Professors Montgomery and Leonard

Author: Leandra

Gowanus blog post

In my own personal research there have been multiple plans created by the city  to clean up the Gowanus Canal for many years and nothing has been done. New Yorkers deserve a clean canal because its essential to healthy living. If denser residential developments is the future of the area around the Gowanus Canal than it is more than fair to also have a clean place to live free of hazardous waste.  According to the Joseph Alexiou article complaints date back to 1861 with reports of causing illness to people.  In all those years not much has been done to resolve the nasty sewage problem. I think New York could do things differently by looking back to the systems in place to contain the current waste and see what else can be done better to contain the smells and fumes coming from the water. Do i ever believe it will be clean? no. but i do believe that with the right motivation and plan the city can move toward a more effective way to contain/control the waste the surrounding structures produce.

Reflection #2

In each film, My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale, and the lecture presentation public space is represented as a means in which people come together from all walks of life and things like music and culture are introduced to people in a way that unites them. My favorite quote of Citizen Jane was ” In the name of people but not for people” on the topic of demolitions happening in downtown Brooklyn and places around the city that many people go shopping, dining, and to enjoy the open space. I think people who aren’t actively participating in a community should not have a choice or a voice on what should come down or what should be built without first consulting the community. This city often focuses on the potential a place can have that could better accommodate the wealthy without thinking of the people who are already there.  This lesson made me appreciate more of the open space I have around me and opened my eyes to the unfortunate reality of gentrification and how unfair it can be for a community who didn’t have a choice in the city planning that has forced many out of their homes.

Initial class reflection

  1. My level of experience doing research in college is moderate. This is my last semester for a Bachelors degree so i’ve taken a few classes that required researching information to form research papers and then include that information into formal presentations.
  2. My major of human services focuses a lot on human interactions and their society.  If this class will take me into the community and have me research the area  i think it should benefit me greatly in learning more about how people live and the places around them. I’ve taken an anthropology course that had a similar concept and it made me realize how  much i wasn’t focusing on my surroundings.