User Report

THIS IS THE ASSIGMENT

This week’s material talks about significant flaws of  the 1909 Plan of Chicago.

For a better understanding let’s slightly rewind in time. The main idea of what we call today “urban planning” began in the United States from the City Beautiful movement. It was basically a philosophy of architecture and urban planning which existed between the 1890’s and the 1920’s. It believed that the embellishment of cities would improve social issues and consequently peoples’ quality of life. Burnham essentially took an aesthetic approach to urban planning that, according to Garb, heightened the aesthetic experience (parks, playgrounds, interactive installation art as seen in Chicago today, etc) of a city versus the urban population growth and efficient housing development and design to supplement.

Instead he focused on “forging a new relationship between the city and the citizen” (Garb, 101). He believed that the most efficient way to Americanize the thousands of immigrants from different countries and cultures was to create civic centers, urban parks, common areas and boulevards where people would get educated and new dwellers would learn the “values and virtues of American life”. One should note the harsh reality that he was very adamant in the disbelief that immigrant mothers had the ability to raise their children in the slums, probably resulting from their “hereditary and habitual behaviors”. He saw it as the city’s duty to step in to “Americanize” immigrants and that the slums were created “only because of the failure of the city to protect itself against gross evils and known perils…”.

The movement gained strength in 1893 with the world’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Burnham commanded the construction of the fair’s temporary city after known as the White City. It really was the “dream city” because while building it they had the opportunity to touch many aspects of general construction: architecture, landscape architecture, transportation, design, sanitation, and the arts. They planted the seeds of what would be the first comprehensive city plan in our country. Even though poverty, crime and racial issues were hidden from the 26 million visitors, thanks to the world fair the White City project became the muse for Burnham’s 1909 Plan for the creation of the modern American city.

The plan’s main intention was to rebuild the industrial city mainly based on models of Baron Haussmann’s Paris. Burnham neglects the tremendous need for “slums” and tenement reform in his plan focusing in favor of improving and beautifying public spaces as a way to “Americanize” immigrant families with the “virtues and values” of the nation. This sort of social reform is also due to the “divorce” of professional planners (usually male) and housing reformers (usually female like Adams from previous reading). Burnham focused on new technologies of transportation, production/consumerism, and communication. Burnham believed the modern city was the consumer city, never forgetting that beauty and commerce were connected.

 

Both Burnham and Bellamy who are contemporaries, were visionaries and had similar desires for the future of their countries. As optimists they envisioned harmonious relationships between citizens, beautiful and useful public spaces, all towards a “perfect” American society, socially and economically.

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

1) Explain what Burnham means he says that the “embellishment” of the citywould improve the social issues of the community, such as the physical and moral health, versus reforming tenement issues where the root of one’s values and virtues are usually seen essentially in the home-base for development.  How has Los Angeles implemented this aesthetic approach to form this kind of nourishment of value/virtue relationship between the city and its immigrant and native citizens? Think about physical/mental/moral influence with all or specific demographic. How do you think the definition of “American ideals” has changed or stayed the same?

2) What is your major? Describe or sketch an innovative and creative way in which Woodbury can form this relationship between the school and its students/faculty authentically USING THE TOOLS FROM YOUR MAJOR. Some of you may want to think about marketing, design plan or mapping, financial dividends and fundraising, installations, tenement reforms, etc. Your ideas could be implemented to make a real, integral community shift here at Woodbury!

MY CLASSMATE ANSWER

When Burnham talks about the “embellishment” of the city, I think he is thinking that creating a cohesive environment in which all elements are interconnected would ideally turn places of poverty into the “perfect American” communities. I got the feeling throughout the readings that Burnham believed if immigrants looked at their surroundings and got a visual of the “American Dream” that they would completely forget about the conditions they were actually living in, and the struggles that they were actually facing. Meaning that this new collective mindset would force out the social issues on its own, leaving Burnham with no need to actually reform the structures. Los Angeles is a huge melting pot, and there are so many different people and cultures existing in a relatively small area. I will give use the Arts District in Downtown as an example. Located in between Skid Row, Little Tokyo, and Olvera Street, the blending of cultures that exist together inside of the small radius that is the Arts District is crazy (and pretty awesome in my opinion.) What they are doing now along Traction Ave, somewhat of a Gentrification process, is what I would compare to Burnham’s “embellishment” of the city. Specialty shops, and stores, and innovative office spaces like The Hub, are being built up in such a way that “beautifies” this area. This process in a way brings every co-habitant together, forming a totally new and counter-culture that this community has become a part of.

In terms of “American ideals,” I don’t think that they will ever stay the same. They are different now than they were in 1901, and they are even different now than they were 10 years ago. Our society is constantly changing, and the “American Dream” if you will, adjusts and shifts with these changes. I mean, myself for an example. I am 23 years old, still haven’t graduated, still living with my parents, with no solid plans of marriage or kids any time soon, and right now in society, that is the “American ideal.” Compare that to when my grandmother was 23, she was married already for a few years, had children, and never worried about getting a degree. Now that might sound crazy to some of us (given that we are all college students working towards a difficult degree), but during her time, that really was the “American ideal,” or the “American Dream,” and years from now, when people look back on what the “American ideal” was in our time, it is likely that they will be thinking we were choosing to live pretty crazy lives too.  

Given that my major is INDS, and we pretty much pull from faculty members of any area. INDS is a major that I feel actually already does a pretty good job of this based on the fact that we work very closely with our advisers on what will become our senior thesis pretty much throughout the entirety of our time here at Woodbury. They also require we form a committee that includes one teacher from each discipline, an INDS faculty member (who it is likely that we already know fairly well), and the chair. The tools used for INDS are all about exploring a problem through different lenses, and to do so, we must draw from the brains of professors from different backgrounds. Through these types of ongoing conversations, an authentic bond is created between the student and the professional. If there was one thing that I would change about the major to help strengthen that relationship, I think I would introduce some type of forum that all INDS students have access to, with divisions made based on what stage of the degree a student is in. In the forum, students would be able to chat with each other, leave posts for faculty to respond to, leave suggestions, schedule appointments, look up their student worksheet etc. This would create an opportunity for the faculty members to see where students are confused, what the students feel is working well, and what could possibly be improved.

I NEED TO WRITE A COMMENT TO HIS ANSWER

THIS IS HOW THE COMMET SHOULD BE “respond to one or more students’ initial post. This response should be brief yet substantive, inquisitive and courteous. In other words, be engaged with your fellow student’s ideas, ask him or her questions to both gain deeper understanding and to challenge their assumptions, however, always treat others with respect. This post should be about three or four sentences.”

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