Welcome!
This is the first blog entry marking the History and Form of Cities, Fall 2016.
Students are not responsible for any information on JelloSpace previous to this post
Try leaving a comment to see how this blog works.
If you have questions about the blog questions please email Prof. Andrew H.:
andr (dot) hart @ gmail (dot) com
Check back soon, updates for the first week's class will be posted soon - additionally each week there will be a new class-related post.
Students are not responsible for any information on JelloSpace previous to this post
Try leaving a comment to see how this blog works.
If you have questions about the blog questions please email Prof. Andrew H.:
andr (dot) hart @ gmail (dot) com
Check back soon, updates for the first week's class will be posted soon - additionally each week there will be a new class-related post.
First: Important Blogging Information
Please take the time to thoroughly read these instructions on using the course blog. As this will represent the majority of our means of communications it is very important to fully understand its use.This blog will have up-to-date information relating to the course and discussion topics related to both lectures and debates. Topics relating to the lecture will be posted in conjunction with those lectures. Students should visit the website and test posting comments before the first deadline to insure they are familiar with the online tools of the course. Direct all blog related questions to Prof. Andrew Hart.
Blackboard will be used for official course postings, announcement, course documents, lectures, and debate, notes and updates. Check there for all official course documents.
University Email will be used to notify everyone of new updates, general comments, and specify student notes on progress and practices. Here are a few guidelines to remember when emailing to ensure the speediest response + feedback to your emails
University Email will be used to notify everyone of new updates, general comments, and specify student notes on progress and practices. Here are a few guidelines to remember when emailing to ensure the speediest response + feedback to your emails
- *All emails directed to Prof. Hart should be titled starting with "HFC:" followed by a brief description (ex. HFC: question about this week's lecture)
- *When emailing always sign your name; this ensures that it is clear who the email is coming from.
JelloSpace Blog All students will post comments in regards to lecture material on the JelloSpace Blog. Comments are intended to facilitate online discussion of the lecture topics. Other uses for the blog include but are not limited to, topical discussion on current events pertaining to the course, gathering student found/generated public resources, web links, etc.
Students are encouraged to submit content to Adj. Professor Andrew Hart via email to be incorporated into the website, provide feedback to fellow students, link to material to augment the course, generate meaningful discussion. These practices will the course participation grade. Students are highly encouraged to participate beyond the mandatory minimum listed in the syllabus.
All students comments will be signed using the First Name followed by First Initial of Last name format, as shown here (please note this is essential, since we meet online this is how you will be gauged on class participation and attendance):
John Doe = John D.
Jane Doe = Jane D.
Samantha Kutiz-Meyer = Samantha K. or Samantha K-M
Tien-Xing Hao = Tien-Xing H.
Jane Doe = Jane D.
Samantha Kutiz-Meyer = Samantha K. or Samantha K-M
Tien-Xing Hao = Tien-Xing H.
- *For the purposes of this blog and this class do not sign comments using nicknames, i.e. Samantha, please do not post as Sam, Sammy, Sammie, S. K. etc.
- *It is not necessary for you to have a Gmail account to post on the blog.
- *Although there is an option to leave an email address, this does not substitute for not signing a name.
- *This is for student privacy. No last names please. This format is mandatory for grading identification. In the event of students with the identical naming practice name the faculty and students will designate an appropriate alternative.
- *If you notice another person in the class has a similar name to you, (ex. John Hogan and John Haverford, which would result in a post for both students as 'John H.', please take it upon yourself to expand your signature until it is unique to you - that way you can be sure there are no mix-ups and you will be credited for your posts)
- *Comments which are not signed cannot count towards grading.
- *You must submit at least one comment per lecture or debate post, but you are not limited to one submission, in fact the best discussions have begun over students responding to other students observations!
- *Best practices is to post once to address the lecture points, and post again as follow up with questions, challenges, answers and additional resources for your classmates and the general discussion.
- *Grading will be reflect the quality of the writing, level of interaction and participation, submitting and the ability of each student to generate and maintain an informed discussion by using the resources at hand.
- *Posts which are deemed better-than-average will receive more credit.
- *Missing a posting, or posting late will result in zero credit for that assignment unless otherwise noted.
Notes on Blog Writing:
All students should endeavor to write thoughtful, meaningful, well-reasoned and original responses, which move the discussion forward. References to work inside and outside of class are welcome and should also be accompanied by a reference as laid out in official course literature and practices (see Blackboard). Additionally all external website information should be linked to in a usable format and date given as to when the information was accessed. Journalistic, professional peer-reviewed and scientific resources are more reliable sources for basing arguments. Sites such as Wikipedia, and personal web sites are discouraged. These site can sometimes be utilized as gateways to better, citable, resources, but they should not be used as student cited resources. There are plenty of additional, more substantial resources to pull from, current newspapers, magazine publications, and official online content from government, departments, policy consortiums, design groups, etc. are able to provide much more detailed and useful information for our purposes. The link list on the left hand side of the blog is a compilation of links formed from previous classes
Faculty will review student comments for content as well as writing quality. If you have any questions, want more feedback or have additional resources or topics you think could find their way into the course please contact us!Please feel free to utilize the comments section of this blog post to test the comments feature and signing your name correctly (while this may seem overly simple it is essential that you know how to do this for the online portion of the class).
Additionally, if you use Google+, or a blog feed reader you can subscribe to JelloSpace for automatic update notifications.
Happy blogging!
Andrew H.
13 comments:
Hello everyone!
To introduce myself I will share an experience I had in Rome, where I studied abroad three semesters ago. I believe this is the most precious experience for me in regards to a city, as it is the first time I traveled alone. I would have to say my favorite part of the city was how easily you could walk from one place to the other. I often found that while exploring the city I had been walking for two to three hours, all without any interruption for the pedestrian. I also loved the emphasis on markets, and the natural influences in homes and buildings. It was not uncommon to see plenty of gardens and flowers, paired with the beautiful architecture, the city was lovely. I did not much care for the trash and waste that filled the streets. For the care that went into gardens, the trash rather surprised me. However, it is a city with many residents, inhabitants and tourists. It is hard to say what the most memorable space in the city was.
While I can easily say Trastevere was my favorite, I believe the Villa Borghese was probably the most memorable. The Villa Borghese is an enormous garden with museums and plenty of spaces that feel comfortable and even inspiring. I still can envision certain parts of the garden and believe if I went there tomorrow I would still be able to find my way around the different parts of the garden, despite it feeling so vast and endless.
I look forward to seeing everyone else's experiences in cities, and for this class this semester!
Best,
Sarah W
Hello!
I want to share with you my experience of living in my small hometown of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to visit a city (besides Philadelphia) long enough to talk about it for a long period of time. However, the thriving metropolis of my hometown of Bloomsburg has 14,000 inhabitants. That being said, there's not too much to this sleepy little town. The lay out is pretty simple, there's Main Street that is lined with little shops and "Donald Trump" signs. In its center it is crossed by a very wide Market Street. The corners are lined with banks, the post office, and the courthouse. In the center of the intersection is a fountain and ties the two streets together. During the summer months local farmers set of produce stands on Market Street where you can buy local fruits and vegetables. What I liked about Bloomsburg was how vast its park system was for being such a small town. The park was set up along the bank of the Susquehanna River and is fitted with tennis and basketball courts, a man made pond, running trails, and plenty of picnic space for families to enjoy the outdoors.
On the other hand, Bloomsburg lacks in community and I find this strange because of its size. I feel more apart of the local community here at Temple when I walk to the bus stop in the morning on my way to work people will say "good morning." What I think plays into the lack of community is that essential needs like groceries aren't in walking distance. Everyone needs to own a car to move through the area. Moving to a bigger city like Philadelphia really made me realize the benefits the feel of community can have in a neighborhood and the city as a whole.
Looking forward to this class and talking with you all!
Alec T
Hello everyone!
I want to share a special experience with you that I had in Beijing. I originally came from Shandong Province but my parents moved to another small city named Baoding in China when I was a kid. Baoding is closed to Beijing and it only took about two hours’ driving. I went to Beijing to study English for half year before I came to America. That was a fantastic moment for me. Not only learned English, but also I enjoyed the life style in Beijing. The reason why I loved Beijing was the city combined with modern and ancient culture. As we all known, Beijing was a fast developing city and the modern art existed in everywhere. However, Beijing still kept many ancient civilization and buildings. This mixed style made me feel energetic everyday.
The most memorable space for me in Beijing was the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the symbol of China, and it was the capital of the six dynasties. According to the functionality, the Forbidden City was well-design palace for the loyal family in China. I still could recall the time that I visited the Forbidden City. When I stood in front of the Tiananmen Square, I could feel the heaviness of history. There were 9999 rooms in the Forbidden City. However, there was a rumor told us that the Forbidden City still had another half room. By standing in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I could feel the greatness of China. I suddenly realized it represents the center of the power and authority. I admired those people who could built such a fantastic architecture. Not only the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there were plenty of buildings such as the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony and etc. That was one of my remarkable experiences in my life to visit the Forbidden City.
I looking forward to share more experience together with you all.
Jingting F
Hi All,
I suppose the experience I'd like to share would be that of Hong Kong. In simple terms, I thought the place was incredible. The thing about Hong Kong is that it is a very modern city, with high skyscrapers, but the fact that it also has many, many places steeped in history makes it an incredible confluence of old and new. I enjoy both modern architecture and old, traditional Chinese architecture, and Hong Kong had plenty of both. While I can't say walking around the city was my favorite part of the trip (95 degrees plus an equal percentage humidity does wonders for my sweat glands), surveying the beautiful skyscrapers on Hong Kong island and passing below the towering buildings of old town Kowloon sure was a good time. The only thing that I noticed was the somewhat dirty streets, but with 7.2 million people, I suppose not everything can be perfect.
However, as fun as Hong Kong was, I would say the most memorable place (in regards to architecture) I've visited would be Quito, Ecuador. Quito is built mostly on a mountain slope, and stretches some 35 km long, with much growth occurring in recent years. However, walking through the streets sort of gave me an impression that the city wasn't well planned when it was built, with many, many seemingly random crisscrossing streets with thin (maybe 2 foot wide) sidewalks throughout the city. In fact, I was probably almost hit by cars more in a week there than in the 3 months I lived in New York two years ago...but I digress.
Looking forward to some of your experiences as well!
Best,
Peter S
Hello,
My place of sharing would be Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Since i was very young and till this day it is our yearly or twice yearly family vacation spot. Yes i know, i am a guy and enjoy WDW, but it really is more than just multiple amusement parks and for young kids. The resorts are stellar and loads of fun with a nostalgic atmosphere which mimic resorts all over the world. You don't even need to leave Disney property the entire time because everything is at your fingertips. There is something to be said about good ole southern sun (especially when you have lived in the northeast your entire life) and palm trees and a resort pool to be a complete mood changer.
Each and every year something is new at Disney which has turned into this metropolis of pure enjoyment that is constantly thriving to different heights. Maybe its because i have grown up with Disney and its become tradition, but i look forward to going when i have the opportunity. The warmth of the Florida sun does wonders and combined with the "happiest place on earth", you can't go wrong.
Anyway, thanks for letting me share. I look forward to this class and reading your experiences and opinions.
Ryan G.
Hey guys, my name is Charlie and I would like to talk about some time I spent a couple of summers ago doing an internship program in the city of Miami. I definitely like Miami a lot, however I wouldn’t say that it is my favorite city in the states. For the purpose of this assignment I want to talk about it because it is the only city besides Philly that I have spent an extended period of time in by myself. For starters, I really enjoy the location of the city. Some of my fondest memories in Miami revolve around exploring various beaches, keys, and tiny islands in the Biscayne bay. Top this with constant sunshine, almost no rain and (somewhat) bearable heat and you have a beautiful city with awesome weather to live in. Another thing I enjoyed about the city is the various diversity of the cities districts. For example, the program I was in had us students living in the Brickell area of Miami which was just south of Downtown upscale Miami. Brickell is incredibly rich and fancy, and at times I felt extremely out of my element, however it was nice to pretend I was super rich and bougie for a couple of months. Other diverse districts in Miami include Wynwood: an art district that had killer street art and graffiti that my friends enjoyed walking around and looking at, as well as Little Havana: an extremely Hispanic neighborhood that has cultural Fridays or “Viernes Culturales” that show off their Hispanic (primarily Cuban) pride with parades, street performances, and delicious Hispanic food. Its important to note that Miami has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the nation, with the city being home to around 70% Hispanics. Some of the things that I did not care for much revolve simply around the outrageous cost of living and the feeling of rich snobs being everywhere.
My most memorable space in the city would probably have to be this little island that was a couple of miles from the apartment complex we stayed in. There was no better feeling for me than to get home from work and go skateboard barefoot to this tiny island in the Biscayne bay.
Thanks for listening! I look forward to reading about everyone else’s experiences.
Charles I.
Hi everyone! I'll share a recent experience. I lived in Los Angeles for half a year; going into it, I didn't expect to like living there. I loathe driving and prefer living in more densely populated cities. I knew it was a city without a center. Working in the entertainment industry, however, leaves only two choices -- Los Angeles or New York. But Los Angeles was not what I expected. It was an incredibly diverse city, filled with amazing people, food and places. Working in a city filled with people working in your field is a definite plus; it made it easier to make connections and find work. Driving all the time did bother me after a while -- especially after getting into two car accidents -- but that did not sway me. Los Angeles is undergoing a transformation, albeit slowly, to a more dense, walkable city. And it's hard to beat a taco truck on every corner!
As far as memorable spaces go, driving down Sunset Boulevard through Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Echo Park always sticks out to me. One aspect of Los Angeles that always shocked me was how scenic every part of the city was -- it was hard to ignore the beautiful vistas of the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains.
Looking forward to this class and hearing more about everyone's thoughts and experiences!
Hello,
I would like to introduce my experience in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is the capital city of South Korea, and also is my hometown. I am an exchange student in Temple University, and my home university is also located in Seoul. What I like most about Seoul is that I can find everything I want in Seoul within one hour by driving. Also, public transportation is well developed, it has 15 subway lines and many bus stops. As many people in Korea move to Seoul, the demand for public transportation and new buildings is increasing like other urban area. However, what I feel shame about Seoul is that it is not easy to find well preserved traditional building or area. I think the reason why it is hard to find is related to the history of Korea, in the period of Japanese colonialism and Korean War. Also, a rapid economic development in Korea made the city changes so fast.
The most memorable and favorite space in the city is Jongno. Jongno is located in the center of Seoul, where I can find urban and tradition at the same time. There are many office buildings and I can find people are always look so busy, but the traditional village is right beside the buildings where it is so calm and beautiful.
Looking forward to this class and sharing the experience with you all!
Hyoeun L.
Hello All!
I would like to introduce myself with my experiences in Philadelphia, Pa. Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania, with a population of approx. 1.5 million people. Philadelphia is the city I work, live, and go to school in. Unfortunately I haven't had an experience in any other cities for a prolonged period of time. I enjoy that Philly has grown to be a social hub with many activities to participate in. Since there is a large population of college student living in the city the social crowd is generally directed toward that generation. I would say many of the activities that are available in the city could be categorized as mainstream. Unfortunately Philadelphia has a dark side which with my job, am exposed to on almost a daily occurrence. Philadelphia has a large population living in poverty. As a Patrol Officer in Section 8 Housing I face the issues associated with poverty frequently. Though all cities have the good and bad. A place in Philadelphia that is memorable to me is Spruce Street Harbor Park. Spruce Street Harbor Park is located next to the Delaware River it features hammocks, floating gardens, beautiful lights hanging from the trees, refreshing craft beer, food from popular Philly restaurants, and more, making it a summer gathering space that attracts local and visitors.
-Sean G
Hey Everybody! My name is Bar Levy and I grew up in a small town in Israel. I moved to Philadelphia almost three years ago. I can truly say that the change in places I made change who I am. Living in a big city means being a small fish in a big tank. I had to adopt to the situation and learn how to enjoy it. The most positive cultural aspect that I enjoy in Philadelphia is the diversity. I fell like I am surrounded by people from all sizes shapes and colors. It is amazing! Looking at different areas in Philadelphia I can truly see different cultural elements, especially in architecture.
Lactures3&4
Different people position themselves differently within a space. For instance, in a classroom, some student would prefer seating in the front seats while some student would rather sit in the back. Although every student in a class sits in a different spot, they all share the classroom. Similar to a classroom, cities are made in such a way that people from all areas should live and share.
Also, a city is made of strangers. Think about the amount of people you know in Philadelphia. Now think about how many people live in Philadelphia. The numbers are extremely different far from each other. Cities are made of and for strangers. The fact that we live among strangers and are surrounded by them makes us feel small. In the past, people believed that they are the center of the world, that there is only one plant, one sun and one moon. With knowledge, came a change. This change began when people started realizing that there are more planets and they might not be the highest intellectual creatures in the universe. They started realizing that looking at themselves as the center of the universe might have been a fault. As a result, people’s approach towards spaces has changed. Cities were built in a way that they are meant to serve people from all areas of the city. For example, one city has three neighborhoods, neighborhood “A”, neighborhood “B”, and neighborhood “C”. In neighborhood “A”, there sits the best bars. Neighborhood “B” has the best coffee shops. Neighborhood “C” has the best gyms. In this situation, people from neighborhoods “A”&”C” who want to go to the best coffee shops would have to travel to neighborhood “B”. People from neighborhood “B”&”A” would go to neighborhood “C” to watch a movie in the best theater. In this situation, the city described above does not have a defined center, but many small “center”s.
Technology is undoubtedly the most major factor to changes in the world. Technology is taking a wide part of every aspect of life. Communication and mobility are the keys to a modern society. Cities have changed with the development of technology. With the development of the cars, the phone and the Internet came to a change in the design of cities. Using these three inventions we almost eliminate the factor that distance used to take.
Thank you all!
Levy B
Lecture 5:
The first city that comes to mind is the town that I grew up in. The town is called Yeruham and it is located in the southern part of Israel. The town is surrounded with nature. On the Northern side of the city there is a dry desert while on the Southern side of the town hides a lake in a middle of an oasis. In between those natural boundaries there are mostly residential neighborhoods. There is one major commercial area which all of the manufactures and the big stores are located in. This area is about seven miles away from any residential property. As mentioned, the town functions mostly for residential, which puts it closer to the definition of labor. In my point of view, just like the definition of labor, my town is to provide the necessities. The same developers made most of the neighborhoods in the city. As a result, many of the structures are more or less replicas of the other structures. Although imagining a serious of buildings that look very similar might be considered boring, building this way saves cost and time. Thus, building built in such a way clueing that those structures are made for the basics or the necessities. As mentioned above, the town that I grew up in has a distinct threshold between the commercial and residential areas. This design of the town has many advantages but many disadvantages. On one hand, the residential areas are very calm and safe. On the other hand, one who needs to go to work would have to drive a far distance due to the fact that most of the town's citizens work in neighbor cities. Also, the housing development in the city is slow because most of the modern families prefer living close to where they work.
Even though we might consider the nomadic routine as boring and uneventful, it is unexceptionally out of the ordinary. One might criticize the nomadic culture for lacking imagination and curiosity since inventions are the main reason for massive changes in the world. Yet, does every person invent? The answer is easy. Almost nobody has the chance to be called an inventor. Most of the modern people are pursuing their goals every day during their routines. Similarly, the Nomadic tribes had a routine. The Nomadic had repetitive and dangerous routines. The nomadic used to travel great distances for achieving their goals. No matter what nature has planned for the day, the nomadic would walk towards his or her goals. The tools needed for the job were obviously there due to the fact that they were able to arrive in their destinations. However, the tools would go bad after a while. Unlike the modern life, fixing a tool did not involve sending it to a lab or a mechanic. It probably means to “reinvent” it. Or rebuilt it. Also inventing is usually a process that requires a long time. The Nomadic people were consistently busy surviving. When survival is something a person deals with on a daily basis, this person does not have much time for anything else.
Why to stay Nomadic if it means to be a part of a boring society? In ancient times, one did not have the choice for one’s place in the world. The lack of a developed language made cultural mixes rare. People were on the move constantly. There were no cities that function as protections. In that case, people did not have the chance to sit down and get “educated”. People simply didn’t know that there are different options. Knowledge must be gained. A person that was born to a Nomadic life and was not exposed to any other kinds of life would not be passionate about leaving the Nomadic life. Also, the Nomadic probably realized their need to be a part of a group in order to survive nature. Sticking together must have meant protect and being protected.
Instead of the Nomadic form, other primitive forms could alter, like Caveman. Leaving the cave was the main reason for the arrival of tribes, but instead of leaving the cave in order to live on the road, the primitive man could build tribes around the cave. The primitives could find a place that has multiple caves with short distance between each other. In this case the primitive man could be protected from nature while maintain the primitive form of social life.
Lecture 1
Nomadic Tribes i believe were unable to invent new ideas because they were so set in their ways and they concentrated on maintaining their lives at their current level. I think they were all about survival and inventing new ideas was not on the list of priorities. They appear happy and content, although a bit savage like.
They have a simple way of life and seem to be quite satisfied living this way. For them its why change something that to them isn't broken. They travel frequently and not staying in one place, a normal way of life to them, unusual way of life to us. They live day to day for each day.
What has altered Nomadic life in my opinion is culture and society today. Land is not as free as it was to inhabit, same with food. Someone owns some aspect of society which limits there boundaries of living in freedom. Some control is now out of there hands and places aren't as accessible or even safe. I have to say that researching this way of life is quite interesting. I have heard of Nomadic Tribes but never fully understood their exact way of life, what they leave behind and the simple way of life they treasure. It actually seems quite humbling.
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