Rural Retreat / Urban Myth

By Meredith Coccoluto

Celeste’s project focused on understanding the changing landscape of camping vacations. No longer are these for the nuclear family loading the station wagon with tent, sleeping bags, camping gear, and miscellaneous R.E.I. accessories – but she looks at a younger, less established camper.

Celeste focuses on New York City’s Plum Island park as an ideal location for camping excursions for young urbanites from the city to go. As the park is pending for sale by the government, use of the land as a campground would allow for rumination on the contemporary definition of “urban” as a condition that occurs even in settings once romanticized as “wilderness.”

She loved getting to explore interests she had developed over her years at Syracuse under the steady guidance of her advisor, Professor Sekou Cooke, who’s guidance gave her the “freedom to make her own decisions on the project, but has also been a source of reassurance and support.”

Here is her advice:

The biggest challenge is that it really is a personal exploration. The goals and means of reaching those goals is all up to you. It has helped to have the support of friendly, conversational faces in the Honors Suite and of my reader and advisor in the School of Architecture, but ultimately the big decisions in this whole project are solely my responsibility.