Designing Cities for Women

This article focuses on a meeting of women in Detroit, Michigan who are discussing ways to make changes to the city. The meeting is centered around women because they are looking to rectify the ways that women's needs have been ignored in the past regarding the design of cities. These years of not being heard have led to some cities becoming less safe environments for women.

Women have higher rates of poverty and they are still the primary caregiver for children and are responsible for most domestic work. The poorly designed cities have resulted in a number of challenges for women and some of these problems are easier to solve than others. They can be small things like public restrooms without trash cans or desecrated sidewalks. They can also range into bigger issues such as avoiding areas where they do not feel safe and fear violence.

Over the past several years, there has been greater concern for this issue, and cities like, Vienna, have taken an active role in making their city a better place for women. They have already been transforming housing, streets, and parks for several decades to make them more accommodating for the needs of the women who reside there. American cities have become more aware of sexual harassment and have taken steps to combat the problem by making it simpler for people to report when it occurs. Steps like these make it possible for cities to more accurately represent the needs of their inhabitants.

This article also mentions that one of the reason cities are not designed for women is due to the lack of women with political power, and they are often excluded from planning decisions. The lack of representation is even worse for women of color.

These grass roots movements have already yielded some success. In 2009, large public outcry drew attention to the staggering number of untested rape kits. This led to fundraising and an increased awareness of the problem that ultimately resulted in many of the kits being tested.

The article ends by explaining that cities can't truly thrive without acknowledging the contributions of women. It emphasizes that improving the city for women, will ultimately improve it for everyone.

Anyone who wants more information can access the full article here. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cities-designed-for-women_us_571a0cdfe4b0d0042da8d264

Relevant news articles to class readings

End of Apartheid in South Africa? Not in Economic Terms | New York Times

A sign on scrubland marks one of America's largest slave uprisings. Is this how to remember black heroes? | The Guardian

My brother was homeless for 25 years. He just got an apartment. Now what? | The Guardian 

Gentrification Is Not Inevitable: Care and Resistance

Many urban planning classes have sections that are entirely focused on the idea and movement of gentrification. However, gentrification isn't always inevitable and generally can be avoided in order to improve urban areas. Urban revitalization through policy often means going through some kind of gentrification, but it doesn't always have to. Winifred Curran gave a TED Talk based around a movement for "communities of care" and how it shows that gentrification is not inevitable.

Communities of care are communities where individuals have responsibility for their own neighborhood in an urban area. These individuals and communities are responsible for helping the neighborhood revitalize through "care-full" planning, rather than having urban policy dictate what will eventually become gentrified if let alone. Displacement of 'undesirables' is central to gentrification and is usually caused by new upscale stores, condos, new apartment buildings, and charter schools being introduced into the area. However, this does not start because of new stores and charter schools- it starts with urban policy focused around urban revitalization for new stores and buildings in areas that are 'run down.' These 'run down' areas generally do not need urban revitalization that is centered around building new stores and other buildings- these areas need care by the communities and individuals living in them.

By building more "care-full" cities and neighborhoods, competition over space can be reduced. Doing this also helps by measuring care for home owners/renters and other individuals in the community rather than measuring property values and prices. By focusing on the people still in the communities rather than those who want to move in and displace current residents, gentrification can be avoided, and urban revitalization can happen. By having a "community of care," the issue of 'us vs them' will be removed so that neighborhoods can focus on 'us vs the problem.' 

Spatial Rhymin' - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

Evan Bowser

Spatial Rhymin’

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream: The Geographic Side of Open Mike Eagle's New Album

African American Rapper Open Mike Eagle released a concept album in September of this year titled Brick Body Kids Still Daydream.  Inspired by Eagle’s upbringing in the Robert Taylor Homes project of Chicago, the album comments heavily on the unjust treatment of displaced African Americans who have lost their homes as a result of oppressive HUD policies, territorial stigmatization, and gentrification.  Eagle’s rhyme schemes primarily surround three subjects that I feel closely pertain to our curriculum in class – geographies of home, embodiment, and gentrification.  Throughout the tracklist, Eagle encapsulates themes of individuality and afro-centric creativity through deliberate sonic and lyrical decisions, offering an alternative, positive narrative against stereotypical conceptions of African Americans living in the projects.

In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Eagle explains how the idea for the album came about.  While on a flight, he asked himself, “I know the Robert Taylor Homes are gone, but what is there now?” (McPherson).  After researching, Eagle discovered that the buildings had not been replaced by anything at all.  Distraught, Eagle drew connections between the gratuitous attacks on unarmed African American individuals and the demolition of a revered landmark from his childhood.  While he submits that eminent domain issues plague caucasian communities too, Eagle could not think of an instance where a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood was rendered a vacant lot in the same way that the Robert Taylor Homes were.  While talking about the album during an interview, Eagle stated, “This [album] is about trauma.  It’s about how 30,000 residents were displaced and only one-third of them are accounted for — and there are no AMBER alerts for the other two-thirds” (Genius). This epiphanic realization fueled Eagle’s creative process and allowed him to combine the nostalgia of his childhood home with the bitter reality of living in a stigmatized space.

The following tracks best exemplify Eagle’s thoughtful soundtrack for the projects: (How Could Anybody) Feel At Home, Daydreaming in the Projects, Brick Body Complex, and My Auntie’s Building.  On (How Could Anybody) Feel At Home, Eagle introduces the listener to the idea of a changing place that no longer makes natives feel welcome.  He makes reference to a once popular bar called O’Doyle’s, a place that seemed to never close until it fell victim to the ruthless grip of gentrification.  Daydreaming in the Projects provides an uplifting representation of youth in the projects.  The verses of the song feature Eagle reminiscing about his adolescence, while the chorus repeats, “Ghetto children, making codewords, in the projects, around the world.  Ghetto children, fighting dragons, in the projects around the world.”  Capitalizing on their playfulness, Eagle beautifully contrasts the stigma of the projects with the innocence of the children who inhabit the space.  On Brick Body Complex, Eagle expands on his identity and the space that created it.  He compares himself to a project building, injecting clever lines that can be interpreted both in reference to himself and to the building he was raised in.  Some examples of these witty bars include:

• “My other name is 3-9-2-5 [Eagle’s childhood address], make sure that my story's told”
• “City say they gonna knock me down, still wearing my iron hood, told y'all you won't stop me now.”
• “I'm overgrown, but these model homes, still here if it's hot or cold, still here, if my body move, still standing on Cottage Grove [Eagle’s childhood street].”

*and of course, the most blatant allegory:

• “My body is a building, a building, a building, a building.”

On the final track of the album, titled My Auntie’s Building, Eagle unloads the anger brought forth by the demolition of his Aunt’s building in the name of gentrification.  He expresses that he lost a part of himself with the destruction of the building, and illustrates the magnitude of the tragedy by exposing how many lives were drastically changed by the demolition.

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is Eagle’s effort to counter the countless episodes of spatial injustice carried out against targeted groups across the globe.  Keep in mind, his fondness for the Robert Taylor Homes is not exactly linked to the quality of life there.  Rather, the space served as the nucleus of the local African American community.  There, African Americans were not in the minority.  They could relate through shared experience and develop agency due to their spatial concentration.  Having existed in that space, it makes sense why Eagle felt compelled to create such a captivating and informative album.

Watch the video for "Brick Body Complex" (explicit language):

Watch the video for "95 Radios" (explicit language):

*The album artwork further reflects a sense of spatial awareness

Works Cited:

Fantano, Anthony. Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream ALBUM REVIEW.Youtube, The Needle Drop, 22 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdiGlNbz_Qc&t=340s.

“Genius - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream: Open Mike Eagle.” Genius, Genius Media Group Inc, 17 Sept. 2017, https://genius.com/albums/Open-mike-eagle/Brick-body-kids-still-daydream

Ruiz, Matthew Ismael. “Open Mike Eagle: Brick Body Kids Still Daydream.” Pitchfork.com, 19 Sept. 2017, pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/open-mike-eagle-brick-body-kids-still-daydream/.

McPherson, Sean. “Open Mike Eagle Discusses Making 'Brick Body Kids Still Daydream'.”The Current, Minnesota Public Radio, 30 Sept. 2017. https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2017/09/30/interview-open-mike-eagle-discusses-making-brick-body-kids-still-daydream

Open Mike Eagle. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FCRoJaaN_Q

The Near East of Columbus Today

Since we watched Flag Wars in class I thought I would look into what the Near East Side of Columbus looks like today. Flag Wars came out in 2003 and it is now 2017, therefore the 'situation' has changed and evolved. I found two articles from Columbus Underground  that were published in 2017 and focus on gentrification and home improvements in the Near East Side.

The first article in Columbus Underground is about a program that is being used to help the residents of neighborhoods that are gentrifying (published October 28th). PACT (Partners Achieving Community Transformation) focuses on revitalizing the neighborhoods that surround OSU Hospital East. The City of Columbus, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and The Ohio State University all support this program. Over the next year $200,000 will go to renovating 20 homes that has long-term area residents living in them. The article says "We looked at two criteria; we want to either be in areas already experiencing redevelopment – in which case the program complements what is already happening – or, we want to be catalytic"(Waren 2017). In Flag Wars there was a lot of discussion about the facades of the homes being lived in by long-term residents. This program is helping these long-term residents keep up with the new and improved facades of the gentrified homes. 
http://www.columbusunderground.com/program-aims-to-help-longtime-residents-in-gentrifying-neighborhood-bw1

The second article in Columbus Underground is titled Keeping Gentrification Out of Revitalizing Communities. The article talks about the 'Big Table' meeting that was held by the Columbus Foundation and the 'Big Table' meetings held by Columbus Underground. The goal was to get all side of the problem together to discuss these problems in the area. The brought together, "neighborhood activists, leaders, decision makers, and stakeholders to get a better understanding of food insecurity, community-police relations, gentrification and economic segregation" (Sega 2017). There goal is to find a way to turn the low-income neighborhoods into mixed-income neighborhoods without displacing long-term, low-income residents and keeping the culture of the area intact.   
http://www.columbusunderground.com/keeping-gentrification-out-of-revitalizing-communities-ls1 


Based off these two articles it seems like Columbus knows they have a gentrification 'problem' and they are trying to find solutions to keep people in their homes. Getting people from all side of the problem into discussion is a step in the right direction. The second article also does a good job in drawing the line between gentrification and new development. Which is good because it seems like the 'common' people do not necessary know what gentrification fully entails. Compared to how the situation was portrayed in Flag Wars, I would say the situation in the Near East Side is improving and there are people paying attention to the low-income, long-term residents. There are people trying to help these residents improve their homes and trying to help them keep the culture of the area. 

Anna Heringer: The warmth and wisdom of mud buildings

Another TED Talk I found about 'homes' -- this time, on alternative homemaking.
Enjoy!
-bnb

What Does It Take to See Gentrification Before It Happens?

Gentrification has become increasingly prevalent and important for cities, especially those that are growing in population and population density. As cities develop over the years, populations occasionally move out of the city to the suburbs or to more rural areas. After people move out of the city, other, poorer populations move into the areas- now with lower rents and upkeep costs. As time goes on, people who initially moved out want to return to the city and renovate and gentrify neighborhoods. It is easy to see how gentrification changes cities while it is happening, but how easy is it to see gentrification before it starts?

For decades, city planners have tried to set up a kind of 'warning system' to help ensure current residents for the future. Recently, this system has started to become a reality. By using data to show how changes occur in cities, or at a smaller scale neighborhoods, city planners can see how changes in price and influxes in population will influence future gentrification. City planners also use census data, specifically the American Community Survey, to evaluate what kind of economic and racial changes occur in cities prior to the 'official' start of gentrification. It is difficult to completely determine change, however, since it the survey is only a fraction of the actual city/neighborhood population. Being able to point out potential gentrification may spur investment and development in declining areas and neighborhoods.

Using data to help predict gentrification can help city planners develop a plan to help current residents stay in their current neighborhoods. By seeing what kinds of companies and businesses start in neighborhoods, city planners can begin to understand where gentrification may start. City planners also use housing prices to determine where and when gentrification will start.

My mother lives in Columbus, specifically in Old Towne East (OTE). OTE has started to gentrify, and my mother is living through it. She frequently tells me how her building, an old carriage house converted into two apartments, is becoming surrounded by new businesses and renovated structures. I have also talked to some of the residents of OTE who have lived there for decades, and they have told me how the neighborhood, and others surrounding OTE had started the gentrification process a few  years ago, and how it is currently affecting them.

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/08/29/546980178/what-does-it-take-to-see-gentrification-before-it-happens

More information on using data to help identify the gentrification: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/what-if-cities-used-data-drive-inclusive-neighborhood-change

Homelessness in Hawaii

Hawaii's Homelessness Epidemic & Lemanski's Gated Communities and Land Invasions

Michelle Anastasia

Lemanski's article brought my thoughts close back to home to my native island of Oahu, Hawaii. Hawaii is victim to one of the largest homeless populations and crisis' in the U.S. Oahu faces the highest rate of homelessness in the nation. Hawaii's homeless situation has become one of the top challenges facing state and county governments. Residents and visitors complain to officials about homeless camps in parks and beaches, and homeless persons walking streets, scouring trash cans and dumpsters where they also frequent stores and malls looking for handouts, money, clothes, and food. 

Homelessness is a government issue, a business issue, public health issue, a public-safety issue, a civil liberties issue and a in regards to Social Geographies, a social-justice issue. No comprehensive approach has been used to alleviate this large scale issue. 

As Lemanski stated, " Desperation drivers families to invade land. It is not a choice such, but in most instances a response to unbearable living conditions, the expenses of renting, and insecure tenure in friends and families homes." (6)
Lemanski, Charlotte, and Sophie Oldfield. 2009. "The parallel claims of gated communities and land invasion in a Southern city: polarized state responses." Environment and Planning A 41:634-648.

His statement holds true for Hawaii's homeless population. Where due to sky rocketing prices of housing, and unemployment rates as well as lack of jobs the homeless population has had no other choice than to populate public parks and beaches creating small towns and homeless encampments. 

Timothy Schuler a local reporter from Hawaii stated in his article that, "a homeless crisis is actually an affordability crisis. For the past decade or more, the cost of housing has risen faster than the median wage. The fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Honolulu in 2016 was $1,985. Although reasons for homelessness are complex, in Hawaii a lot of people are homeless “because the cost of living is just too high,” Kurisu says. “For the life of me, I don’t know how people afford paying rent.” Because of the cost of shipping, building costs in Hawaii are also higher than in many states, and securing financing for affordable housing developments can be about as easy as a homeless family securing a $700,000 mortgage."https://nextcity.org/features/view/hawaii-duane-kurisu-homelessness-crisis-kahauiki-village 

Lemanski interviews an individual that has very parallel thoughts to the perpetuation of homelessness due to lack of financial opportunity, which is exactly what many if not all of the homeless individuals residing in Hawaii experience. ``I never was able to settle down properly because I don't have a job so I don't have money. I moved here with my five children [ages 23, 20, 25, 11, and 8] where I stayed with my wife and my parents. We had no cash so it was hard to find a place to live. I can't pay rent. I had to move from one place to another to another to another because I can't afford any type of rent'' (P, 8ste Laan, August 2006) (6) Lemanski, Charlotte, and Sophie Oldfield. 2009. "The parallel claims of gated communities and land invasion in a Southern city: polarized state responses." Environment and Planning A 41:634-648.

The richer population of Hawaii struggle with this epidemic as they move into gated communities with worry and fear from the homeless population and their personal security. "Although most homeowners in a gated community have no prior links to the area, they have purchased the land on which their property resides and thus within a capitalist system are supreme as a homeowner. ``People pay a lot to live here and have a right to be protected'' (A J, 24 March 2004). " (7). This statement is a clear identifier for the individuals that pay to be separated from the outside threats that homeless individuals may perpetuate inside communities. My parents live in a gate community similiar to the one Lemanski speaks of for the same reason he suggests.  The level of crime outside these gated communities provides a drastic different and insight into how the homeless population and housed population live with one another.