Monthly Archives: October 2016

“What Would a Non-Sexist City Be Like? Speculations on Housing, Urban Design, and Human Work”-Hayden : Citations

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“Dwellings, neighborhoods, and cities designed for homebound women constrain women physically, socially, and economically. (page. 2, Hayden)”

It is no secret that there are restrictions in place for women. As we have been studying in the class, the design of architecture makes people behave in a certain way; the design of dwellings, neighborhoods, and cities as stated in the quote above, restrict women from things socially, physically, and economically. Many of these restrictions are seen in our everyday lives. Some of us even know of someone who could possibly be going through these restrictions and that is why we might understand the idea that Hayden is trying to explain in this article.

 

“Employed mothers usually are expected to, and almost invariably do, spend more time in private housework and child care than employed men; often they are expected to, and usually do, spend more time on commuting per mile traveled than men, because of their reliance on public transportation. (page. 6, Hayden)”

Employed mothers have more responsibilities than employed men. Yes, the men are many times fathers, but the mother is the person that children look for the most. Mothers have a special connection with their children and that’s why they are always there for their children cleaning up, cooking food, and other home labor activities. Because these mothers have such much on their plate, they don’t get the same opportunity to private transportation as men do and are forced to use public transportation.

“While some communal groups, especially religious ones, have often demanded acceptance of a traditional sexual division of labor, others have attempted to make nurturing activities a responsibility of both women and men. (page. 11, Hayden)”

Religion will always play a role in our society’s decisions whether we like it or not. Mostly everyone is part of a religion and their beliefs play a big role in their decisions. Personally, I don’t see anything bad with wanting to integrate labor forces. Both male and female can accomplish great things together. However, there are certain things that man can’t do and there are certain things that women can’t do.

POSSIBLE WORLDS: HENRI LEFEBVRE AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY. Journal Of Urban Affairs- PURCELL, M Quotes

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“Most agree that it is the everyday experience of inhabiting the city that entitles one to a right to the city, rather than one’s nation-state citizenship. (pg.142, Purcell)”

This quotation is interesting to me because I have heard this before. The ideas that someone who lives in the city gets the right to that city over someone who is a “nation-state citizen” are always in conflict. In my opinion, the person who lives in the city is right. People are always born in a city but do not live there and therefore, they do not get to experience the everyday life of that city so they do not know how things work there.

 

“He says that modern citizenship takes the form of a contract between the state and the citizenry that specifies, among other things, the rights of citizens (2003a/1990, p. 250). But the current contract and its associated rights have remained much the same since their inception in the eighteenth century. What we require, he argues, is to radically extend and deepen the contract, to articulate a new and augmented set of rights, and to struggle to achieve them. (pg.146, Purcell)”

With new times come new changes. When many of this country’s laws were written, things were not as advance as they are now. The citizens only want their rights to be updated since their creation, as stated in the quote, was during the 18th century.

 

“was long defined either in terms of the political change at the level of the state or else in terms of the collective or state ownership of the means of production . . . . Today such limited definitions of revolution will no longer suffice. The transformation of society presupposes a collective ownership and management of space founded on the permanent participation of the “interested parties,” with their multiple, varied and even contradictory interests. (1991/1974, p. 422, emphasis added) (pg.148, Purcell)”

As I stated before, with new times come new changes. Politics can never remain the same as the country modernizes. Both politics and citizens adapt to the changes that are occurring today. If the citizens see that their voice is not being heard, they will find a way to do so. If politicians only want to benefit themselves, the citizens will speak and make sure that they are heard.

PURCELL, M. (2014). POSSIBLE WORLDS: HENRI LEFEBVRE AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY. Journal Of Urban Affairs, 36(1), 141-154. doi:10.1111/juaf.12034

“The Innovation Campus: Building Better Ideas”- Annotations

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  1. “Being in bigger interactive spaces encourages expansive thinking, while being in a box of a room encourages box thinking. (par.11)” When learning in an interactive space, it enhances the learning and it is better prepared to face the real world. When students graduate, they do not have experience on the work field unless they’ve done internships. The students learn information in a box space will only have box thinking results. If the learning takes place in the interactive space, the thinking will have interactive space results.
  2. “Staircases and halls are wide and often daylit, encouraging people to dwell between their appointments in hopes of having a creative collision. Exposure to natural light itself contributes to improved workplace performance. (par.6)” When workplaces are different, it enhances the learning experience and many colleges are adding unique futures to their workplaces.
  3. “Employers are dissatisfied with graduates’ preparation, students are unhappy with outdated teaching methods, and colleges want to attract students whose eyes are on postgrad venture capital and whose scalable ideas might come in handy on campus. (par.7)” When in school, students are taught information. However, in many cases, only the information is taught to the students but they are not taught how to apply that information in the real world. It should not be like this and as a student, I want to be prepared for the real world jobs.
  4. “We didn’t want to have a classroom because that says ‘In this room, you learn, out here you don’t learn. (par.20)” People have different views on the education system. Many people believe that learning inside a box room will have box thinking as stated somewhere in this article. However, being in a concentrated environment, you learn better than being in an open environment that has many distractions.

My Experience at The Georgia State Capitol

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I have lived in the same house for 11 years now and due to my location, people would think that I have visited the Georgia State Capitol several times. My residence is located 3 blocks away from the original Turner Field which is located about 5 minutes from downtown. However, I have visited the Georgia State Capitol twice in my 11 years of living so close to downtown. The first time was when my grandparents came to visit from Mexico 2 years ago and the second time was recently when I conducted my site visit. My recent visit to the Georgia State Capitol brought back memories and created a sensation of excitement towards my future.

Gordon Statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

Gordon Statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

 

As I stated before, the first time that I visited this spectacular National Historic Landmark was when my grandparents came to visit from Mexico. We gave them a tour of downtown Atlanta in our car and when we passed by the capitol, the golden dome caught my grandparents attention. We immediately found a parking spot and parked so that they could tour the Capitol from the outside. While walking, I remember that my grandmother was so amazed by the golden dome that she would constantly point at it and take pictures. My grandfather on the other hand, was amazed by the historic facts displayed on the signs throughout the Georgia State Capitol and since my grandfather was a sergeant during the 60’s in Mexico, all of the military statues and texts caught his attention. I remember that he would ask me to translate the information on the signs. As I walked around through the various signs and statues of the Capitol, all of these beautiful memories came into my head and made me feel as if I was with my grandparents again.

The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol

 

My dream career has always been to be in the law enforcement for a really long time. It took me time to determine what specific career I wanted to choose for me, but when I found it, I concluded that I want to be a detective. While I was walking through the front part of the Capitol, I saw several detectives walking in and out of the building. I smiled and observed how they carried themselves, how they greeted people; I looked at every detail. As we walked around with my father, I noticed several black civilian Chevrolet Tahoes and I told my father,” your son will drive one of those one day soon. Those are detective cars.” My father looked at me confused and asked how did I know that they were  detective cars so I showed him the police lights that were located in several parts of the truck. I wanted to take pictures of the SUV’s, but there was no one close in order for me to ask permission and I did not want to look suspicious. As I observed the detectives, their cars, and imagine what they could possibly be doing inside of the Georgia State Capitol, made me picture myself in their shoes in the future. When I saw myself carrying that badge, the traditional detective Glock 19 sidearm, driving a black Tahoe, and making a difference, I was excited.

The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol

My recent visit to the Georgia State Capitol was really pleasant. This visit made me notice new signs as well as new details on the building that I did not notice the first time. It also made me remember memories with my grandparents and in some way relived them. Seeing detectives and part of their every day cause a wonderful sensation of excitement that made this cite visit worth doing.

 

All of the photographs used in this blog post were taken by Alexis M. Buenrostro.

The Colors on The Georgia State Capitol

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The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark that is located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Capitol was built more than a century ago a few decades after the Civil War ended. The construction of this enormous building initiated in 1884 and ended in 1889. After doing some research, I found that this building was constructed primarily with Georgia’s own marble, wood, iron, steel, and completed with a limestone exterior. Of course those materials are beautiful and fancy, but it is the Capitol’s gold dome that make this National Historic Landmark distinguishable. The colors on the Georgia State Capitol depict history and power.

Gordon Statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

Gordon Statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

The capitol is exactly 127 years old. Since its creation, signs and statues were placed. There are weathered statues along with scraped paint signs. Some of the statues are of important people in the history of the state of Georgia and other statues are of important events in the state of Georgia. Most of these statues are painted in a bronze or brownish color. However, much of that color is now grayish due to the wearing over the years. The signs that are made out of metal have a grayish metal color with signs of rust on the letters. Gold and black are the colors that decorate the wooden signs. The golden paint completely came off of the letters and in parts of the sign, only the cracks and scraped paint remain after all of these years.

"To The Memory of William Ambrose Wright" Sign

“To The Memory of William Ambrose Wright” Sign

"EXPELLED BECAUSE OF COLOR" Sign

“EXPELLED BECAUSE OF COLOR” Sign

Arnall statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

Arnall statue outside of The Georgia State Capitol

Weathered picture on the side of a Statue outside of the Georgia State Capitol

Weathered picture on the side of a Statue outside of the Georgia State Capitol

The capitol is 127 years old and there have been remodeling done to the inside as well as the outside. The most common remodeling done, as far as I was able to see on the outside, was the repainting of the signs around the capitol. All of the signs that were repainted around the Georgia State Capitol are painted in black and gold. The color black symbolizes a formal presentation and the color gold symbolizes an important, powerful presentation. I am not sure of the exact dates in which the signs were placed, but judging by the aging of the wood, the signs have been there quite a while. These signs have important history on then and therefore, should be kept in good shape.

"The Siege of Atlanta" sign outside of the Georgia State Capitol

“The Siege of Atlanta” sign outside of the Georgia State Capitol

 

Gold has been loved by humanity since its discovery. This beautiful mineral shines brightly and catches the attention of anyone. Over time, gold has become more accessible to citizens. However, in earlier times, gold was only accessible to powerful rich people. Whenever someone is seen with gold, people think that they are rich because of the high value that gold has. Gold has been a universal symbol for power since its discovery. The golden dome on top of the Capitol is widely know for its beautiful shinning color. Its larger section is the one the can be viewed from any angle. However, the smaller section that is on the top can only be viewed from certain angles.

The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol is home to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State’s offices. There are also chambers of the State Senate, State House of Representatives along with offices for both the State Senate & House of Representatives. It is a symbolic building that has its place of importance among government, architecture, and National Historic Landmarks of the United States. A building with this importance always sticks out and what better way to make something stick out than its colors. The colors on the Georgia State Capitol enforce the National Historic Landmark’s importance and authority in the state of Georgia.

All of the photographs used in this article were taken by Alexis M. Buenrostro

Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces Kathleen G Scholl, Gowri Betrabet Gulwadi- Summary

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Universities today have more to worry about than just the academic aspect. When browsing for higher learning institutions, students look at the college experience as a whole, taking into consideration every detail. “American higher education institutions face unique twenty-first century changes and challenges in providing good, holistic learning spaces for the diverse and evolving needs of today’s college student.” (“Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces.” Journal of Learning Spaces [Online], 4.1 (2015)) As stated in the article, young people expect to see a different environment when they go to a university. The landscape, the way that the classes are built, the dorms, green spaces, and any other aspect of the architecture of a university plays a huge role in the college experience. If you are a city person, you will prefer a city-like institution; the same goes for people who like small towns, they will prefer a small institution.

“Today’s university must be resilient spaces in which the learning environment encompasses more than technology upgrades, classroom additions, and its academic buildings – in fact, the entire campus, including its open spaces, must be perceived as a holistic learning space that provides a holistic learning experience (Gumprecht, 2003; Gutierrez, 2013; Kenny, Dumont, & Kenny, 2005).” (“Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces.” Journal of Learning Spaces [Online], 4.1 (2015)) Learning goes far beyond the traditional classrooms and textbooks. Yes, Apple computers and projectors are attractive, but young people from the 21st century like unordinary things. For example, having class outside. Students are more likely to learn with an outside class because it’s not usual for a professor to do this and therefore, will take advantage of the opportunity to learn everything that they can.

“As an integral part of the image, mission and goals of the university, Griffith (1994) reminds higher education communities “that open space must be treated as a scarce resource” (p.29) (“Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces.” Journal of Learning Spaces [Online], 4.1 (2015)). Earth’s population is constantly growing and it will only continue to grow. With that growth comes a greater number of buildings that are built and in effect reduce open space. As stated, open spaces should really be treated as a scare resource. Many universities have a large variety of options that they offer, however, not ever university has open spaces for students’ use. Students love to gather with a group of friends to study, to have a good time, or to simply relax and enjoy the open space. “By preserving and suitably integrating open spaces into the green infrastructure, universities can add value and quality to the campus environment by: forging a campus identity, creating a sense of community, curbing escalating campus density, serving social and recreational needs, providing environmental benefits, and facilitating fundraising and recruitment of both faculty and students (Griffith, 1994).” (“Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces.” Journal of Learning Spaces [Online], 4.1 (2015)) Having open spaces is beneficial to both universities and students. When a university has green spaces, they can add value to their school and students who attend this school with have open places to enjoy.

“Traditional campus indoor spaces, by necessity and function, provide ample opportunities for structured learning experiences that draw upon students’ direct attention. However, a student’s learning experience is not often balanced by unstructured or structured opportunities for drawing forth effortless, indirect attention that occur in human-nature interactions (Valles-Planells, et. al, 2014). Attention to a mix of different learning spaces that combine nature and interesting architecture (Orr, 2004) provide more options for regulating learning and restoration cycles.” (“Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces.” Journal of Learning Spaces [Online], 4.1 (2015)) A university education is a unique experience and every aspect of a university plays a role in that experience. Different students learn in different styles and it is sometimes difficult to adapt to different styles of learning. In order to achieve that adaptation, universities have to create a mix of learning spaces as well as spaces for other purposes around campus.

 

http://libjournal.uncg.edu/jls/article/view/972/777