Civil Unrest

     In class on Tuesday we talked about civil unrest and the violent riots and events that occurred because of the frustration. One of the events on the list dealt with Rodney King. King was a black male who was viciously beaten by police...and it was all caught on camera. This act of violence and racism did not result in the severe punishment that should have been handed down to the police officers involved. Instead, the officers basically got away with it. The decision in the case led to the LA Riots. The LA Riots was mass mayhem in the streets of LA with buildings being burnt, stores robbed, people killed, and cars destroyed randomly. Right now in America we have a major case underway involving race. The case of Trayvon Martin has been all over the news for the past couple weeks. Martin was a 17-year-old African American who was shot and killed by 28-year-old Hispanic George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was the community watch coordinator for his neighborhood at the time. Martin was unarmed. While the events of that fatal evening are still under investigation, the reaction of the country has been strong and there could be unrest if Zimmerman gets let off as easy as the LA police officers. Cases such as that of Casey Anthony get a lot of attention and reaction but it seems that any high publicity case involving race, especially when the murder was on an unarmed teenager, invoke strong unrest from the general public.
   
     Another area of interest in 2012 that could cause unrest is the economy of the government's handling of the situation. Regardless of party affiliation, we can all agree that prices like those on gas are way too high. The Occupy Wall Street was a small glimpse at what people might do. However, according to Info Wars, the public may react much stronger this year. Glimpsing at the article posted by Info Wars will tell you just how close some analysts think we are to have major civil unrest. If things continue to go downhill and all countries around us struggle as well will we see a breaking point this year?

-Mark H.

The Arts in Urban Environments....

This past week we had a guest speaker who enlightened us on the rise of arts in urban environments. He discussed Roanoke as an example of a city that is trying to being more focused on the arts through the creation of an arts council and local arts involvement. The most interesting aspect was his discussion of the Marginal Arts Festival. It seems that many cities are now including the minor arts in their arts movements in order to try and promote community involvement and continued support of the arts. Education of the arts is important to childhood development and although federal funding for art education has been cut by 70% in the past three years there are organizations that are stepping in to fill the gap. Studies have shown that children and young adults who are exposed to art and art education are more likely to support and go to museums, galleries, etc. when they are adults. If we want to continue to provide art museums and other art related institutions in cities it is necessary to keep art education in elementary schools alive. Promotion of the arts through local events is one way to keep the arts on the minds of communities. By providing arts cities can show citizens that their best interests are at the heart of the government and that community programs and community involvement are important to civic leaders and urban planners.

-Kate Chambers

Living Green...

When people think about sustainable living they tend to think about energy efficiency. But today there are lots of ways that people, especially people living in urban environments can help sustain the environment. In class we learned about the guidelines set out by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders). The NAHB is focused on sustained growth which includes the types of materials and placement of new homes. But if you are living in a city there are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint and be more environmentally conscious that do not have to do with building. There are loads of websites and organizations that can help you on your quest. Even in a smaller area like Blacksburg there are things you can do. One of the easiest ways to reduce your energy consumption (and your budget) is to take public transportation. Especially with the rise of Smart Cities it is becoming easier to use multiple forms of alternative transportation at a low cost and in seamless transition. Here in Blacksburg we have a phenomenal bus system that can take you almost anywhere you need to go. There are other small things you can do as well that help reduce transportation costs. Buying food at a local farmer's market not only allows you to support local farmers but it also takes away from the large amount of transportation that is required to bring items to larger grocery stores. When it is nice outside hang your clothes on the line and save the energy and heat created by your dryer. Living green may seem at times to be a chore but when you receive your energy bill you may be pleasantly surprised.

-Kate Chambers

Smart Cities... 

Smart cities are the future for urban areas across the world. The integration of digital systems into the already created fabric of systems will allow for cross-system coordination. As Professor William J. Mitchell of MIT explains, by adding a digital nervous system it will be possible to cross-coordinate systems in order to make them more energy efficient, reliable, and economically feasible. In order to figure out how to introduce these "digital nervous systems" it is imperative that every aspect of the systems in place be analyzed. By doing this design problems can be reframed and looked at in new ways. Smart cities will allow citizens to utilize everything the technology age has to offer; there is no reason why transit and governmental services should not be available via technology (computers, smart phones, tablets, etc). There are already projects springing up that are trying to incorporate smart city technology into the existing systems of cities. The Smart Cities Project was founded in 2009 and seeks to integrate E-government and E-services into cities in Europe. Through research the Smart Cities Project has created the capacity for inter-regional government service sharing. By using technology it is possible to eliminate unnecessary waste in terms of personnel, energy, and space. Smart cities will allow for the transfer of information like never before. They will allow transit, energy, communication and other systems to be linked to create seamless information flow from cities to citizens. 

-Kate Chambers

Social Life in Small Urban Spaces

Last week in class we watched a video that discussed the use, placement, and factors that lead to the efficient and continued use of small urban public spaces. These spaces would include plazas and parks within cities. With cities growing the need for public space is great; many cities are trying hard to incorporate more public spaces into their design. One issue that is connected to this is where the funding for cities comes from: should money from public spaces come from the federal government, state governments, or local governments. As the article linked above suggests, there is a seeming dichotomy between the federal government calling for more public spaces and then not providing the funds to create them. The video, and these articles, suggest the public spaces in urban environments should be diverse and draw people from all social classes and ages. Public spaces in urban environments are crucial to the fabric of the our cities and cities around the world. Without them our cities would feel even more congested and conflated than they already do. It is the job of urban planners and designers to create a city that functions efficiently while not dismissing the ideals of beauty and form.

Urban Form group 20

Group 20

We have learned in class that the pattern of roads and transportation greatly affect the way a city grows, and into what capacity its traders will shift.
Consider not the city for a moment, but a larger scale. For a long time in history, man was landlocked. But with the advent of sailing drove coastal development. Railroads in america made a western expansion possible.
When we see these non conventional factors affecting growth its more easy to palate the possibility of road patterns affecting growth as well.
More than affecting growth, road patterns can DETERMINE what a city or region will become.
Take the capital beltway, so many people use it for easy commuting that the northern VA, DC, southern MD region is going to be heavily retail and industry. Lots of jobs.
Then again, look at the afgan mountainous regions. These regions are notoriously turoilic, and have a severe lack of proper roads and infrastructure. The coreloation is more than coincidental.

Perhaps looking forward we can design our city to a more efficient degree, facilitating every type of urban form.
Walt disney was a futurist and proposed many alternatives to the interstate highway system. But he really got his ideas from one Fuller. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckminster_Fuller 
Check him out. lots of crazy vertical farms and walking path/beehive 3d cities.

Urban Inequality in Education

Last week in class we focused on Urban Inequality in terms of all forms of social stratification. In this blog post I would like to zone in on educational inequality within the urban environment. Education has been inextricably linked to the amount of money that one will make in their career. The higher your education, the more likely you are to make more money. Although there are cases where this does not hold up, it is, in general, true. Most people will live their lives in the same social class as they grew up in. That is to say that if your parents are in the middle class you will likely be in the middle class. This has to do with the education and social networking that you receive either because of your own merits or with the help of your parents, or both. A very recent news article from Hesston College touches on these issues of educational inequality. The article states that urban schools face many different problems than schools that are in affluent areas. Most of the children at the high school, which is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, believe that they will not go to college and the educational system seems to be somewhat broken. Contrast this with children whose parents can put them into private schools within urban environments. The difference is huge! Take a look at this article from USA Today that spells out the differences in dreams and real opportunities for low income high school students. The opportunities that you are given growing up has a serious impact on your future and your future success (both intellectually and monetarily). The Urban divide in education is stark, it is a gap that is trying to be bridged by organizations like Teach for America. But the fact remains that educational inequality plays a large role in the future success or failure of the students. As college students we are in an elite echelon of society, although it may not seem that way. We have been given the opportunity to push boundaries and promote education experiences.

Why are cities important

Why are cities important?
Recently in class we watched a video that portrayed the bad side of cities, but we never actually saw why cities are important. Cities are very important when it comes to an economy. Cities are the center of all business. Most business occurs in cities and if you take a look at the bigger cities such as NYC, LA, and Chicago, they are very important in our nations economy. This is because cities attract people. When a city attracts people, that in turn brings in money. There is a reason why restaurants in NYC are willing to pay so much money for such a small restaurant. That is because location. A restaurant in NYC has a very good chance of doing well because it is in a city with SO many people. Location is very very important to people who are looking to start up businesses because they want to be around the people and what better place then a city. People always talk about the bad part of having cities (pollution, overpopulation) but they are forgetting that it is the cities that really attract a lot of the business and help stimulate the economy. Below is the article that explains this in further detail.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/03/economic_geography_0
 

Urban Public Issues,
Group 20
Week 3

Ubiquitous Computing

  This week some of our reading spoke to the ever increasing speed at witch the forward edge of technology is advancing. We see it all around us, each of us hold in his or her pocket a device capable beyond the machines of the past by factors of 100. 

  The phenomenon we are fast approaching is called a state of ubiquitous computing. We can communicate instantly, travel anywhere in under a day, make or break a plan a few short minutes before the date. As our relationship with the world changes, so does our relationship with ourselves. It is important to take a breathe and attempt to see the world for what it is, not what it appears to be.

   The spokes on a bike wheel will blend together past a certain speed but we all know that the spokes themselves have not changed.

  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=219YybX66MY&noredirect=1

  You can follow the link above to a speech made by my favorite son of quantum theory, Michio Katu. He invented string theory and has spent much of his career debating contemplating the nature of the future, as many  of his predictions come true, he gains re known and gives speeches like this one above.

  "We are in a new era for urban documentation. Indexed 

multiplicity, many-aspectival views, very wide participation, 

and archives that are unlimited in size and controlled by no 

one are likely to allow for a representation of urban life that 

is heterogeneous and unhegemonic."  (Kreiger, p.2)

 The quote from our reading is included because id like the opportunity to elaborate on the point made there. As technology increases, each of us becomes empowered, because as technology increases its price decreases, and more of us can afford it. When we all have fire, none can be left in the dark.

Who are we?....Group 20

This blog is being published by a group of students at Virginia Tech for an Urban Public Issues Class. We will be exploring the role of cities in society, how we view cities, and problems/solutions with Urban Planning.

My name is Kate Chambers and I am currently a senior at Virginia Tech majoring in Art History with a minor in Classical Studies. I am from Charlottesville, VA. I am currently applying to graduate schools for Art History and plan on pursuing a career in this area.

What kind of movies/what movies shape your impression of a city?

Many movies and TV shows today are based in American cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami. These movies and shows usually portray one extreme side of the city, the glamorous side or the dangerous side. Not a lot of media today shows both sides of a city, which I think is very important to do when portraying such large cities. Shows such as Law and Order and CSI: Miami portray cities as dangerous places where crime is everywhere. While it is true that crime is more likely and more visible in large cities, these types of shows fail to show the audience the other side of the city and make the dangerous side very extreme. On the other hand, media such as Sex and the City and 27 Dresses make cities seem harmless and incredibly glamorous. These types of media are also not accurate portrayals of cities because the characters never seem to run into any kind of trouble with crime or danger. In my opinion, the movie RENT portrays New York City almost perfectly. On one side, it shows the dangers of the city: drugs, crime, diseases, etc. And on the other hand, it shows the fun, exciting side of the city: New Year’s Eve, parties, night life, etc. This movie also does a really good job at showing the other aspects of a typical city: wide variety of different types of people (race, sexuality, etc.), opportunities that cannot be offered in small towns and more rural areas, etc. RENT and other movies like this represent the city as the place to make your dreams come true, but also as a dangerous place where one must take precautions. 

As you can see from this video, just the introduction of Law and Order: Los Angeles portrays the city as a scary and dangerous place with a lot of crime.

The Disappearing City....


Cities, while they may seem to be places of progress and innovation, are often formless and only mechanically efficient. Cities do not meet our expectations of being places of beauty where the buildings interact and change along with the people living in the city. Instead cities use an extravagant amount of energy and their form is often complex and lacking in 21st century innovation. Progress, for cities, should not be measured by their size in area but in the character and feeling that a city evokes. Planners need to create cities where the form of the city follows the function of social needs of the people. Expansion does not always mean progress, and in many cases creates anti-cities, like suburbs. It seems as though this idea of urban development and planning has been debated for some time. In 1969 Nixon created the Urban Affairs Council. The following link is to an article from the time that follows this event. 


Nixon Addresses Urban Planning