chapter 13

In chapter 13 Jacobs talks about the bad sides of diversity. As Jacob mentioned in previous chapters and reiterated again at the beginning of this one, diversity is an essential part of a city to be successful; but too much diversity can make a city go downhill. Competition is formed by diversity, but an excess of it can destroy social and economic support between businesses. But as Jacobs states self-destructive diversity is caused by a successful city, and this is logic if we think about it; a city cannot be successful without diversity so there must be diversity in the first place to be destroyed. Also, according to Jacobs insurance companies and offices are the biggest destructor of diversity in cities.

First Paragraph

There can be many factors limiting diversity in a city, such as high economic standards and social problems. This would be the case of the town of Franklin Square. It is a small town with around 24,012 people located in Nassau County, Long Island. Most of the population in this town is Italian or with Italian background causing many, if not all, of its businesses to be part of their culture. We know that a city to be successful needs diversity as Jane Jacobs mentioned in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. So in this paper I will discuss how high real estate prices, racism and poor public transportation are the main causes of lack of diversity in Franklin Square.

Thesis Statement

Franklin Square has a lack of diversity because of its high economic standards and social problems.

Points that will support my argument:

• high prices in real estate

• racism
  

How does Long Island Real state compare?
This article talks about how the prices of houses went down last year after 40 years of rising prices. It also mentions that Long Island is one of the wealthiest markets. This article compares Long Island with Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, saying that these places have more immigration and apartments which increase the possibilities of ownership. The combination of these factors increases diversity which is scarce in Long Island. It also talks about how a young it would be very difficult for a young family to support a house in Long Island, unless they have two good incomes.

Ellen Yan. "How does Long Island real estate compare? " McClatchy - Tribune Business News 25 January 2008. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. 27 Feb. 2008



THE FIGHT for CIVIL RIGHTS: Seeking social justice in the world, and on Long Island
This article talks about the actions taken by black people to be treated equal in Long Island. It gives clear examples and testimonies of people who had suffered from discrimination and racism. It also has stories about people who made the difference trying to end racism. Their main goal is to get the same opportunities in schools, housing, and more participation in the government. Most of the people mentioned in the article are elderly and started their fight for their civil rights since they were young because they could see the treatment that other people received. These are examples of the problems people of color have to affront in this area. According to Denton Watson, a professor American Studies at SUNY Old Westbury, Long island was very segregated and Jim Crow laws were practiced as much as in the South.

Olivia Winslow, Jennifer Barrios. "THE FIGHT for CIVIL RIGHTS: Seeking social justice in the world, and on Long Island. " McClatchy - Tribune Business News. 3 February 2008. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. 27 Feb. 2008

Chapter 15

In this chapter Jacobs talks about the problems a slum has to go through to be unslummed. She mentions the mistakes that are made at the time to destroy a slum, and also give examples of successful unslummed cities such as, East Harlem, the North End, or the Back-of-the-Yards in Chicago. According to our present urban renewal laws a slum disappears adding new buildings and inverting money in the city, but in contrast with Jacobs’ ideas, a slum is unslummed increasing diversity and trust in the city. Jacobs talks about all the symptoms of a slum being unslummed such as a decreasing of population, an increasing in popularity and essentially, people willing to stay and live in the city. She also states how dullness, stagnation and racism drive a city to become a slum. One can know a city is becoming a slum when people start to leave the place, or want to, in a very short period of time. This leaves a lot of space which is occupied by immigrants and poor people and makes the place overcrowded. The building starts to deteriorate affecting the appearance of the city. Racism is another factor that affects primarily Negroes and ghettos; people do not pay enough attention to these communities because they consider them a lost case, but they do not realize that they do not like where they live and they are there by necessity.

Questions ????

1. What is your name?

2. Are you from Franklin Square?

3. If not, how long have you been living here?

4. Why did you move? Or why do you keep living here?

5. What are the main problems of this town according to you?

6. Why do you think there is a lack of diversity in this town?

7. If compared with neighbor towns, why do you prefer Franklin Square?

8. What is you background?

9. What is the most common nationality here?

10. How this affects the town?

Before 1950

When you pass by this restaurant located in Hempstead Turnpike and Franklin Avenue, you can smell the typical ingredients of Spanish food. If offers food from South and Central America countries in especially from El Salvador. This avenue has many stores such as real state agencies, restaurants, beauty salons, etc., but this is one if not the only Hispanic restaurant in the area. As I mentioned before, in this area most of the commerce is dominated by Italians, so most of the businesses relate to their culture. As you can see in the picture all of the stores have the same design; they use the same color for their announcements and shades. In this area most of the buildings are very classical and simple. Next to the restaurant there is a shoe repair. This store is one of the oldest in the neighborhood. Every day I pass this restaurant and there are never people inside. This can be because there is not that much Spanish people in the area. The second floor is for rent and it has been like that for several months. Few businesses had been able to keep up in this area because of the rent prices and also because most of them are not frequently concurred by people. Many new businesses appear but they do not last very long. Very few people can be seen walking in this avenue and that is also the reason that many of the businesses are not perceived by neighbors. These building were constructed before 1950 because of their history and also because of their designs. Most of them had been reconstructed to keep the classical appearance of the town.

Chapter 9

In chapter 9 Jacobs talks about the importance of short street blocks. She mentions how people who live in neighborhoods with long street blocks most of the time do not know any other street beside their own and the ones that lead them to the bus stop or train station. If the blocks were shorter according to Jacobs there would be more blocks allowing more commerce to develop. People would have more choices to how to get to their destinations and that would stimulate the economy and sidewalk life. It will also help neighbors to know each other better and form a feeling of trust between them. Diversity is also one aspect that grows with shorter sidewalks. She also talks about how long block in projects are meaningless because they have nothing to call the attention of people and they don’t use them because they do not have the necessity to so they become monotonous.

Franklin Square, New York. Wikipedia. 7 Feb. 2008. 13 Feb. 2008

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Square,_New_York>

From this page I could learn a little more about the history of my neighborhhod. I talks about the founding father and the Franklin National Bank. Also it gives demographic information.

Zip Code Overview. 2000. Sperling's Bets Places. 12 Feb. 2008

<http://www.bestplaces.net/zip-code/Franklin_Square_NY-71101000000.aspx>

In this web site there is many information about my neighborhood. Most of them are statistics about cost of living, education, economy, etc. This can be important because I can learn what kind of people live on it and the actual situation of the neighborhood.

Sewanhaka High School

Sewanhaka High School is located in Floral Park, a residential area of Nassau County, LI. The school's name translates to "Island of Shells" in English. It was built around 1929 and it was the first high school in the district. In the 50s and 60s the other high schools of the district were created to accommodate the students. So, during approximately 21 years all the students of the district assisted to this high school. It has students from 7^th to 12^th grade because most of the surrounding areas doesn’t count with a middle school . As you can look the design of the building is very classic. It is similar to a city hall, with the main entrance and the clock tower. Many people when they look at it do not think is a high school because it doesn’t have the common structure of one. This building is very big and holds approximately 1,595 students. Inside it is kind of scary because the halls does not have that much light and the structure is old. The picture shows only the front part of it. You can tell this building was constructed before the 50s because of its appearance and the design of the windows, doors and the clock tower which was not used in more modern buildings. The picture below was taken in 1955. As you can see there is not too much difference between now and then. The building has been repair several times since we have in mind that it has 79 years.

Chapters 7 & 8

In these chapters Jacobs mentions how important diversity is for a well planned city. According Jacobs a city is a natural source of diversity but it has to be balanced. A city must have small and big enterprises which create diverse city commerce. Variety is caused by the different necessities of the population. She mentions the case of Mrs. Kostritsky, who was mentioned in a previous chapter. In her neighborhood more commerce is necessary for neighbors’ convenience; the lack of this also produces poor street life and creates fear of the streets. At the end of chapter 7 she mentions 4 conditions to generate diversity in the city.
In chapter 8 she talks in particular about how important people are at different times of the day in the streets. Most of the cities such as Boston and New York have are unbalanced in this aspect. There are times of the day when there are people in stores and streets but all of the sudden the city becomes death. According to Jacobs there must be a mix of primary and secondary diversity to stimulate people at different times of the day to increase the economy of the city.

Franklin Square

What can I say about my neighborhood? Well, I live in Franklin Square, Long Island. The place is pretty much a small suburb; there are trees along the streets and all the houses are very similar, all of them are colonial style with a front yard. My house is located in Fenworth Blvd one of the principal streets in town, however not that many cars use it. The place is very quiet; in the morning the only thing you can hear is the sound of the cars and the birds. In winter, most of the time the streets are empty, with the exception of one or two persons walking their dogs or jogging.
People in my street barely know each other; some of them only have a close relationship with their next-door neighbors. Most people in my neighborhood are Italian or white, so the majority of local stores are Italian restaurants, bakeries and pizza. The majority of my neighbors have cars so it is unusual to see them walking, in one part because the supermarket and other services are far away, so it takes time to get there without a car. I think that my neighborhood is a clear example of what Jacobs talks in her book and how important sidewalk life is important.
During the summer the things change a little. At night you can hear the people talking in their backyards or swimming in their pools. Also block parties are very common and you can hear the music from the party and the smell of the food. There are more people in the streets going to the park or the public pool with their children. The streets are full of green trees with white flowers and green lawns. During the day there is the sound of the lawn mowers and the smell of the fresh cut grass At night there are a lot of fireflies and kids running to catch them. That is the neighborhood I had been living for 5 years, since I came from Mexico city. Sometimes it is boring but then I think what I would do with a noisy and crowded place and I would just prefer my boring neighborhood.

Chapter 3

In chapter 3 we can learn how important sidewalks are for a well functioning city. The first thing Jacobs mentions is “trust”. The interaction with other people forms a feeling of trust between neighbors because it occurs by-the-way to people’s daily activities. Also privacy is a very important element according to Jacobs. Most of the people do not want to share their private life and when they don’t have other option, they prefer to isolate. For example “togetherness”, which is an old ideal of planning theory that force people to interact and share some things many people are not willing to, such as their privacy. People in these cases limit themselves to a small number of friends or they just prevent these kinds of relationships because they do not feel secure with the people living around them.
Public characters play an important role in the neighborhood; they spread news, they can help with the interaction between neighbors, most of the time indirectly and they also can help people find jobs among other things. These people, as Jacob mentions, “combine a feeling of good will with a feeling of no personal responsibility about their private affairs”. People are willing to have these relationships in which there is trust and privacy at the same time.

HW #2 Intro to THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES

In the introduction of the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, she explains the main purpose of the book and her ideas related to the conventional way of planning cities; she does not agree with the current ideas of planning and rebuilding cities.
She tells the reader her ideas of how understanding social and economic behaviors is the main part to create a successful city, instead of just focusing on the appearance or how to get money out of the project. According to her, the main points she is going to write about are the most common, ordinary things such as the importance of sidewalks, jobs, and the difference between what is consider to be a flourishing city and a “slum”.
She mentions how investing money in a city is not the solution to make it better, in some cases such as Morningside Heights area in New York, which went downhill after it was supposed to be reconstructed by the government; however North End was the opposite, it is consider to be a slum by a lot of people but unlike Morningside Heights, people in the neighborhood had reconstructed the city by their own, without any external help and now it is a pleasant city to be. These and more examples were given to show the reader how the cities are suffering because of bad planning ideas.

FORGOTTEN-NY

New York is such a busy city that most of the people don’t pay attention to their community, and this is the main purpose of FORGOTTEN-NY.COM, to show all the places that sometimes we don’t even notice when we walk by or that we do not know existed. Most of these places are abandoned, falling apart or disappearing, but at one time they were an important part of the city and the community. All of the articles include photos of the buildings and details of them so we can appreciate and realize what the community is losing. We can also do something to recuperate those buildings or neighborhoods and bring them back to play an important role in people’s lives as once they did. Also take advantage of the diversity of culture that our city has.
For example, there is an article called “Yorktown” by Eine Kleines Deutschland. As the title says, it talks about this German neighborhood named Yorktown, located from about East 78th to 90th between 3rd Avenue and the East River, and the history of it. Around 1930 Irish, German and Easter European immigrants began to move to this area because there were more job and housing opportunities and there were a lot of massive transportation allowing them to move easily. And by the mid-20th century it became the largest neighborhood of German immigrants. There were German stores, restaurants, bookstores, and other facilities, making Germans feel like they were in their own country. They could freely celebrate their traditions and culture, because they all had that in common. But since 1960s this place became to deteriorate and many of these stores disappeared, at the same time their culture and traditions did. These closures were caused by the gentrification of the neighborhood which made many businesses to close because people could not afford to keep them up. Today, there still are some of these businesses that try to keep alive their culture. They still serve their traditional food; sell their decorations and candies and other of their traditional objects. Examples like this one make us realize how we can lose an entire neighborhood without even realizing it.