Week 8: Sustainable Transport

     Ralph Buehler joined us via Skype on Thursday to discuss differences among sustainable transport between the United States and Germany. Sustainable transport refers to any mode of transport that does not have much of a negative impact on the environment. Because of the low impact on the environment, sustainable transport is sometimes referred to as "green transport." I found this cool website that gives ideas about possible alternatives to current transportation technology. Some of the ideas listed on this site, such as the Busycle which combines the human power involved with biking and the convenience of a bus, will never be commonplace. Most of the ideas that do seem plausible have solar panels involved. There are airplanes with solar panels on the wings. Boats also have solar panels as roofs or along parts that do not come in contact with the passengers. I believe those ideas will one day be seen on planes and boats everywhere because those two methods of transportation are always out in the sun, so why not merge green technology with the vehicle to generate power?

     Ralph talked about parts of neighborhoods that have smaller roads designated for bikers first, cars second. This would definitely encourage more bike riding in that particular area but I do not think that is a good way to promote sustainable transport overall. Bicycling cannot replace cars in today's society because of the distances travelled. Personally, I wouldn't even want something like that in my own neighborhood. Being in a car having to yield to bikers on a narrow road would be frustrating if you're just trying to go a few blocks to get back home. Sustainable transport isn't just about improving the environment, it's also about efficiency.

     One idea that was mentioned that definitely needs to be implemented everywhere is the cost of subway/metro riding lowering the more frequently the customer uses the service. Cheap bus and subway prices would definitely decrease car congestion in cities. That is one of the easiest changes to implement within the next couple months. For now, green technology keeps developing and won't be mainstream in cities until the initial cost is cheaper than it currently is. We need to make changes starting with things such as the subway prices that will affect all city dwellers positively and also clean up the smog created by mass amounts of cars on the roads.


This is something that definitely needs to be changed

Week 7: The Benefits of Public Space

In class on Tuesday we learned about the three definitions of a public space; an open space, a space of public debate and an accessible space. But what are the benefits of a public space? Well simply look at any major college campus and you'll see their quad or drillfield is a home to many different activities. From people who walk tight ropes to sorority girls who are pushing their homecoming queen nominee on you, the quad/drillfield is a public space home to many college activities. But there's more to it than that. According to this site there are ten benefits of creating a public space.
One of the biggest and most obvious benefits of public space is that it helps the local economies flourish. I know for a fact that in my home town we have our farmer's market in our town square, the most central part of the city, and because of this, we have more people who are able to go. Not only that but our local paper is handed out there. And during the winter, we cover part of the square with ice and open up a small ice skating rink where anyone can skate for a small price. This is just in my small home town, I can't imagine how much a public space could flourish in New York City.
Another advantage is that public space reduces crime. New York City's Bryant Park is a huge testament to that. In the early 80's the park was a crime cesspool but after several changes the park now attracts 10,000 citizens in the summer and hosts a film festival. Now public spaces are not only a great place to spend your free time but they also have a much larger functional purpose in society.
Also public spaces have been found to improve the environment. People take much better care of the local environment when it is out in the open and accessible to everyone. It also provides a place for people to go out and play and get exercise. So not only do public spaces look nice, they have much larger purposes in society.
Ameen Mustafa

Week 6: A Brief Look at the Evolution of Urban Form

        This week in class we discussed urban layout and structure. JH Crawford elaborates on the history and influences of street layouts. This article “History of Cities and City Planning” analyzes the history of urban form. The author believes the first true urban settlements started around 3000 B.C. with ancient civilizations such as Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and other Bronze Age Civilizations. These cities were founded at specific locations that had uses to these ancient cultures. These cities popped up at trade route intersections, growing marketplaces, and natural ports where goods can be shipped via waterways. Religious sites have also been centers for cities to be built around. While some of these ancient cities seemed to have no planning whatsoever, many of them possessed both “planned” as well as “organic” urban forms. Cities that grew from old villages had an irregular and organic form as the city expanded in size and complexity. Colonial cities, which were planned ahead of settlement, were of the first to use the grid system. These grids made the cities easy to plan out, navigate, and develop.

        From 3000 BC - on Urban Form was evolving to create better functioning cities. Early planned cities had grid-like “planned” centers which contained the citadel. The citadel is where the elite lived and functioned. These centers contained religious and state building and were usually distinguished by walls that helped in the defense of invading armies. The surrounding residential areas were more organic due to slow and irregular expansion. The Romans were some of the first to engage in extensive city building activities. Although the Roman Empire was the result of irregular and organic growth, their cities and towns were often laid out in a grid variation.

        It wasn’t until the renaissance period that architects began to shape cities as the city itself was a piece of architecture work. During this period parts of cities were rebuilt to produce a smoother functioning city that was also designed to be aesthetically pleasing. These rebuilt districts resulted in elegant squares, long street vistas, and symmetrical building arrangements. As the new world was discovered and developed, cities were built by specific rules and laws given by the colonizing country. A good example is the Spanish colonial cities built in the new world. Several large cities that still exist today were built by following the Laws of the Indies of 1573. These Laws called for an orderly grid of streets, with a central plaza, defensive wall, and uniform building style.  Some of these cities built under these laws include: Los Angeles-CA, Albuquerque-NM, Laredo-TX, and Tucson-AZ. While Urban Planning has only become a huge industry in the last century, I think it is interesting to reflect the evolution of urban form throughout the Human Era.

Week 5

     This week in Urban Public Issues we discussed the relationship between different aspects of a community.  We created a web diagram displaying how each factor affected the other.  Education seemed to be one of the most important as it greatly affected the others.  A good education leads to a good career, which in turn pays a good salary, and the job or income can put a person in a good location.  A good location minimizes crime.  Good careers typically have benefits which lead to better health.  A lot of people do not have the opportunities to reach higher education so they may resort to crime or dead end jobs.  This cycle of being raised poor and struggling to get out of that is the vicious cycle.  With the advancement of technology and increased demand for highly trained professionals, it seems the cycle is getting harder and harder to escape.

     The effect of education on crime are given in a brief study synopsis here.  The site says graduating high school reduces the possibility of being incarcerated by .76 percentage points for caucasians and 3.4 percentage points for African Americans.  Staying with education at least through high school graduation keeps people off the streets and provides a better future. So why would someone ever drop out?  I have never understood this unless extreme circumstances force a person to leave school to go straight into work to provide for a family.  The motive for a normal teenager to leave school is a mystery to me.

     Another interesting study is the relationship between education and health by the National Poverty Center.  The study found that over time, life expectancy seems to be higher for those who went to college compared to those who did not.
                                  
The picture shown above is from the cited site above. As  you can see, education really does seem to have a direct impact on our health.




Mark Harner

Week 4

     The UN's report on the state of the world's cities was the topic of discussion for this week. We talked about being in an age of urbanization. In this age, much of a country's population (and even the world's) live in cities. Locations of plants and factories, as well as low cost of living, leads to this boom. The people who are moving into cities rapidly seem to be coming from rural areas. We outlined some advantages of companies locating in cities and it seems that the economic opportunities are the drawing factor.


     A fact I found pretty surprising was that only 3-4% of US land is taken up by cities. Here is a map displaying the locations of our major cities. The cities are spread out and, for the most part, strategically located.


     The Urban Divide was another hot topic. It was determined that the average income is less for those living in inner cities compared to those living outside the inner city. Cities contain many high school dropouts who are beginning to fall even more behind due to the economic shifts. The economic shifts involve the rise in service and high tech jobs, which typically require higher education and degrees. Along with the urban divide discussion came gender and race discrimination in the workplace. There seems to be an inequality in wages when men are compared to women, and maybe even race to race. I do not believe in racial discrimination regarding pay. Each race is capable of doing the same work as the other. Men being paid more than women is a separate topic that should be viewed from a different angle. While women may be as smart as men, the possibility of having children is a big issue to companies. Maternal leave could hurt a company if that woman holds a significant position. The possibility of pregnancy is the only reason I see for women having lower wages.
Western Advocate wrote an article discussing the salary gap. The article says that women's salaries are starting to catch up to men's pay but it is still less. Male graduate start with a salary, on average, $2000 higher than women. So is the pay difference strictly due to the possibility of pregnancy or is this a much bigger issue?


     The UN has two videos on YouTube which discuss bridging the urban divide. These videos are based off the 2010-2011 report. Part 1  Part 2






Mark Harner

Week 3

gooWeek 3: Improving City Security: Krieger style

With the worldwide increase in smartphone use, Krieger’s idea of urban tomography is an interesting and useful concept. This application could be used to help make a record of urban life, create a personal documentary, or, as Krieger suggested, used for security purposes. I believe this could very well be its most useful application. Many large cities use thousands of surveillance cameras to monitor city streets, parks, and business centers. These camera systems cost millions of tax payer’s dollars and have proven to not be so effective.

London is known for being one of the most watched cities on the planet. The use of these cameras (also known as closed circuit television, ie CCTV) was first implemented in the 1970’s to counter terrorism. Now in the twenty first century over 10000 camera’s city wide are used to monitor the streets. These cameras are not the best for preventing crimes and stopping them in the moment, but can play a key role in the investigation of crime scenes. Recorded crime scenes and surrounding areas can be reviewed by detectives and suspects can be monitored. The first article below questions these cameras’ actual effectiveness. They state that in one month these cameras helped capture just 8 out of 269 robberies. This led people to question the value of this 200 million dollar investment, with the former shadow home secretary stating “It should provoke a long overdue rethink on where the crime prevention budget is being spent”. I believe one problem with these mounted cameras is simply the lack of cameras. Slick criminals could become familiar with the camera’s angles and with a little planning could pull off crimes completely unseen. CCTV supporters will claim that more cameras are the solution, but with the population already questioning the cameras effectiveness, this may not be the best solution.

This is where I believe the smartphone urban tomography application could make its debut as a surveillance aid. If even a small portion of the millions of citizens that live in London allowed police to use their smartphones, this application may prove more useful than the 200 million dollar CCTV system already in place.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8219022.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/02/cctv-cameras-watching-surveillance

Week 2: Cities: Would Travis Bickle Be Homicidal In Present Day New York City?

The movie Taxi Driver is about how a young Vietnam veteran (Robert De Niro) becomes a taxi driver and goes on a homicidal rage. The cause of this rage? His own insomnia and New York City. Yes that's right New York City! While driving around the five boroughs, he meets some of the worst people in the city and becomes disgusted with the people he meets and constantly talks about "cleaning the city up." What follows is a homicidal rampage. But would that happen in present day New York City?
1970's New York City was a cesspool of crime. The gangs had taken over, the subway was unreliable and covered in graffiti, and the sleazy politicians didn't help. But now New York City is much cleaner, the subways are better and the gang problem is slowly disappearing. The porn theaters that Bickle frequented no longer exist and the prostitutes that littered the streets are now hiding in the alleys.

http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/hookers-hypodermics-new-york-in-the-70s/
Also this link compares images from the movie to present day images of New York City. http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=1092