Low Class or High Talent?

Source: Author's Photograph (Houses along the Lady Young Road to Port of Spain).

       According to the UN HABITAT (2003), "there are many factors influencing where people live and their access to housing options. What should also be clear is that these options are quite variable and that inequalities exists in access to housing. A key issue facing cities is that not all the people who want a home have access to one that adequately meets their needs. Globally, the scale of the problem is enormous with the United Nations estimating that over 100 million people lack any home, while over one billion reside in sub-standard and insecure accommodation with no services."
      The photo above was taken along the Lady Young Road into Port of Spain, generally i took the picture to highlight the very artistic 'Christmas tree' at the far left of the photo. It was made of old CD's, and i taught yea, genius, what a cool way to recycle. After reviewing the photo i then realized that a child may have made it, and this child may be living in one of the homes along side it. From the outside it seemed broken, made with bits of board and galvanize here and there. Sad i taught, that people would have to live here. This shows that no matter where you come from its about what you can bring to the table.
       Areas like these would fall under Burgess' (1925)  third zone of Low-class residential in his concentric zone model of the city. In terms of Hoyt's (1939) sector model it would fall under the third sector which is also Low-class residential. This zone or sector basically houses the less fortunate in the city, generally i t is located just outside of the city's Central Business District, the close proximity ensures cheap accommodation, low travel cost and hopefully employment.

I chose a song to represent my photo today, by artist Babycham called Ghetto Story. Enjoy.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwnaGvIT0eY

Sources

• Hall, T. and Heather, B. (2012), Urban Geography,(4th edition). Oxon: Routledge. pg 40-41, 274.
• UN HABITAT (2003) The Challenge of slums, London: Earthscan.

Up Up and Apartments We Go!

Source: Author's Photograph (Apartment buildings along the Lady Young Road, to Port of Spain)

      According to Barrett and Hall (2012), Le Corbusier,  a Swiss-born architect proposed a concept called the 'city of towers' which would impact the twentieth century urban planning. This proposal was in response to the problem of overcrowding in cities. His solution was to decongest the city, by tearing it down and increasing its density, this could have been achieved by building units or vertical streets. Units were highrise buildings with apartments that would house many families, the higher the building the higher the density, thus less space was being occupied. With the extra space he proposed wide boulevards to accommodate traffic.     
        Now although entire cities were not changes due to loss of history etc, many of these units can be found in cities worldwide. Even the concept is now being used not only for residential purpose but for commercial as well. The photo above was taken along the Lady Young Road into Port of Spain, it shows units of housing which Le Corbusier introduced. It increases the density of housing while using limited space. In the background you can see units being constructed. The construction is proof that this solution to housing and overcrowding may be working. What do you think?

Apartment House

A filling-cabinet of human lives

Where people swarm like bees in tunneled hive,

Each to his own cell in the towered comb,

Identical and cramped--we call it home.

--Gerald Raftery

Sources

• H. Barrett, T. Hall (2012) Urban Geography (4th edition). Oxon : Routledge. pg 136-137
• http://www.bossybetty.com/2010/04/poetry-tuesday-apartment-house-by.html,  Accessed on 16th April, 2013.

Urban Cities: Concrete with a pinch of Green.

Source: Author's Photograph (Roadside view of the Queen's Park Savannah)

                An Author of Citizens for Conservation Trinidad and Tobago website, Geoffrey MacLean, says that the Queen's Park Savannah is the center for all forms of sport including cricket, football, hockey and has become the centre for miltary and carnival parades, bicycle races, jogging and walks. It also has a history for being the center for romantic liasons and vendors selling coconuts and oysters. The Queen's Park Savannah however is what geographers would call a Green Space.
  Why should a city like Port of Spain or any city in fact have anything green, after all its supposed  to be a concrete jungle? The answer: Sustainable urban development. You see according to Haughton and Hunter, 1994, "Many plans for sustainable urban development involve calls to 'green the city.' this is a recognition that plants play important roles in moderating the impacts of humans activities in cities such as absorbing emissions." Green spaces are important not only for beautification but also to add to the Tourism sector as these wonderful display of trees and sporting attractions lures many.
               Green spaces also serve as barriers, barriers to expansive growth of cities, it helps set boundaries. In the city of Port of Spain alone there are many green spaces present for example: Victoria Square, King George V Park , the National Stadium and many more. I am sure you have passed many such places and did not consider them to this extent. Next time your in any city and see a lush green space consider what it does for the city, in terms of boundaries and barriers.

I chose a poem to reflect my photo.

A day in the park

Sun overhead,
Beaming Brightness,
Warmth as I Walk,  
Through the trees.

Green everywhere,
Instead of grey,
Easier on the eyes,
Easier to stay.

People everywhere,
Some walk, some sit,
Some jog, some lay,
Having a day in the park.

Nothing eases the soul,
Like a day in the park.

 By: Tony Northover

Sources:

• www.citizensforconservationtt.org , MacLean, Geoffrey,Citizens for Conservation Trinidad and Tobago, accessed on 13th April, 2013. 
• Haughton, G. and Hunter, C. (1994) Sustainable Cities, London: Regional Studies Association. pg 118.
• www.helium.com, Northover, Tony, A day in the park, last modified July 2012, accessed on 13th April, 2013.    

Ghostly Spaces: Empty or full of History?

                         Source: Author's photograph

        A simple old abandoned house, located near the heart of Chagaunas. Would this space be considered unwanted and disdainful to look at, or would its history and architecture be an irreplaceable ingredient which helped shape the city of Chagaunas. 
       According to Edensor (2008) a site like this would be considered a ghostly and mundane space, which still has a lot of its past visible, a past which would evoke previous eras, communities and social, economic or political movements and activities now long gone. A space which may seem incongruous when set against more recent developments, but if destroyed the very foundation of the present cityscape would be lost.
       And it is true without spaces and landscapes like these we would loose our sense of history and eras of culture. buildings like these offer us not an unpleasant sight but rather opportunities to revamp. Theses buildings could be rebuilt while preserving its unique architecture, it would add to the city's architectural culture and enrich the history found in the city .


    I chose a poem which i think relates my photo, i hope you like my choice. For me it depicts that something left behind can be full of beauty and value. 

Rust
Iron, left in the rain
    And fog and dew,
With rust is covered. Pain
    Rusts into beauty too.

BY: Mary Carolyn Davies        


Source: 

•  Edensor, T. (2008) 'Mundane hauntings: commuting through the phantasmagoric working-class spaces of Manchester, England', Cultural Geographies, 15(3):313-333.
• Peterson, R. Stanley, et al. (1964) 'A second book of Poetry', New York: The Macmillan Company, pg 87.

Concrete Jungle?

      
Source: Author's photo (Emperor Valley Zoo)

   A city, a maze of tall high rise concrete buildings, hot, tar roadways and endless vehicles. Is it however just that?  In some cities there are rear but precious "green areas" that can take you away from the everyday craziness that we call life. The Emperor Valley Zoo in Port of Spain is one such place, the atmosphere is suited for all ages. Fun for the kids, exotic and beautiful animals of all shapes and sizes, peaceful trails canopied with a range of trees and and breathtaking blooms of flowers. How then can a place of this nature exists in the hectic city?  
       "Since the widespread process of industrialization during the 1980's the centers of cities have been extensively redesigned to make then attractive environments and assets in the attraction of external capital, in the form of tourists, business  tourists and companies." (H. Barrett, T. Hall. 2012 : 250.) I could not have said it better myself, areas like this create huge revenue on a daily basis from tourists. Some find it better to discuss business in calm environments like this. 
    Spaces like these are important in building cities and showing that even in all the hassle there is a speck of peace within a city. 

 Where is Heaven?

By: Bliss Carman

Where is Heaven? Is it not
Just a friendly garden plot,
Walled with stone and roofed with sun,
Where the days pass one by one
Not too fast and not too slow,
Looking backward as they go
At the beauties left behind
To transport the pensive mind.

Does not Heaven begin that day
When the eager heart can say,
Surely God is in this place.
I have seen Him face to face
In the loveliness of flowers,
In the service of the showers,
And His voice has talked to me 
In the sunlit apple tree.





Reference: 

•  H. Barrett, T. Hall (2012) Urban Geography (4th edition.) . Oxon : Routledge. pg : 250.
• Peterson, R. Stanley, et al, (1964) 'A second book of poetry' New York: The Macmillan Company, pg 27.

Introduction

Urban Geography, can be considered a sub-discipline of Geography and a part of Human and cultural Geography, it looks at the places we live, how our cities are structured, and its pattern over the landscape and the relationships formed between each.