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.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
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
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
-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
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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.
Monday, February 20, 2012
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.
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.
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