The city as we know it has gone through a lot of changes from industrialization to Modernization. Change is inevitable and it happens everyday in ways we might not even realize sometimes. However even though short the history of the city has shown that change in cities is unstoppable and sometimes not at the hands of the people. Change is a scary thing we might not all deal with or want to deal with but are forced into it, like the people from the “My brooklyn” movie. Even though they did not want to and wanted to save the fulton mall, most store owners had to move and leave their business because the area was going through process of gentrification.  I believe people do get a say in the change of the city , however they aren’t always as strong to make the changes happen. As an example in such a big and modern city New York, it is mainly managed by corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, whose main interest is money or to protect the privileged ones forgetting about the low/working class. It seems quite unfair because as the people who live in the city and help grow the city we should have a say or right in it, and even though the democratic system claims to be one of the people we can all agree that’s not always the case. My brooklyn is an example on how the people can get put down easily and lose all their properties and culture because of  gentrification. However in the film “Citizen Jane:Battle for the city” we can see how when people get together and fight for what the think is right they can make change happen or in this case stop it from happening in a way that the people were the only ones to lose. It should be remembered that a city wouldn’t grow without the people living in it, so as the creators and residents they should be taken more into consideration when change happens, because most of the time they just end up being the collateral damage and seen as a minority.

Through watching the films of “My Brooklyn” and “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City”, we see that it is impossible to avoid the changes along with the developments of cities. As we see, most power which used to decide a change was held by the government or some other industries. Old streets and old systems created a specific environment and safety for our public life, however, when it becomes an obstacle for the development of a city, personal property or privatization will no longer be respected. We appreciate what had done by Jane on battling on the decision of tearing up the entire neighborhood. Without her hard work, we would not know what New York would be like today. Still no one will blame on the heavy traffic in New York today because that was how it is like always. But this situation will not last forever, since people and city are always counted as a whole and the thoughts of people are always keep changing, the original cities will be changed along with the developments of society eventually.

“Change” within cities come about when there is a shift of ideas and ideals to make a profit from the land that is currently being used to bring communities together. From the films we watched there was one command trend that I observed. Where ever there was a possibility to make a profit and drive out the lower class is when the “city” would push to implement change. Not everyone can be pleased when change happens especially the people that it affects however, the victim to these changes should have a strong influence on how this change is implemented because the future of these cities rely on how people interact with the cities and its environment.

The environment and society are changes managed in a city. For example, people manage changes in a city if they are willing or desperate for change. Also, change is managed by how people react to something and if they don’t favor how the government is changing the city. However, the people have the rights to change it and are the ones who decide what needed to be changed for the goods of the city and the residents. As for the rights, there’s always ”new rights” to be fought for. Therefore people do have the rights to manage change in the city for good cause.

Change is not a very easy pill to swallow, especially when its somewhere you grow up and call your home. Most of the time, the community does not have a say in a changes made to a area, such as a new building, project, institution, or renovation. The power of change is held by the government, or the property owners, in that case, making it difficult for a community of people to have a say in these projects. The goal of these owners or developers is to make progress and push for a modern and urbanized society, while the community might disagree and say that original buildings or areas kept in original condition are what keep the culture of the community. It is impossible to satisfy everyone, however thinking about the the future generations and creating a society that is built on modernistic thinking and lifestyles of the future is important, while keeping parts that are original. Having this balance is the best way to satisfy the minds of developers and the members of the community.

The development of a city requires the use of “change”. This could symbolize many things, perhaps, the change in society, culture, and housing. “My Brooklyn” represented the early stages of how change would affect a society, where developers would invest money in Brooklyn and start to design and create different spaces to eventually kick out the current people placed there. They would increase the rent or simply notifying them and leave them with no alternative to leave. Change is managed very quietly, completely ignoring the current society, and satisfying the needs of the people that will leave in the future there. The city dominates change, they create and outbreak laws so developers will have an easy access to invest and build. However, developers manage change, they are the ones with money, and the ones who push the city to create the “change” with no hesitation. Do we have a right in the city? Indeed, we do. We live here, we are the ones that occupies the space and the ones that bring the space to life. ” Citizen Jane: Battle for the City ” is a great example of unity and strength. The principal character Jane, use the power of observation to protest on the cruel change that the city proposed. An extraordinary woman, with no architecture background, was able to analyze and critique the developers and architects on how idiotic their plans were. She took every advantage as a citizen to influence the rest of the community so they can protest against the city. We are the heart of a city, and we have the right to give our opinions if “change” is affecting us. Nobody said “change” won’t be hard, however it should help the current community and provide solutions for the future.

In both films “My Brooklyn” and “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” shows that is the people with money who have the power and right to decide whether to construct or to demolish. We should have a bit of right upon constructions because it affects us. Changes in the city are managed by rich people without previous notice. Government and people that pay for construction should also see the other side of the coin, they have to analyze pros and cons, and more in depth cons because it will affect us and could be for them too. As in the film pointed out, “Buildings isolate communities” meaning as also said in the film that women were more safe without highway, because the community had look out for each other.