Author Archives: alex

Cristian Moran – blog post 2

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What city walking experiences do you have in common with the writer? What in your experience is different from what he wrote about? What do you think of the power of serendipity to “expose our commonalities,” as he puts it?

One city walking experience I have in common with the writer is when I am walking my dog. I live in Bedford Park, the Bronx; I would say that the area in which I live in has changed in the past decade in terms of people. Before the change in people, I wound say that I actually knew my neighborhood. There was Georges Pizza, where my brothers and I would grab a slice and play MARVEL VS CAPCOM and meet kids and people we actually know from family , school or even friends. There was also an old school diner that I would buy my breakfast sandwiches from and even if I was short by fifty cents or so John (the owner) would say ” don’t worry about it, as long as you comeback tomorrow; and heres a bag of chip for you to share with your friends.”

Now, All the wonderful people we once knew have moved out of the neighborhood to a better place to raise children or even,retire or perhaps for a new home. The place I once knew had became a new scene. The Hispanic community had increase and the level of care had decrease; more trash on the streets, the old school diner closing. Old laundry mats becoming new and improve ones, No more Georges and some streets becoming worse.

The only time i really get to interact with people is when I walk my dog now. I get to meet people that show interest in my dog Pancho and starting conversation about dog food, dog clothes and even groomers. occasionally i get to see some old neighbors and old friends from school but now old friends from school do not even recognize me or just choose to ignore the past, a past where they want to just forget.

All in all, I believe that I do have common experiences as the writer did but I also believe that my experience is different; in the fact that due to a new circulation on people entering the neighborhood, the past relationships had just faded away.

POST 1 – Right to the city (Cristian Moran)

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Do people have a right to the city? Do longtime residents and businesses have a right to remain where they are?  If so, how should local governments, urban planners, and other decision-makers ensure these rights are maintained?*

  Jane Jacobs “A city is about people, not building.”

 “My Brooklyn” and “Citizen Jane: Battle For The City”

People have the right to the city and it should not discriminate between roles of class or if you are a small business owner oppose to a chain business. Any city welcomes all kinds of people because these people are making the city grow; therefore creating a blend of cultures to a single neighborhood thus creating a NEW culture.

These cultures in neighborhoods tend to create new businesses like “Maria’s Bakery, who had migrated from miles away for a better future for her family and herself” but imagine if “Maria” had to closed down her business because the property owner sold  it, so that condos can rise up: forcing Maria to leave. This example happens everyday, but these business have the right to STAY. The small business that “Maria” created, developed a straight connection to the families in neighborhood. One solution is to merge the small business to the new structure; therefore each business can promote one another and linking the old world neighborhood the new neighborhood. This idea can come to an agreement with the city planner and local government to come to a decision and allow for a share space.