Reading Summary 4: “Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating'”

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In Bazelon’s article, “Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating’”, states that as transgender people are becoming more common, their decision on which bathroom to use has not gotten any simpler. Because of the long history of separate bathroom facilities, it has proven difficult to change society’s way of thinking in their design.

Transgender people and their supporters are rallying for the redesign of male and female bathrooms. This movement, however has created a large opposition. It has been proven difficult to people to begin to truly view transgender women as women and men as men. In Houston, a campaign has been going on called the “bathroom ordinance”, which strongly opposes the mixing of gender bathrooms and locker rooms. Some oppose the change because they view the female bathroom as a “relaxing ‘all-female enclave’” and do not want to give that up to share with men.

Although many people do not agree with this movement, places such as public schools have met the needs of their transgender students by allowing them to select the gender they most identify with and allow them to participate in all school activities as their chosen gender.

In the debate about bathrooms, many have used the word “accommodate”, which has been taken as a derogatory term to some because it points out that these people are different or not normal. Others take the word to mean that society is beginning to change and starting to meet the needs of the country’s transgender people.  Resources are available to transgenders to help them show others that they are indeed in the right restroom, by using tactics such as showing off certain features on their bodies.

Bazelon states that any kind of accommodation is a positive move forward for transgender people and even the discussion of “accommodation” is healthy. Slowly changes are being made in the right direction for transgenders, and all they can do right now is prove that they belong where they believe that they do.

 

Bazelon, Emily. “Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating’.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.

Reading Summary 3: “His and Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society”

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In Tick’s article “His & Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society”, she states that we are living in a “gender revolution” and that the once thought to be traditional man and female roles are slowly changing. This is because of changes in technology, science, sexual politics, and the media. The role of women in society is starting to increase in the traditionally male positions. Transgender people are becoming more and more common and some people are refusing to choose a certain gender. Although things are changing, society is still primarily male. Males still hold a majority of high office jobs and jobs in technology.

Tick states that gender roles have become increasingly muddled. Males and females do not look like the traditional boy or girl you would expect. People are also refusing to identify themselves as a male or female. This change in thinking has led things in society to change. For example, now certain companies have started to adopt “gender-neutral bathrooms” which allow people to not have to choose a gender while using the restroom. Changing gender roles have altered the thinking of many, and while the majority of the population welcomes this change and are ready to accommodate it, some are still getting used to the idea.

Tick has travelled throughout the country in order to spread the word about today’s changing gender roles. The world has never seen anything quite like this, and Tick wants to ensure that we, as a society, work to build environments that welcome these changes, not stifle them.

 

Tick, Suzanne. “His & Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society.” Metropolis Magazine. N.p., Mar. 2015. Web. 1 March. 2016.

Digital Record: signage

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This is an image of one of the brochures available at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It gives information on the garden and the things offered there such as the café, gift shop, classes given, events offered, and school field trips that are available. This was one of multiple brochures available to visitors for free, giving them more knowledge of the workings of the garden.

Exterior Built Environment Description

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As I pass Piedmont Park and pull into the entrance of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, I feel as if I have been transported into the middle of the woods. As I wait in line to receive my parking ticket, I notice that I am surrounded by various massive trees and plants. After getting my ticket, I drive through several levels of parking decks until I finally find a space to park in. I then proceed to wait in line to buy a ticket into the garden. I have only been in the garden for five minutes and already it seems very busy, especially for a weekday. Walking through the garden that has been here since 1985, I see tons of beautifully kept plants and flowers (Mission and History). Most of the flowers and plants exhibited have nameplates to specify what species they are. Many of the exhibits and sculptures are also named after people, probably because of donations made by those people to the garden. The garden has a special exhibit set up for the month of February that showcases an abundance of orchids. The orchids are bright purple and give off a strong unfamiliar scent.  Walking through the garden using the map they provided, I see an herb and vegetable garden which showcase an array of dark greens and both give off smells which remind me of my mother’s kitchen in the summer. The tropical conservatory I entered next makes me feel as if I am in the jungle. The noise level is very high with waterfalls, birds, and frogs all making noise at the same time. One of my favorite things I found in the garden is the Mother Earth sculpture. It is a beautiful sculpture of a woman’s head made out of plants. Out of her hand runs water into a beautiful pond. Another one of my favorite places in the garden was the children exhibit. The exhibit had a bee hive showcasing bees buzzing while creating their habitat, a butterfly garden where butterflies fluttered around until landing on certain flowers, and multiple cute sculptures, like brightly colored gnomes, that catered to the younger visitors. While I was visiting the garden, I saw multiple advertisements for classes held there, such as gardening and drawing classes. Overall, the Atlanta Botanical Garden was very pretty and well organized, although it was quite expensive, busy, and I got tired from all the walking that was involved. Because it was winter, everything was a bit dreary, but in the spring and summer I bet the garden is just breathtaking with vibrant colors from everything blooming. I probably wouldn’t visit again as just a visitor, but would love to go to one of the private events occasionally held there.

 

“Mission and History.” Atlanta Botanical Garden. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Annotated Bibliography 3

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Poister, Theodore H. “Transit-Related Crime In Suburban Areas.” Journal of Urban Affairs 18.1 (1996): 63-75. Web.

 

“Transit-Related Crime in Suburban Areas” was written by professor of Public Administration at Georgia State University, Dr. Theodore Poister. This journal discusses the relationship between high crime rates and public transportation. Looking at Atlanta’s MARTA, research showed crime to initially increase, but was followed by a decrease in crime rates. Still, the fear of increasing crime because of public transportation continues to prevent the extension of public transit rail lines, preventing economic expansion and growth in cities. Because there was no strong correlation between expanding public transit and crime rates increasing, it is likely that there are other factors that influence the rise of crime rates, concluding that the data found in Poister’s research cannot be used to blame public transit directly for higher crime rates. This journal entry debunks the myth that public transportation in downtown Atlanta and surrounding areas increases the crime rate. This source aids in better understanding the history of public transportation and it’s role in shaping the city of Atlanta. In “Architectural Exclusion:  Discrimination and Segregation through Physical Design of the Built Environment”, transportation was listed as a method of architectural exclusion used to aid in segregation. This journal gives additional information on public transportation to help gain a larger understanding on the subject. This journal is well put together, but it is very inconclusive. There is no strong, solid data to back up the accusations and possible theories mentioned in the article. To make this journal a strong piece of evidence in an analysis, Poister needs to gather more data. This article adds information to the subject of segregation in Atlanta, as public transit was historically used to help segregate, as well as explaining how different aspects of the city, such as transportation, help shape Atlanta.

 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9906.1996.tb00366.x/epdf