Planning Great Cities

2006-04-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

One thing I realized by visiting aencies like friends of the park, NIPC, and LVEJO is the extent to which everything in the city is planned. There is no park,street, sidewalk, event, that has not been created by hard work and organization.

one thing I don't like about the city is the sometimes clausterphobic atmostphere of people and noise. Sometimes, one needs a little quiet.

Five of my favorite places in the city include the harold washington library,

coffee shops, including the Bourgoisie Pig (for studying), Uncommon Ground (for dessert coffee), and Pick Me Up (for late night fun), museum campus,
the beach (oak street and 12th street), and the art institute.

2006-04-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

UPP 202 is an interesting class because unlike a lot of my other classes it emphasizes discussion over theory. These discussions in combination with the blog posts that we do require a lot of reflection about what I am learning. This can be difficult because there is generally not a lot of time for reflection. In English 160 and 161 there was also a lot of need for self a with the LRO assignments. The LRO, though sometimes redundant, was good practice for this awareness of my own learning.

The assignments for the first year of CCLCP were useful this year in that it showed me a general format and style for my work. It helped me understand the language used by non-profit organizations and their audiences. The fact sheet and brochure were good preliminary assignments to get me ready for the less structured assignments of this year.

When I started at UIC I thought of leaderships as an ambiguous buzz word. For me leadership was a concept saved for those in leadership positions. I understood leadership within a group at any age, but I don’t think I understood it’s capacities until recently. Now, when I think of leadership, I think of the ability to be optimistic about the future, whether that future is near or far. This kind of vision, I think, is necessary to create anything in society. Today, I define leadership more as optimism + vision.

The Daley Form was an interesting place to see political leaders first hand. I was struck immediately by differences in presenting styles in the different mayors, namely that of Giuliani and Daley. I noticed that Daley stuck his notes and stood behind the podium, while Giuliani stood directly in front of the audience, away from the podium, using lots of hand gestures and funny stories and references to 9/11. Giuliani’s presenting technique is well known as an effective one. However, I got the feeling that he was just a politician nursing the crowd. Maybe I’m just being cynical.

I noticed that all the mayors in the panel discussion had a distinct presenting method. All of them knew how to answer the questions diplomatically (sometimes resulting in not answering the question at all). Knowing one’s audience is an important leadership skill, one I’m sure Giuliani knows though it was not included in his speech.

I think Chicago has an important place as the Midwestern tourist attraction. It offers a unique environment in the world of tourism. I feel that Chicago, though a large city, still retains a small town feel, perhaps due in part of its many distinct neighborhoods.

2006-03-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

A website like the civic footprint is important because it allows people to see, in an organized way, important voting information. Providing an easily accessible, public service, to relay civic information is important in creating well informed others. I think the site could be more graphically appealing to make it more user-friendly.

Diversity is an important aspect of cities. It provides variety in activities, and restaurants, and provides interest for a wide range of people. A good city will take this into account when planning. Larger cities will have an easier time attracting and maintaining their cultural significance by virtue of their size. Smaller cities, like suburbs, I feel, do not work hard to maintain cultural diversity. In Chicago, this planning of cultures can be seen in areas like Boystown, Chinatown, and Greek Town. The city has put up signs to promote the diversity in this area. Instead of just a city, Chicago has become a theme park of cultures. People naturally settle in groups which lead to the formation of specific neighborhoods. In some cases this can lead to the negative effects of cultural and social stratification, for example the division between Black and White areas of the city. This negative diversity is a problem for the city because it creates social tensions. A good city will find a balance between these two forms of cultural division. As a resident, I enjoy this diversity in the city. Living in a “city of neighborhoods” provides almost endless activity for residents and tourists.

I looked at Caitlyn C’s blog. It is simple and straightforward. Her small bio gives a good sense of her personality, and her entries are insightful and revealing. Caitlyn is very interested in Chicago politics. As such her insights are given with the larger perspective of the political machine at hand. For me, this is interesting because I don’t know too much about Chicago politics. When I hear Caitlyn’s opinions, I am usually sure it is an informed one.

I felt the Reveal Chicago project was a more systematic, almost academic approach to photographing the city, though the pictures still maintain a high artistic sensibility. The Picturing Chicago site is a little confusing, but still offers beautiful images of the city. In think the organization of the site hinders the images. There are several links to get to the albums of the site. The pictures themselves seem to intersect the academic and artistic. The Chicago Image base is interesting because it offers a historical perspective on the city, which the other websites do not. I almost always have my camera with me, especially when in the city. I tend to take pictures of various places in the city. In this way, I think I am trying to document the city and my experience here. This includes buildings, parks, and restaurants.

I would like my capstone project to have relevance with my studies in architecture. I don’t think this correlation will be difficult to make because architecture is inherently a social institution and can be used, if so desired, to greatly enhance quality of life. I went through several ideas for the capstone project. Right now I have decided to work with Naida on a project she thought up. Her project involves creating an organization like Habitat for Humanity. The project is meant to serve as a service for its clients, as well as an outlet for those willing to help. These could include students and faculty of UIC, residents of Chicago, the state or country. Naida and I would like the project to include an international study/ service group. However, we’d like to start small, see the response, and build from there. This project is more service orientated that what I was originally thinking. I was initially thinking of more academic projects. Our schedules have dictated that I begin work on this project during the summer session and Naida will continue through the fall. We both feel strongly enough that we will work with each other throughout the project and hopefully further it beyond CCLCP to allow it to take on a life of its own.

I would like to see the capstone course be a combination of informational meetings and field work. The meetings or lectures could be about various organizations and agencies in the city, maybe about past projects like ours. The field work would be necessary to accommodate the work that needs to be done outside of the classroom. Of course, the course would also provide a place to ask questions and get feedback.

new pictures:

2006-02-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

I found the reading of Urban Institute's, The Demographics of Diversity: Why Cities are Courting the Gay and Lesbian Community. I found it interesting that a group that is the victim of so much intolerance, even today, is so appealing to the city officials. A seemingly benevolent act becomes a strategic economic move by city officials.
I also found it interesting that a group of people could better an area simply by moving in. What a testament to good will? I don't know if this is because they are better educated, have more expendable income, or are more politically active. In the end, when a neighborhood is safer, more tolerant, or more beautiful, does it really matter?
I enjoyed Alberto Espinosa's blog. Intially I found it interesting because he approached the subjet of the city with a question. His title "What's makes cities so great?" introduces the city as a pardox, possibly without answer and Alberto begins by expressing his confusion with this paradox. He also allows for the differeing views of people in that "what could be great to a particular individual could be terrible to another?" This understanding that different people need and want different things is important to being understanding to the citizens of any city. Alberto's intrest in Chicago is based on the things that make it home for him, the hidden spots that make it a familiar place for him.

When i joined CCLCP I had not picked a major. However, a year later as an architecture student I continually seeing the relationship between the CCLCP and architecture.
Architecture for me, is the study of people and their relationship to their surroundings. This involves social, economic, and psychological issues that we studied in UPP 101.
Working with agencies has also helped me have an understanding of the needs of the city, especially having to do with the placement of different groups of people. I have learned that the city is a complex organism, constantly movement. Each movement creates a reaction which is multiplied, reflected, and eventually dominoes into more reactions. The architecture of the Chicago is not made only of skyscrapers and history, but of the people that have lived and will live and will continually change thse city to make it their home.
The demographic numbers provided by the Urban Institute in their report Katrina:Demographics of a Disaster shows me that the Black are the most vulnerable when facing the aftermaths of Katrina. In the cities polled, Blacks are a large percentage of those in poverty. Those in New Orleans also has the largest share of food stamps. According to the statistics, the Black population in studied cities are young, working, poor families who are in need of govermental aide.

2006-01-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

I feel that growing up apart from, yet aware of Chicago, in Rockford, Illinois, has given me a unique perspective on the urban environment. My ideas about the ideal city come from comparing the two cities. There are several things Chicago can offer that a smaller town can not. The accessible public transportaion is one aspect that I find invaluable. The U-Pass is my key to the city, allowing me to explore it's many facets. In my hometown a car is necessary to do anything. It is habit to not even walk a few feet to the next store, but to drive. Sidewalks are minimal in Rockford, generally found only in residential subdivisions. Near shopping centers it is rare to see anyone walking from store to store. I often drive to a park to go for a walk. Therefore, I say public transportaion is an important aspect of the ideal city.
Public transportaion, however, is only as good as the places it can take you. Having accesible, affordable, and interesting activies and locations throughout the city is also important. In Rockford, only a handful of business are open after 10 pm, leaving alot of young people with out anything of interest to do.
Aesthetics is also important to my ideal city. The hardest adjustment I have when coming to the city is the intense change in atmopshere. What I miss most about Rockford is the parks, trees, streams, grass, and a quiet that is always acessible. It is a difficult task to acomplish, but my ideal city would combine the beauty of the rural with the variety of the city.

My intial response to the agency project is good. It looks a little drier than last semester's project, however, I think it also has several exciting qualities. Last semester we were asked to explore certain neighborhoods. I found this enjoyable because I often do that anyway. Granted, I would probably not have gone to those particular areas. I think being a part of a larger project with a tangible goal such as creating a park for the city will be exciting my group and me. I also have full faith that we will all put alot of effort into this project.

One reading I found interesting was the The souls of Black Folk, Chapter 5, by Dubois. I found this piece interesting because of its historical context and its message of hope. Dubois talked about how proper education was the key for young black people to free themselves from the bonds of society. This learning was not important simply as a means to gain wealth or power, or to join the ranks of the educated white, but to "teach the workers to work and the thinkers to think," the final goal not being simply a person capable of doing a job, "but a man," with ideals, hope, and a brighter vision for tommrow.

I find this concept imporant even today. As the world becomes an increasingly uncertain place, I find that my peers come to two conclusions on the subject of education. Some find it rigid and suffocating, deem it unnecessary, and leave academia. Or, they work to get enough credits to gain a degree, instead of an education. I believe it is possible to be a well educated person without the institution of a school, however, I feel that many in my generation take for granted the opportunites before them. To me that is disrespectful to those like Dubois whose life was spent making those opportunities available.

Another good point of this article Dubois argument that a larger number of schools did not make up for their mediocrity. The idea of making enough schools to teach the masses meant nothing to him, without the promise of a good education for those masses.
Dubois says,
"The function of the university is not simply to teach bread- winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowl- edge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization."

This idea has implications of UIC, as well. UIC is an important institution in the city of Chicago. Thousands of people have been educated here. However, I think it lacks the forward movement to match its potential. This university has an unimaginable amount of resources, yet they remain unknown and hidden by barriers of bad service, paper work, and a mediocre image. I cannot speak for professional circles, but among my peers UIC is generally regarded as ugly and dangerous. The student body is generally fractered and disinterested. I imagine a UIC that is proud of its heritage, advertises its assets, and utilizes all its resources. In my ideal world there is no room for mediocrity in education.

websites i like:
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/ ---helps me plan all my outings

http://centerstagechicago.com/ --- helps me find all the secret spots
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/

http://www.chicagoreader.com/ ---keeps me up on the goings ons

http://www.weather.com ----helps me stay prepared

2006-01-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

my first blog.