The sources mentioned have many more ideas about the Gowanus Canal. During our first research, we saw this article and when I read it I saw the problem with helping the Gowanus Canal. Many solutions have come up but there is no will to work and pay for the solutions. Many people have tried to look for cheaper solutions instead and its a cycle that never ends and no solution is found. The guide book provides information of what rezoning is and what it consists of. We have seen some of the rezonings around the Gowanus Canal, as the residential apartments. The last article also spoke about rezoning and the effects around the canal. The sources mention ways to clean the canal as we have discussed in class previously. The rezoning articles show the possible ways the canal can benefit. The articles helped in seeing the positive outcomes of the rezoning.
Page 4 of 10
After reading the articles about the Gowanus Canal, I have been able to get a better understanding of how the canal has gotten into its present day situation from the first article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.  In the article it describes how each politician in office would come up with a solution realize it is to expensive, then move onto a cheaper fix that will not last a decade at most. I believe that the article is trying to get across to the reader is that if we keep following the trend of choosing the cheaper option to fix the canal it will never get clean in the end. The guide book provided was mainly talking about the zoning of areas in the city and rezoning of already zoned areas. While some parts of the canal have been put up for rezoning such as the residential apartments being built in the area, It remains to be seen if that will have a positive effect on the environment of the canal itself. The last article provided talks about the rezoning of the canal area and as I’ve stated I would hope that rezoning could have a positive effect on the environment around the canal but remains to be seen.
I hope everyone is doing well. As you make progress with research for Learning Places and projects in your other courses, you may need access to scholarly and primary sources, including ebooks and articles, from the library’s online resources. Log in with the activated library barcode from your college ID. Type your LIB barcode number here to see if your ID has been activated for the semester. If you see the message Full library access granted. Hurray! you are good for the semester. If you get the barcode does not exist in this database… message, please email me the information below and I’ll get your ID activated:
– Name
– EMPLID
– 14 digit library number (for details see: https://library.citytech.cuny.edu/help/how/offCampus.php)
– Mailing address (if possible)
Remember, the digitized archival resources of the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the primary sources from the NYC Department of City Planning and other NYC agencies are always free and available to everybody, no login required.
Research questions? Let’s talk during my office hour 10-noon tomorrow, or Ask a Librarian (24/7 chat).
~Prof. L.
In class today, we discussed the updated class schedule and noted that teams have until 5pm today to post the revised draft research question.
Please take the midterm survey to give your instructors and classmates some feedback on improving the class. The survey is open through Tuesday, April 7.
Classes are not held April 8-10 and we do not meet next week, Thursday, April 9. Your professors will keep their usual office hours (Montgomery | Leonard). Stay safe and healthy, everyone.
Of interest to anyone looking for paid part-time work with a community service learning component, the deadline to apply to the CUNY Service Corps has been extended to April 19.
The reading and blogging assignment due Tuesday, April 7 is below:
Please read the following 3 pieces: one is an opinion piece by Joseph Alexiou, author of Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal. The next is a booklet that explains zoning and offers templates for workshops and activities to better understand this complicated concept. The last is a primary source, a collection of documents from the NYC Department of City Planning, that together comprise the rezoning proposal for the Gowanus.
- Alexiou, Joseph. “The Gowanus Canal Will Never Be Clean.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 20 Jan. 2020. https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/01/17/the-gowanus-canal-will-never-be-clean-opinion/.
- Â Center for Urban Pedagogy, What Is Zoning? 2013. welcometocup.org/file_columns/0000/0530/cup-whatiszoning-guidebook.pdf. Read pages 10-35 and 79-105.
- Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study from the NYC Department of City Planning, 2018. Explore and skim, but no need to read the entire study.
After you’ve read all 3 pieces, write a 150-word reflective blog post, due on April 7 by 5pm. Please respond to the following prompt:
Alexiou offers an overview of the tensions between development and environment while expressing doubt that current practices will ever result in a cleaned-up, safe environment. The Gowanus Planning Study is an overview of a plan to rezone (or upzone) the neighborhood to allow denser residential development. How could New York do things differently, what does “clean” even mean in 2020, and what right to New Yorkers have to a clean and safe place to live? Your reflection could offer a critique of current NYC zoning practices, a critique of the Gowanus draft study, and/or a critique of the EPA cleanup efforts under the Superfund project.
EVERYONE,
Our class schedule for tomorrow morning will be as follows:
GENERAL CLASS MEETING: Â 9:00AM-9:25AM
TEAM 1 MEETING: 9:30AM-10:05AM
TEAM 2 MEETING: 10:10AM-10:45AM
TEAM 3 MEETING: 10:50AM-11:25AM
TEAM 4 MEETING: 11:30AM-12:05PM
TEAM 5 MEETING: 12:05PM-12:40PM
Each team shall set up a Zoom call for this time and invite Prof. Leonard and myself. You team is encouraged to meet for additional time during our class time to coordinate your efforts and make progress on key aspects of your project (research question and annotated bibliography at the moment.)
Our General Class Meeting Zoom invite is:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/826667043
Meeting ID: 826 667 043
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,826667043# US (New York)
+13126266799,,826667043# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
We can meet via zoom here: https://zoom.us/j/7827527794 or use meeting ID: 782 752 7794.
Email me with a phone # if you’d prefer.
Thanks for a good meeting today. For next Tuesday, each group should post the draft research question as a blog post on their project site, and each member should continue finding and annotating at least three primary and secondary sources that are relevant to the group’s research question. Earlier posts on primary source research and refining the research question might help, and do not hesitate to reach out with questions.
The following readings will give everyone some background information on the Gowanus. Some groups may have already found these in the course of research.
Please read the following 3 pieces: one is an opinion piece by Joseph Alexiou, author of Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal. The next is a booklet that explains zoning and offers templates for workshops and activities to better understand this complicated concept. The last is a primary source, a collection of documents from the NYC Department of City Planning, that together comprise the rezoning proposal for the Gowanus.
- Alexiou, Joseph. “The Gowanus Canal Will Never Be Clean.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 20 Jan. 2020. https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/01/17/the-gowanus-canal-will-never-be-clean-opinion/.
- Â Center for Urban Pedagogy, What Is Zoning? 2013. welcometocup.org/file_columns/0000/0530/cup-whatiszoning-guidebook.pdf. Read pages 10-35 and 79-105.
- Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study from the NYC Department of City Planning, 2018. Explore and skim, but no need to read the entire study.
After you’ve read all 3 pieces, write a 150-word reflective blog post, due on April 7 by 5pm. Please respond to the following prompt:
Alexiou offers an overview of the tensions between development and environment while expressing doubt that current practices will ever result in a cleaned-up, safe environment. The Gowanus Planning Study is an overview of a plan to rezone (or upzone) the neighborhood to allow denser residential development. How could New York do things differently, what does “clean” even mean in 2020, and what right to New Yorkers have to a clean and safe place to live? Your reflection could offer a critique of current NYC zoning practices, a critique of the Gowanus draft study, and/or a critique of the EPA cleanup efforts under the Superfund project.
Class Meeting 9:00am-9:30am
Table of Contents
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/290794750
Meeting ID: 290 794 750
One tap mobile
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+13126266799,,290794750# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
TEAM 1 Meeting 9:30am-10:00am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/499112539
Meeting ID: 499 112 539
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+13126266799,,499112539# US (Chicago)
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TEAM 2 Meeting 10:05am-10:35am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/816256890
Meeting ID: 816 256 890
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+13126266799,,816256890# US (Chicago)
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TEAM 3 Meeting 10:40am-11:10am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/608738200
Meeting ID: 608 738 200
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+13126266799,,608738200# US (Chicago)
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+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
TEAM 4 Meeting 11:15am-11:45pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/129894592
Meeting ID: 129 894 592
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+13126266799,,129894592# US (Chicago)
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+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
TEAM 5 Meeting 11:50am-12:20pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/324329849
Meeting ID: 324 329 849
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+13126266799,,324329849# US (Chicago)
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Everyone,
Tomorrow morning during our class and team meetings we will review your research progress. Please keep in mind that by tomorrow morning each team member needs to have posted 3 primary sources along with the bibliographic citation and draft annotation for each source. Currently most team sites have little activity recorded. You will earn participation points for each post and comment on your team sites.
We look forward to discussing progress with you tomorrow.
If anyone is having issues impacting your participation, please reach out to us via email:
jmontgomery@citytech.cuny.edu
aleonard@citytech.cuny.edu
Everyone,
It is very important that you have adequate access to tools to work remotely right now.
Please take to this poll on your facility to work from home at this point:
Loading ...If you answer no, please email me and Professor Leonard so we can discuss directly.
Prof. Montgomery
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