generate the literal movements of spiral (and non-linear) learning. My thoughts on walking (and public transit) and pedagogy have taken the shape of "Take it down a notch," an initiative that hopes to rethink not just transportation, but how humans move through space and interact with their surroundings (which includes thinking about mobility justice as well).  

In my own research and creative practice, I am interested in understanding how we move through space (with what pace, rhythm, and affect). Walking with attention is a way of holding contradictions of speed and slowness or delay, of intensity and moderation, of solitude and community. Walking alone and with intention, for instance, can create space for deep thinking (always welcome in the energy and environmental humanities!) or, in a group, can foster connections among participants and between the group and the surrounding environment - an equally welcome and valuable method for meaning-making and worldmaking.