Category: Reflections (Page 2 of 4)

Public spaces are gathering area where people interact with different people from different backgrounds and cultures.  Seats on the sidewalks are the public space that appeals to me the most. That`s  because when you seat on the sidewalk in downtown, You experience NYC in a different way. There are many things that are happening at the same time and there are many things you can learn from just observing the actives that`s going on on the street.

In the film “My Brooklyn”, We see that the city came and gentrify downtown Brooklyn and change the area from its origin. It wasn’t fair that people who were there when nobody wanted to be there had to move or deal with the exceeding amount that they had to pay for rent. Developers saw downtown Brooklyn as a way they can profit money. Therefore, they took the advantage without thinking about the effect that it will have on the people who previously live there and the culture that downtown Brooklyn had before they gentrified it.

“Citizen Jane: Battle for The City” is a film that shows how the nature of city works and how people can stand up and save their neighborhood. Jane Jacob believed that cities was about people and not buildings. She believed that if you plan how a city should work, people will abandon it because cities work like nature. You have to let it function in its own way. Once you you change the way it functions, People will abandon it. Robert Moses and architects like Le Corbusier were the opposite of the way Jane Jacob was thinking. They destroyed communities and neighborhood without thinking about the effects. They focused so much on modernizing the cities without understanding them. and in order to work on something so that it becomes successful, You have to know how it works first.

In the film “The Human Scale”, It shows that china is following the same mistakes that the western countries did during the 20th century. They are destroying neighborhoods to build building because there populations is growing. however, that is leading to a change on how the characteristic of the neighborhood once looked. One of the thing that they said in the video is high rise buildings create less social interaction. Which is true because people who are livings in the buildings will feel like they have to stay in there apartments to feel safe.

While watching the films “My Brooklyn”, “Citizen Jane”, and “Human Scale” it was clear that people who share a common space tend to bond as a community. They come together to do community gatherings or activities. They become united whether its by listening to music, or by planning out cookouts. Despite the mass cultural diversity it’s the sense of community that brings everyone together. The lecture also represents cultural diversity. In the films, Robert Moses is portrayed as the villain who is responsible for the buildings that are getting destroyed. The new buildings that Robert Moses constructed were intended to stop people from gathering outside. In every neighborhood, there’s a haven or community center that keeps the neighboorhood supported and united. But Robert Moses does not agree that public space is this beautiful idea that people make it out to be. He believes it enables poverty. I think public spaces are essential places in a community and for its growth. I had never given public spaces much thought until I found myself occasionally sitting down relaxing while drinking my coffee at a near by park. I do believe public places are warm, friendly places that keep people united.

Describe the way each film (My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale) and the lecture presentation (Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance) discuss public space and its role in cities. Which notion of public space appeals to you? How to you feel about public space in New York City?

The films My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane and Human Scale as well as the special lecture, Healing Spaces: March On! all encompassed the role of cities and public space in their respective cities. In “My Brooklyn,” this film showcased how gentrification and the up-scaling of downtown Brooklyn dramatically changed the neighborhood and the fight to preserve its history. Citizen Jane addressed the idea of the city spaces being “about the people, not buildings” and defined the changing of the city to be a “sacking of cities.” The film, Human Scale addressed the renovating of New York City with the idea of making the city more conducive to modern life. This film bought up the notation of “you measure what you care about,” which resonated with me as I believe this statement is true on all levels from personal to governments and cities. All three films showed the resistance bought about in each circumstance and the people fighting on both ends. In the special lecture, the Marchign CObra also utilized public spaces for their practices and their final performance to make a statement.  Not only did they showcase a beautiful performance but the public space in which they chose to perform un also helped to convey their message. The notations of “sacking of cities” and “measure of what you care about” appeals to me because I enjoy the public spaces in New York and I found it interesting to see how we got these places in the midst of roaring skyscrapers. I especially enjoy the public spaces in Times Space (shown in Human Scale) as I have used these spaces before to sit and relax among the business of Times Square, I find it beautiful to see the stark contrast.

Describe the way each film (My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale) and the lecture presentation (Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance) discuss public space and its role in cities. Which notion of public space appeals to you? How to you feel about public space in New York City?

The film My Brooklyn discusses public space by delving into how gentrification fundamentally changed certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn. What stood out to me was that this entire evolution was planned as the ‘Downtown Brooklyn Plan’. Coincidently Mayor Bloomberg at the time approved of this plan and was an advocate in its conception. Michael Blomberg is currently amid a late 2020 presidential campaign push in which he could become the Democratic nominee. It makes me wonder if this will ever come up in the following months, it also makes me question the influence our leaders have in the development of our cities. Citizen Jane and the subject of the film, Jane Jacobs absolutely changed the way I view Robert Moses. I had heard of Robert Moses and his influence on the “development” of NYC because my major often mentions him. I now have a different perspective on Robert Moses and can’t help but feel disappointed that a single person could have such a drastic impact on not only the city but the fabric of other metropolitans such as Chicago and the neighborhoods of lower income. I am pleasantly surprised that Jane Jacobs won the “war” against Moses and is an influential person in the role of city development. Human Scale discusses public space and its role in the cities by making a case for designing cities around people and not cars, buses and the traffic they dictate. This form of planning for vehicles has been prevalent since the 1960’s. The film mentions the specific ways Robert Moses planned for transportation rather than for the planning for the population. Public space in NYC is of importance to me because it is the city in which I live, and comfort is what we all seek in this world whether it be economic, emotional and proper planning can have a bearing on all these factors. We should be planning for the people and if public officials and planners aren’t doing this then they aren’t working to meet the needs of the community. Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance was a lecture presentation that spoke about topics that overlap with public space. Under Jim Crow Laws public space in the 19th and 20th century was inaccessible most of the time for African Americans. They weren’t completely shut out and had moments such as expositions, pageants, parades and protests when public space was claimed. Jane Jacobs and people with her mentality would advocate for the use of public space because public space should primarily revolve around population not circulation. Marching On: The Politics of Performance explores the histories, driving forces, and legacy of marching and organized forms of performance. Dr. Mabel Wilson blends both important topics through her architectural background and as a professor of African American and African Diasporic Studies at Columbia University.

Describe the way each film (My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale) and the lecture presentation (Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance) discuss public space and its role in cities. Which notion of public space appeals to you? How to you feel about public space in New York City?

Public space is an area that is open and accessible to the public. Ample public space is considered essential to the quality of life and economy of a city. The quality of life is the well-being of individuals, communities, and societies. It is a comprehensive measure that can be used to evaluate efforts to improve cities and nations.

The public space in the film ‘My Brooklyn’ was the Fulton Mall in downtown Brooklyn. Fulton mall was the heart of downtown Brooklyn, where people can shop and spend time together. It is a place that brought people in the area together. But then they lost that public space to the luxury buildings around the city. In the film ‘Citizen Jane,’ the crowded street in lower Manhattan was the place that gathered people around the area together and enjoyed the lifetime by communicating with each other. Jane believed the city is about people, not buildings, but she failed to Robert Moses, the guy who’s planning to destroy the human quality. Robert started to build luxury buildings in the area and had pushed the locals away. ‘The Human Scale’ film is the only one of the film series that represents the open public space in Time Square, Midtown Manhattan. It was reconstructed to be a place for people to sit, relax, and communicate with each other in the middle of the city.

The notion of public space that appeals to me is ‘Citizen Jane’ because Jane Jacob is just a woman who is bravely standing up against Robert Moses and the city planners. She fought for everybody’s rights, and she firmly believed that a city is a community of people, not about buildings. One quote from Jane that I think it is genuinely standing is: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

The film My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale, and the special lecture all showed the importance of space for individuals. The three also showed the effects that people have on public issues. Individuals have lived and made public spaces theirs. The film showed the changes in overtime in certain areas and the way people were being pushed out in these areas. Many of the people in the film Human scale recalled being in the same place over many years and were now being pushed out because of rebuilding. The films also showed that people fight back for the space they consider theirs. Jane Jacobs was one of the many people who fought against these changes and actually won the fight. The special lecture also demonstrated the power of people. The Marching Cobras took over public space and shared their message through songs, dances, and unity.  I liked the special lecture, The Marching Cobras are a great example of how you can make an impact through cultural movement.

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.

Describe the way each film (My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale) and the lecture presentation (Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance) discuss public space and its role in cities. Which notion of public space appeals to you? How do you feel about public space in New York City?

Public space is described as an open area or place that is accessible to all people such as plazas, squares, or parks. In the film My Brooklyn, the public space was the atmosphere of the Fulton Mall. It brought a lot of people together and a variety of shopping items were available. in Citizen Jane, where there were crowded busy streets was the order of the life of the city. In Human Scale, the main strip of Broadway in Manhattan was reconstructed to provide places where people could sit and connect with the city and others on the corners of the streets. The notation that appeals to me the most is Citizen Jane, because when Jane Jacobs said, “If you can understand the city, then that city is dead,” it provided a perspective on the fact that the best things are hard to understand. I feel that there needs to be more public space in New York City because it feels constricting to be surrounded by so many tall buildings and is a reason why I don’t like to travel there so much.

Describe the way each film (My Brooklyn, Citizen Jane, Human Scale) and the lecture presentation (Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the Spatial Politics of Performance) discuss public space and its role in cities. Which notion of public space appeals to you? How to you feel about public space in New York City?

In the film Citizen Jane: Battle For the city, the conflict between power broker Robert Moses and author of ”The Life and Death of American Cities”, Jane Jacobs showed how capitalism contrives over public opinion and in terms vice versa later on. In 1934, Jane sees hope in the city and after envisioning a corruption of absolute power from Robert Moses throughout 1960, where thousands of New Yorkers living in the slums of New York are being removed from their homes to a more modernistic and idealistic approach of progression without the insight of the public and the life among the streets. It was not until 1954, where urbanism started to grow, and the system of order had started to modernize as well. It was not until Moses’ defeat in having a street through Washington Square Park where later on, the plan to renew West Village was given up showing the audacity that the people living in the area can strive for.

In the human scale, the representation of China, which is holding the fastest growing economy in the world, also focusing on agriculture, but with enough space to hold its citizens. Change can always meet with resistance.

In the lecture presentation, “Healing Spaces: Marching On! Blackness and the spatial politics of performance”, The Marching Cobras street performance shows the impact that public life can live on through traditional representation of different cultural movements, dances, and songs. The two films and the lecture showed that the life, history, and impact that different people who come together can make a “way of being” in the impacting area. Public spaces such as parks, or any form of landmass where a huge number of crowds can surmise by gathering together and perform by committing tourism, commercial, or just plain relaxing, unknowingly also perform in expansion to educational and/or beneficial to both the area and its citizens.

To answer the question, Which notion of public space appeals to me, parks are both recreational and gives a sensation of peace to both an individual or individuals. For an example given, Bryant Park, when getting out of work taking lunch there in a warm afternoon, seeing both tourists and residents is both comedically and positive to see that a person is engaging in New York City life.

To answer the question, How do I feel about public space in New York City, it depends on which borough of New York City I am in at the moment. In Manhattan, various public spaces are both a delight and a curse depending on the time of day. Queens and Brooklyn are nice, but I am only there for my own business, the Bronx and Staten Island I do not travel to. Overall, public spaces in New York City is highly beneficial since New York City is compact.

The film series and the special lecture that we attended had the same main focus: the people. The effects that people have on public decisions/issues sometimes are loud and bold because of the human instinct to protect that is theirs.

I really enjoyed the film series, and I related them mostly with my major that I am currently studying: Architecture. The relationship between public space and the human figure has been developing in a disproportional way. While the population growth rate increases, public space is being used to build more and more, and to profit to investors or developers. Our society is becoming less civil and this is affecting people to ignore different social issues, be quiet and even lose faith sometimes.

On the other hand, there are heroes just like Jane Jacobs and people from the African-American community that choose to speak up and do not let anybody decide about their present or their future. I find their acts very encouraging and insightful.

The public space in New York has been treated in some cases as a very important part of the urban planning and design, but there are a lot of other cases too, where public space is nonexistent. We should be a really sensitive generation towards public space and protect it for a better common future.