Link from Sherry on urban design

Here is a link that Sherry shared with me about a real estate developer whose priority is "community, open space, and mobility":

https://culdesac.com/

It might be interesting to you!

Old Enough! and Urban Planning

In class last week I mentioned a Netflix show, called Old Enough!, which shows kids in Japan being independent and able to navigate cities safely at a very young age.  You can see the webpage for the show here.

Different people have argued that, while some of this is cultural, this type of independence is due to the built environment.  For example, in this blog post,  E. Owen Waygood, a professor at Montréal Polytechnique, is quoted saying: “There is an underlying cultural value—Japanese parents believe kids should be able to get around by themselves. And they build policies to support that. Japanese cities are built on the concept that every neighborhood should function as a village. That planning paradigm means you have shops and small businesses in residential neighborhoods, which means there are places to go—places these kids can walk to.”

Here is another blog post and podcast on the same show and topic that talks in more depth about the many planning decisions that make this possible.  It is on a podcast called 99% Invisible which is about urban planning.

Enjoy!

Current Zoning Practices and Creating Equitable Cities

The article “What Would a Non-Sexist City Be Like? Speculations on Housing, Urban Design, and Human Work” by Dolores Hayden discusses how cities' physical structure and design limits women economically, physically, and socially in society. The article talks about how typical suburban neighborhoods put an emphasis on private property and facilities, such as kitchens or laundry rooms. This article got me thinking about how modern planning practices perpetuate this inequality in urban design and disadvantages society in many aspects. There is an urban planning practice called Euclidian/ single use zoning. Single use zoning separates land use by type, only allowing one type of activity to take place on that plot of land, such as only residential, or only retail. This leads to lower density in cities and contributes to urban sprawl. As depicted in the article in this quote, “The greatest part of the built environment in the United States consists of ‘suburban sprawl’: single-family homes grouped in class-segregated areas, crisscrossed by freeways and served by shopping malls and commercial strip developments.”, most development is done using single use zoning. The article talks about how current urban structure can isolate women from society if they do not have access to forms of transportation. Denser cities where mixed use zoning is used would allow for more resources to be in walking proximity to the home, allowing for less transport needs. Mixed use zoning allows for multiple types of activities to take place on one lot, such as apartments above shops and restaurants, multiple types of shops or business sharing a lot, etc. This would be beneficial in creating a more just city because it could allow for communal facilities, or even facilities that cross private property lines. The article says “Because of residential zoning practices, the typical dwelling will usually be physically removed from any shared community space-no commercial or communal day-care facilities, or laundry facilities, for example, are likely to be part of the dwelling's spatial domain. In many cases these facilities would be illegal if placed across property lines.” Many current zoning practices are outdated, focus on private ownership, and create lower density areas that do not facilitate community interaction.

Hayden, Dolores. 1980. “What Would a Non-Sexist City Be Like? Speculations on Housing, Urban                     Design, and Human Work.” Signs 5(3):170-187.

Unseen Suffering: Homelessness and Spatial Justice in Gender-Based Inequality

Homelessness is a problem that affects cultures all around the world, and it sometimes goes unnoticed. Homelessness has a special and frequently disregarded aspect despite affecting people of all genders: the gender gap that significantly contributes to the exacerbation of this catastrophe.

Homelessness and gender-based concerns are related in a complex way that is entrenched in long-standing societal injustices. The equitable distribution of resources, opportunities, and services within a community is referred to as spatial justice, and it is a crucial lens through which to see homelessness.

Women who experience domestic violence, sexual assault, or other types of gender-based violence are frequently identified as victims of gender-based homelessness. Many women are compelled to leave their homes and look for safety in shelters or on the streets, frequently bringing their kids with them. The cycle of homelessness is perpetuated by the absence of accessible housing and support for these women, making it much harder to break free. In order to shed light on the connection between gender-based violence and homelessness, Jon et al. (2007) investigated the experiences of homeless women. Their work emphasizes the terrible conditions that women who experience sexual assault, domestic violence, or other types of gender-based violence must deal with. These women are frequently compelled to flee their homes in search of safety, frequently while hauling their kids behind them. Their study demonstrates how the cycle of homelessness is exacerbated by gender-based violence, and how the lack of accessible housing and assistance for these women makes their problems even worse.

With 42 women per 10,000 individuals suffering homelessness, the District of Columbia has the highest prevalence of female homelessness in the country, which is a sobering number that serves as a harsh reminder of the dire gender-based homelessness epidemic, (USC, 2019). The issue of homelessness disproportionately impacts women in the nation's capital when measured against the national average of 4.37 homeless women per 10,000 persons. Speer (2017) article connects well with this as it explores the mechanics of domestic space and its value, giving light on how homeless camps and housing initiatives contribute to how marginalized people see home. Given this situation, it is clear that homelessness has significant effects on women who experience domestic abuse, sexual assault, and gender-based violence.

The gender gap in homelessness is a complex issue that has a number of structural roots. Women who are homeless frequently face particular difficulties, such as an increased risk of domestic abuse and restricted access to secure housing. These women frequently have children, which makes it even harder for them to find housing and stability.

USC, Department of Nursing, 2019

We must take into account spatial justice as a crucial element in order to address these gender-based problems with homelessness. This entails giving excluded genders access to secure, inclusive environments in addition to housing. 

We need to help survivors of gender-based violence, provide affordable housing services, and invest in education that challenges preconceptions and prejudices in order to achieve spatial justice in the fight against gender-based homelessness. Creating a society in which everyone, regardless of gender identity or experience, has the right to safe and stable housing is not only an issue of social justice but also a step towards a more inclusive and equal world. The following website offers great help to homeless women and families to transition to housing and supportive services: https://womenofhopeoh.org/

Reference

 May,  Jon, Paul Cloke and Sarah Johnsen. 2007. “Alternative Cartographies of Homelessness: Rendering Visible British Women’s Experiences of ‘Visible’ Homelessness.” Gender, Place, and Culture 14(2):121-140.

Speer, Jesse. 2017. “It’s not like your home: Homeless Encampments, Housing Projects, and the Struggle over Domestic Space.” Antipode 49(2)517-533.

Unsafe and unwell: How homelessness affects women and how to help. USC. (2019, April 5). https://nursing.usc.edu/blog/how-to-help-homeless-women/#:~:text=How%20Many%20Women%20Are%20Homeless,with%201.28%20per%2010%2C000%20people.

The Modern Homelessness Crisis: Echoes of Native American Racism and Colonization

            In light of Indigenous People’s Day last week, I wanted to shed some light onto the history of Native American housing in the United States. Often when it comes to housing, Native Americans are overlooked, only making up 1.5% of the North American population. Despite this, they account for 10% of the homeless population in the United States – a staggering disproportion. Why is this?

 

            Initially, Indigenous concepts of homes and living were disregarded by European settlers. They were viewed as inadequate, unsanitary, primitive and above all else 'savage'. Land was stolen, and communities were built on top of existing lands, a common feature of European colonialism. Native land quickly became a commodity that was bought and sold for personal ownership instead of shared, and it didn’t take long for Native Americans to be denied of their rights. Indigenous Americans were stripped of land ownership with the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which displaced them across the country from their native lands. Federal legislation like the Dawes Act (1887) and the Indian Removal Act (1930) have created a culture within the Native American community of distrust of the government or national agencies, making them more resistant to accept help. 

 

Image of the Pequot War. Source: Smithsonian Magazine

            In taking their land and labeling natives as ‘savages’, Europeans successfully morphed Native Americans into the 'other'. The history of colonialism has led to what seems to be an American tradition of displacing people to build housing. Unfortunately, Indigenous peoples are not the only group to fall victim to being othered and suffer housing crises and legal restrictions as a result. Along with Native Americans, African Americans are another historically oppressed group that face housing issues because of systemic racism. Marginalized communities in urban cities now face increasing threats of gentrification; losing the homes that give them comfort, safety, and stability, and increasing their risk of homelessness. Sadly, for Native Americans, multigenerational poverty and being excluded from housing opportunities are an effect of colonial displacement, which is why rates of homelessness amongst native populations are so high. 

 

            In class, we have discussed how the modern home is seen as a “white, middle class, masculine” place (Speer, 2017). However, the 'ideal home' marginalizes groups who live a home experience that is not ideal. This specific idea of a privately owned home that was established early in American history by European colonizers continues to put all minorities and marginalized groups at a housing disadvantage. In Minnesota, Native American homelessness is a special issue. Within 6 reservations, around 9% of the population are homeless, and 14% face housing insecurity, where people “double up” in houses that are overcrowded and have inadequate space. 

This is an image of Tent City, a homeless community in Minnesota with a large Native American population. Source: The New York Times

 

            Native American communities’ struggles to find equal housing, health, water, and food access today are direct effects of European views of home and land ownership being imposed onto them back in the colonial era. How we interact with our places sets a precedent, changing the way we view others who don’t interact with spaces the way we may do personally, which is a bias that natives fell victim to early on. The convergence of both historical displacement and legal discrimination have contributed to modern Native American homelessness patterns. Although homelessness is largely dependent on finances, it is more than just not being able to afford housing – there is often a historical and racist underbelly to the issue. 
 
            Below, I’ve linked some articles in case anyone wants more information on the Native American housing crisis and what is being done to combat it.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-17/a-bold-fix-for-native-american-homelessness

 

https://palletshelter.com/blog/6-impacts-of-homelessness-unique-to-indigenous-communities/

 

https://www.wilder.org/mnhomeless/results/reservations

 

https://naihc.net/tribal-housing-assistance-resource-hub/

 

References:  

Micucci, J. (2023, March 14). Rooted in trauma: Homelessness in Native Communities. National League of Cities. https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/03/15/rooted-in-trauma-homelessness-in-native-communities/#:~:text=Today%2C%20Native%20people%20experience%20the,general%20and%20on%20Tribal%20lands.

 

Olivet, J., Dones, M., Richard, M. (2019). The Intersection of Homelessness, Racism, and Mental Illness. In: Medlock, M., Shtasel, D., Trinh, NH., Williams, D. (eds) Racism and Psychiatry. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90197-8_4

 

Otto, P. (2013).  Common Practices and Mutual Misunderstandings: Henry Hudson, Native Americans, and the Birth of New Netherland. Digital Commons @ George Fox University. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1064&context=hist_fac

 

Richard, M. K. (2023). Race matters in addressing homelessness: A scoping review and call for critical research. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ohio.edu/10.1002/ajcp.12700

Speer, J. (2017). “It’s not like your home: Homeless Encampments, Housing Projects, and the Struggle over Domestic Space.” Antipode 49(2)517-533. 

 

Africa is not a country

In this class, we have dealt with human identities, how they are constructed, and how they impact our lives. I was fascinated by the article written by Kwame Anthony Appiah. The article, which was entitled “I am Jewish and Don’t Identify as White, Why do I check That Box?”, Appiah looks into the difficult link between race and identity. According to him, from an American perspective, there are two main problems with the way race is constructed in America. The first is that it believes that people with ancestry and physical characteristics are more similar than they are. Secondly, it was built on the notion that certain races are better than others, creating a situation where people of color are treated with disdain. Consequently, he believes that we should value each other’s unique identities instead of grouping people together racially.

In my life as an African, I have seen firsthand the general characterization of Africans as one and how it leads to a situation where some people think that all Africans are one, regardless of where they were born and raised. To illustrate this point, let me give an example. I was once traveling by bus here in the United States. I sat with an elderly woman from another race. We were having a conversation when she asked me a question which to be honest, I heard before: “Where is the capital of Africa?” I jokingly told her that the capital of Africa is The Gambia. She then asked where The Gambia was located. I took time to answer her question. I could see that she was genuinely interested in learning about Africa, and I am happy that I could help satisfy her curiosity. But I am sometimes taken aback when people I meet are fascinated by my ability to speak what they call very good English. They don’t understand how someone from Africa like me could speak “good English.”

At least the old woman had the opportunity to be educated about the Africa and change her perspectives about people on continent. Most people do not have that opportunity. They live with a certain conception and notion about Africa as a single country, with similar lived experiences. But anyone who has a little understanding about Africa and Africans will know that the idea many people have about Africa is not true. It is not the case that the African continent is one country with one capital, nor is it the case that all Africans are one and have the same identity. Africa is a diverse continent with more than 1,000 ethnolinguistic groups. These ethno-linguistic groups are as different as each other in their culture, history, norms, and values. An ethnic group in Eastern Africa can have similar physical features as one from The Gambia in the West yet have values and cultural norms that are as different as day and night. Even within the same geographical enclave as in my own country, The Gambia, two ethnic groups can physically look very similar, but have different cultural approaches to life.

Most of the conglomeration of the African identity as a single homogenous population began with colonization. Africa is one of the biggest continents in the world. In fact, it is the second-biggest continent in the world, but the colonialists had to congest the geography of its people as a way to show insignificance, which was then used to justify ruling the subjugation and colonial exploitation of the continent for centuries. In modern times, this “single story” of Africa is created by the media. In the eyes of the Western media, Africa is a poor, destitute continent with only wildlife. Therefore, many of us who grew up in Africa are supposed to have seen or interacted with lions and lived on trees.

I was told a story in class by one of my former professors. He said when he went to Australia in the 1970’s to study, one of his professors asked him whether we have houses on the continent and if we live on trees. He sarcastically retorted that no, we don’t have houses in Africa, and we live on trees. Conversely, he told him that their ambassador lives on the biggest tree in his country. Apart from the media, so-called charity organizations have been very instrumental in portraying Africa as a poor, hungry, and “uncivilized continent” to raise funds for their activities in Africa, some of which have never benefited Africans.

Binyavanga Wainaina tackled this matter in his well-published book, How to Write About Africa. In the book, the late Kenyan author says that when writing about the continent, always ensure you use words like darkness, safari, Masai, Zulu, Congo, Nile Drum, etc. He added that when writing about Africa, do not have a picture of a well-looking African except one that has won the Nobel Prize. Use the picture of an African with an AK-47. He further notes that when writing about Africa, treat it as a country and not a continent with grasslands, which are dusty with huge herds of animals. It was just a way to mockingly show how Africa is represented in the media. Unfortunately, centuries of such portrayals of Africans in the media have now encompassed an African identity. They inform people’s perceptions of us as a people. I have sat in classes where I felt like the Africa the professors were describing was vastly different from the one, I was born or raised in.

In a similar argument, Chimamanda Agozi Adichie, the Nigerian author, spoke about the danger of a single story. She argues that it stereotypes people, adding that stereotypes are not true and are incomplete. She advises that we should be cautious about the single stories we have of other cultures and people, adding that when we have multiple perspectives, we broaden our understandings.

References

Adichie, C. N. (2009, July). TEDGlobal. Retrieved 10 11, 2023, from www.ted.com: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

GOATS AND SODA. (2019, May 22). Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from www.npr.org: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/05/22/725808622/binyavanga-wainaina-tells-us-how-to-write-about-africa

 

 

 

Blog Post 1 Homelessness in Quebec Canada by Sawyer Snow

 When thinking about this week’s readings I was really thinking about pricing and how that affects housing and its people. This article is about rising housing costs in Canada and how that is making the number of people who are homeless increase dramatically. This article states that “one in two homeless people can now be found in rural parts of the eastern province instead of mainly in Montreal as had been the case in the past according to a new report published in September.” Homelessness is spreading to other areas of Quebec and now it is becoming more noticeable and visible to some people. This goes hand in hand with the stat that “Nearly one in four homeless people found themselves on the street after being evicted from housing” that is according to a Quebec government report. Homelessness has increased so much that between 2018 and 2022 the number of them increased by 44 percent and by last year their numbers were 10,000. There is also a racial/cultural element to this “Indigenous people who represent five percent of the Canadian population are particularly over-represented in the streets especially the Inuit. Quebec is not the only place in Canada where homelessness is an issue it is currently spreading across Canada. The government estimates there are around 235,000 homeless who are in the country, however this is only counting people in shelters. We are underestimating the number by a lot. This article relates to what we are talking about in class because it is about the issue of homelessness but also the issue of housing expenses and a little bit about the racial effects on homelessness. In the article “What we learned from the deepest look at homelessness in decades” they talk about the amount of homeless people there are in California, as well as it being an issue of housing costs just like in Canada. In this article they use two framing devices to look at homelessness. One is that homelessness “is the interaction of three things: structural conditions, the thickness of the social safety net and then individual risk factors.” The second one being homelessness is a housing problem and not an amount problem. Part of that problem is the fact that every day a lot of people are at risk of becoming homeless. You can’t just address the current problem or group of people it's affecting; you have to find the root of the problem and try to solve it from there. 

Link to Article about Quebec:

Homelessness Explodes In Canada As Rents, Housing Prices Soar | Barron's (barrons.com)

Article for class: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jerusalem-demsas.html 

Srebrenica and the Dirty Wars

    In comparison to the reading, Memory and the Landscape of Violence in Post-Genocide Cambodia it reminded me of some of the cases that I had studied over the summer in my human rights, law, and justice class. One of the cases that we examined was the Srebrenica massacre. The Srebrenica massacre involved the killing of approximately 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys. Bosnia and Herzegovina was experiencing an ethnic conflict between Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Serbs. With mass migration occurring within the country, these 8,000 men and boys were denied safety at the UN "safe zone" and were later killed as a form of "ethnic cleansing." Most of the victims were buried in mass graves where many people are still trying to identify the missing relatives involved. In 2000, they created the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center and Cemetery. On the Srebrenica Memorial website, there is even a section where people can anonymously send tips if any information is available about knowing where someone could be or what had happened.

     From Memory and the Landscape of Violence in Post-Genocide Cambodia, "Commemoration is often used as a tool to create, erase, or reinvent an official history and collective memory, and thereby utilized to justify present forms of social representation and political presence" (Tyner et al. 856). One of the key points brought up is that the official story and reality are often times different and don't truly express those who were affected. A lot of governments tend to create memorials in order to hide the guilt or blame that has been brought upon them. In the case of Srebrenica, there is a strong sense of denial or exaggeration of the numbers involved. "In the absence of a societal consensus on the historical fact and moral delinquency of past violence, the possibility looms even larger that this violence will be repeated" (Srebrenica Memorial Center 2023). 

https://media.islamicity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Srebrenica-genocide-memoria.jpg

    Another example that I learned about and was mentioned in class was Argentina's Dirty Wars. In my previous class, we primarily focused on advocacy groups such as the Abuelas and Madres de Plaza de Mayo. Groups such as these are important in keeping the memory of these events alive in order to prevent them from happening again. A reading that we focused on involved a woman involved in the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo who got connected to her 'disappeared' grandson. After finding out about his true identity, he was able to connect with his grandmother and his Argentine identity. They state, "With the aging of the Abuelas, the grandchildren know that they will be the ones to carry out the project in the future. And the search will grow even more complex" (Cholakian Herrera 2020). Through continued attempts to raise awareness of this event, the Abuelas have been successful in reuniting family members and ensuring that the search will continue.

https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2019/03/mothers-of-the-disappeared-getty-496009048-feature.jpg 

Both of these events have led those who had been affected to rise up and stand their ground for justice to be served. While there are now memorials and organizations made, it was and has still become difficult to raise enough awareness to ensure that reparations are made. Before these classes, I was unaware that either of these tragedies had occurred. As mentioned in class, it is important to recognize events like these and truly understand those who are represented and those who are forgotten. What are some other ways that we can ensure that events like these don't happen again and how many other incidents have already been forgotten?

Links about Srebrenica: 

https://srebrenicamemorial.org/en https://www.icty.org/en/search-results?as_q=srebrenica 

https://www.hrw.org/report/1995/10/15/fall-srebrenica-and-failure-un-peacekeeping/bosnia-and-herzegovina

Links about Dirty Wars:

https://www.abuelas.org.ar/

https://www.history.com/news/mothers-plaza-de-mayo-disappeared-children-dirty-war-argentina

References: 

Cholakian Herrera, L. (2020). Decades After Argentina’s Dictatorship, The Abuelas Continue Reuniting Families. Latino USA. https://www.latinousa.org/2020/03/24/abuelascontinuereuniting/

Srebrenica Memorial Center. (2023). DENIAL. srebrenicamemorial.org. Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://srebrenicamemorial.org/en/page/denial/29

Tyner, J. A., Alvarez, G. B., & Colucci, A. R. (2012). Memory and the everyday landscape of violence in    post-genocide Cambodia. Taylor and Francis Online.    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649365.2012.734847 

Wagner, S. (2010). Tabulating loss, Entombing memory: The srebrenica-potočari memorial ... Semantic Scholar. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Tabulating-Loss,-Entombing-Memory:-The-Memorial-Wagner/6fe144a227996910069191ff7ae197be9cb18ad6

"Make a memorial, no museum" Pulse survivors call for action

"Make a memorial, no museum" Pulse survivors call for action: By Mia Walsh

"The question of which memories are promoted and which cease to be memories at all is a political question," (Cresswell 89). This sentiment, though published 19 years ago, is felt by no one more than the survivors and family of the Pulse nightclub shooting of 2016. In an article posted on September 27, many survivors beg for a permanent memorial for the loved ones lost to violence.

There has been an interim- memorial put up in the lot across the street from the bar. This memorial, built by a non-profit/action group, has promised since day one to build a museum to go along with a permanent memorial. In the years that have passed, survivors are now calling for a memorial on the site of the bar, not in the space across the street. One mother of a survivor said "Where it should go is the same place that the person died. That is why it is called a memorial. In that place, not next door." 

This calls into the importance of performance in memorials. The family members in the article feel that without a permanent acknowledgment of the horror, there is no place to feel at peace. Only the terrible memories exist in the space. 

More comments from others include "It needs to be where it happened so we can honor our victims,"... "A museum of terror? They're going to make a circus of terror?"..."Make a memorial, no museum, that simple. We suffered a lot, we shouldn't keep suffering."

I think this is a great example of why memorials can be created and why holding space is important. Just as in the examples of holding space in the Anne Frank house, there are some things a museum with artifacts cannot translate. 

Many people impacted by the Pulse shooting claim to feel that they are forgotten and the tragedy is being forgotten. While I was not impacted directly, I remember the day that this shooting took place in 2016. I was in the closet and shook to my core at the violence experienced by my community. I reflect on the anniversary of Pulse annually but hardly think about it more than that. I know that a memorial in Florida would be hard considering the political climate in the state, but I do think it could mean the world to those families who feel they’ve been left behind.

Sources: https://www.wesh.com/article/pulse-memorial-location-orlando/45342830, https://onepulsefoundation.org/2018/07/31/a-design-with-purpose-the-vision-behind-the-interim-pulse-memorial/