Life and Death in Lakewood: An Analogy for a Transient Population

The city of Lakewood, Washington, shares half its border with McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis Army Base, both of which will soon merge to become the largest military base on the west coast. Lakewood’s economy is heavily influenced by these bases with a large percentage of the city’s population having direct associations with the military. While Lakewood may at first appear as a typical Northwest suburb, it in fact has the unique characteristic of a significant transient military population. The relationships of citizens and visitors to the city of Lakewood have been negatively impacted as a result, but they also present an opportunity. My project serves as an analogy between military transience and the process of life in an effort to use the unique qualities of Lakewood to allow residents to appreciate their city and visitors to stay.