My research began with a very broad look at literature that discusses sense of place, community, and environment as a way of ensuring that my project indeed had environmental significance.  Once I was convinced that the “architecture of community” was something of interest and worth pursuing I realized that as a biology and environmental studies major, I had little understanding of the subject matter of Architecture.  This lack of familiarity created the need for me to first go to general and basic literature on architecture and community planning; in order comprehend what I was getting myself into.  After obtaining a basic architectural understanding I began to look more specifically to literature on city planning, the history of suburban culture, porches, and garages.

 
That's me taking pictures for this website.
Perhaps holding the camera straight would work slightly better.

In order to localize the project to the Cannon River Valley, it was necessary for me to go into Northfield and observe what different types of neighborhoods were out there and what their defining features were.  My observation started out as casual walks and drives throughout Northfield on my own.  This process of observation became much more sophisticated and focused after conversation with the Northfield Historical Society's archivist, Joan Olson, and a very thorough and informative tour of Northfield with Kris MacPherson, long time Northfield resident and Reference Librarian at St. Olaf college.  With camera in hand and pencil between my teeth; I embarked on my research and exploration of Northfield documenting what I saw.  Kris MacPherson, who went above and beyond her reference librarian duties in helping me with this project, provided me with further contacts, including residents of the various neighborhoods we visited and architects. Those available for interview were given my project protocol in order to familiarize themselves with the goals of my project and an informed consent form on which they indicated their desired level of mention within the project.  Interviews took the form of informal conversation, while I jotted down brief notes.  There were only a few direct questions, while the rest of the interview consisted of people telling me about the sense of community they experience in their neighborhoods.  Due to the conversational nature of the interviews, I only jotted down notes to record the sentiments of the interviewees and therefore have not directly quoted them in this project.