Discussion of Classmate's Blog

After getting a chance to look at a few of my classmate's blog's, one really stood out to me. I really like Arzette's approach to how she incorporates her family into her blogs about a city. It is important to have strong family bonds because those are the bonds that help communities grow. I really liked her Community Building blog. Because it is true it begins with one and then grows from that point. From reading her blogs you a person can tell not only does she care about her community but so does her family. Her responses involve a lot of her knowledge about the city and after reading a few of her blogs it gave me an outlook on how all people's view differ on the city.

Article 31 "Patio Man and the Sprawl People"

This article makes me think of suburbs such as Kildeer, Long Grove and Deer Park. These are affluent suburbs that are growing, not only with hones but also the businesses near there. The description of the Patio Man and his family and friends, is a valid image among many of these new growing suburbs. People want to show that they have money and they buy things like the top of the line grills and name brand clothing for their children. The article points out many valid points about these growing suburbs. One of my closest friends grew up in Long Grove, and her dad is exactly like Patio Man. He always has to upstage his friends in his grills, the way his yard looks and is constantly changing cars for bigger and better. “Many people still have in their heads the stereotype of suburban life that the critics of suburbia established in the 1950’s.” Personally I still see suburbia as that image that people created in the 1950’s. You have a nuclear family, but instead of having a small home you have these enormous homes that require speakers systems to locate one another. These new suburbs will continue to grow and eventually become wore out and then will continue on to a newer suburb and the cycle will continue.

Article 18 "Jane Jacobs' Radical Legacy"

Jane Jacobs was a very influential person in city planning and development. She didn’t receive any formal education in her field. She began her work by observing and being active within cities. She went up against New York’s “building czar”. In her efforts to stop the “bulldozer bully”, she was arrested and jailed. Her belief was that “Cities are for the people”. She believed that cites need to be built in a manner that will allow for many different aspects, such as social interaction at the street level. In the 1960’s that was more acceptable, we don’t see much interaction among the citizens within a city. But many of her other aspects have been influential. Parks should have benches, it is evident that almost all parks have benched. We also see that cities, like Chicago are using her method of mix use buildings. It is still evident that cities are “untidy, complex and full of surprises”, no tow neighborhoods have the same exact layout. There is always something happening which keeps the cities full of surprises. She was a very influential person in how cities are being planned and built. I do not believe that there is a person who addresses urban issues in the same manner as Jane Jacobs did. I do believe that many people have used her methods for city planning and building.

Community Building

Community building to me must begin with an active community that wants to better the area that they live in. A community can be defines as individuals within the same regional area such as a neighborhood or a sub-division (for those living in the suburbs), sharing a common interest. Communities can also exist among religious groups, and social classes, etc. The goal of community building is improving the area. Reducing crime is an important element many communities strive to achieve. People want others to move into their communities to stimulate that area. Also improving schools or adding schools within a community is an important aspect of community building. The key to community is working with the others that live within that area to improve the basic living needs for that area. Community building requires the ideas and voices of the residents, because they are the ones that know what needs to be addressed with priority and what can wait to be improved. It also requires action, from the residents, without them it won’t get accomplished.

A community building organization that is currently active is Imagine Chicago. Imagine Chicago has been actively working since 1992. “Imagine Chicago helps harness imagination for public good, encouraging and equipping people to become engaged in imagining and creating hopeful futures for their families and communities through both discourse and action.” Imagine Chicago was started by a woman, who previously was a banker at First Chicago, an Episcopal priest in an African American parish, the mother of three young children and active on many civic boards. Like many of Community organizations, they are begun by an ordinary citizen who wants to see change within their residential area. For more information on Imagine Chicago, view their website at http://imaginechicago.org/who.html.

2016 Olympics not in Chicago

With Chicago losing the 2016 Olympics is a devastating thing for the city. With all these hopes of job availability and the city's hopes for reconstruction, it all came to an end when Chicago was out of the running to win the Olympics. When the city was bidding for the 2016 games, there was hope for an economic boost within the city, and now that Chicago is not hosting the games, the economy will continue to suffer. It would of been nice to see Chicago's transportation system undergo some changes but with no Olympic games, there is no chance in the near future to see a improvement in the city's public transit system. With the Mayor Daley not focusing on the Olympic bid anymore, hopefully the mass problem of teen deaths can be addressed in a greater light. There are bigger problems that the city politicians need to focus rather than on the lose of the Olympics.

The jobs that the Olympics would have brought in would help the large number of people who are currently unemployed. The the current plan of how to use and utilize the space that was going to be Olympic Village, needs to be a realistic. I don't think a casino will benefit that space, city needs to put something that will benefit the city and the community around that area. And who knows when these plans will happen, because with the city of Chicago we can never be sure on anything that is being in the works. The problem is they over plan and don't have the budget to fulfill those great ideas. In my opinion, the are will remain untouched for the next year or so, maybe even longer.

Eminent Domain

The article I found pertaining to eminent domain comes from the Worldwide Faith News. The article is from February 2^nd, 2009. The city wants to destruct the cemetery to make room for the O’Hare Airport expansion. The 160-year old cemetery is located next to the airport. The cemetery took this to court to prevent the city from destroying the grounds. If the city were to take over and destroy the cemetery, what does this hold for religious beliefs? The cemetery filed a petition in the Dupage Country Circuit Court, which violates the Illinois Religious and Restoration Act. The cemetery has over 1,300 members of St. John’s United Church of Christ buried there and their relatives. If the city were to destroy this lot of land, how would the families feel that are still living. If Chicago does win the case then what does this mean for other religious places. Basically it would mean that any governmental project can win over religion. It states in the article that the petitioners accuse the city of abusing its powers for a project that will never go underway. There are no secure funds to have the expansion happen, so there is no need to destroy a sacred piece of land and destroy the resting bodies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieW2fIOKqvY

Uncool Cities by Joel Kotkin

“Uncool Cities” by Joel Kotkin argues the complete other side of the argument presented by Richard Florida. Kotkin’s argument is that a city will not grow if it only appeals to the creative class. His focus is on how cities are losing population to the suburbs. He also focuses on the important aspects of a failing city such as housing, educational facilities, transportation methods, occupation issues and the issue of safety. Kotkin also addresses how politicians focus on the wrong aspects to correct. In his article he also emphasizes how cities cater to the creative class, rather than focusing on the whole population. I agree with Kotkin’s emphasis on how to correct cities. City officials and politicians need to focus on the whole community rather than only focusing on the creative class. Until reading the article I agreed with Florida, while now my aspect on how to correct cities has changed. Catering to one specific group will not help fix a city. I was stunned to read that a month before Hurricane Katrina, the city held a conference on how to expand the convention center, rather than focusing on a levee. Kotkin’s views on correcting cities have a realistic approach and they do not cater only to the creative class like Florida’s ideas do. Cities are compromised of many types of classes and races and this is what needs to be addressed. In order keep a population within a city the important aspects need to be corrected and then cities can focus on how to cater to individual classes such as the creative class.

Entry of Own Choosing: no text

I have been a Cubs fan since I have been a little girl. It is the one thing that my grandfather and I shared as a favorite past time. This old 1930's photo takes me back to when my grandpa used to tell me about when his father used to go to Cubs games. This picture represents when sporting events weren't about the money or endorsements. It was truly an all american sport, that people took their families to, and were able enjoy a day at the ball park.

Entry of Own Choosing: only text

The Pretty, Pretty City

Now the city has a studded nose,
Because the city is so pretty, and the city knows:
The city, she almost fooled me underneath the
Chicken sky- The city is so pretty,
But the city lie:
I loved the city and all its vermilion moods and ice-creams,
With parks and busses and city airplanes
And city rides- City coffins and city dies;
And I watched the city get drunk and turn around
And raise its monuments and party down;
And I sat upon one of her benches in a speculating mood,
And wondered if the city was so pretty,
Why was she so rude: The vulgar nebulas of the city’s
Eyes, the narcissisms of its displays:
There are so many well suited boys better than I out walking
In their sunny city days:
And I realized, the city didn’t love me,
The city plays and paws and eats up little boys such as
Me- She said she loves her little poet boys, such as me,
But the sweet, sweet city lies,
Because the city is so pretty, studded nosed and stunning eyed,
But she uses her autumn facades to blind the autumn chicken skies-
The pretty, pretty city has me hypnotized,
But the pretty, pretty city lies.

Home Away from Home

These are the mountains that my grandparents home has a view of from their balcony.

Equity in Action

After sitting through the Equity in Action program, I have a greater respect for taxi-cab drivers. I guess I never realized the poor work conditions that they suffer and then the ill treatment for the city that they receive. I was shocked when Peter spoke about the numerous citations that taxi drivers encounter. I think it is ridiculous that a cab can only be parked in one spot on a public street for no more that two hours during the time that these people get are getting their sleep. It is sad how our cities treat hard working people. The sad part is that probably all of the people that work in places that either write these citations or create them have had the need to use a taxi in their daily life. I guess I never realized that they make below average wage. I always assumed that with the price of the fare that they would be making decent money.

The presentation by both of the presenters was very interesting. My boyfriend runs his own construction company and he has picked up laborers to work for him. When he has a larger one day job and needs extra hands that is when he finds these men that are looking for work. The event was eye opening to the types of issues laborers have and also taxi-cab drivers.