Eating On And Beyond The Infinite Corridor

Abstract

Infinite Stops are part of a design strategy for MIT’s Campus that aims to make eating well effortless and enticing. Approaches to improving wellbeing and community, in addition to reducing carbon emissions and resource use at MIT must account for the benefits of social, plant-based meals.

Foodscape research uses the tools of architecture, GIS, behavioural economics, and participatory planning to explore how the relationship between daily life and the built environment shapes eating habits. Mapping parties invited members of MIT to describe their typical meals and spaces that support their social ideals. Typically, people walk a maximum of 5 minutes from previous and preceding activities to obtain meals which are eaten in 18 minutes or less. Work related convenience, cost, and the opportunity to run into friends often dictates where, what and how people eat. Social meals are valued, and people travel further to find spaces that exhibit an attractive social atmosphere in its architecture, menu, music, and hospitality.

In combination with MIT’s geographic isolation from food places, time constraints make the spatial and cultural setting of the Infinite Corridor a key ingredient to people’s eating habits social opportunities. Infinite Stops are built structures that intervene on the corridor; punctuating its “corridic” setting with plant-based food linked with a variety of “staying” spaces. The Stops provide fast and slow meals which help connect and mediate the densely populated corridor space with the underutilised outdoor spaces. Infinite Stops presents a vision for MIT to leverage design—graphic, architectural and urban—to achieve its health, community and sustainability goals. Though they butt up against systemic socio-economic challenges, they hint at how over the course of a university program, teaching or staffing role, the occasional meal can create meaningful and positive behaviour change. The underlying approach and findings can empower planning departments to study their respective time-famished, work-driven foodscapes and find opportunities to support eating well across different mealtime needs.