Posted on by Alexis Carrozza

ITF Post: The Tribeca Dog Run and determining “public good” and “private interests”

In his documentary “National Parks: America’s Best Idea” (2009) , Ken Burns chronicles the development of national parks in the United States since 1851, connecting the development of the parks system with the development of democratic processes in the United States. From the very beginning of the national parks system, Burns examines the parks’ as physical spaces of democracy, spaces available to the public at large rather than a select few.  New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation emphasizes this approach at their website:

Our vision is to create and sustain thriving parks and public spaces for New Yorkers.

Our mission is to plan resilient and sustainable parks, public spaces, and recreational amenities, build a park system for present and future generations, and care for parks and public spaces.1

Continue reading “ITF Post: The Tribeca Dog Run and determining “public good” and “private interests””

Posted on

WaPo: New Yorkers not sure where “upstate” is but it’s definitely not Ithaca

In rebuke to Cynthia Nixon’s claim about “upstate” beginning at Ithaca, Philip Bump, reporter for The Washington Post, decided to conduct his own survey in order to determine where, exactly, New Yorkers think “upstate” begins. His methodology and results:

Map of answers from Philip Bump’s survey, published at the Washington Post.

Beginning on Sunday (shortly after reading Nixon’s opinion), I asked 1,016 New Yorkers: Where does “Upstate New York” begin?

When you ask 1,000-odd people the answer to a question, you get a lot of variation. Some is subtle, such as “Albany” vs. “near Albany.” Some is dismissive: Got a “do not care,” 40 “don’t know” replies and one “no.” Others made jokes: “my house,” “upstate someplace,” “Peoria,” “San Francisco.” Others identified very specific locations in and around New York City: 14th Street, the George Washington Bridge. Six people said that upstate started at 125th Street, meaning that the Bronx is in Upstate New York.

I love “no” because that’s my initial reaction, too, and “San Francisco” is a pretty good nod to the NYC-SF shared connections.

Read the rest of Bump’s article here.

 

Posted on by Alexis Carrozza

ITF Post: Hipsters, Urban Space, and Authenticity in 2018

Though the image of a ridiculously-dressed hipster is slowly fading as the economy grows, it’s worth revisiting the construction of the hipster figure (well as other images associated with hipsters like mason jars, “quirky,” interesting facial hair, urban chickens, DIY gourmet mayonnaise) and perceptions of authenticity and urban spaces. While the hipster was first understood as a specific Williamsburg resident, the word came to be associated with specific neighborhoods like Silver Lake in Los Angeles and then, more broadly, “hipster” referred to a certain type of gentrification of urban spaces. By 2018, the word “hipster” has run its course due to overuse and Portland really hates Portlandia. Moreover, the cultural and political changes between the height of the word’s use (about 2005-2010 judging by this, this, and all the entries here ) and now has made the concept seem less relevant than ever.

Yet its worth pointing out the the image of a hipster as a young-ish, DIY-type person living in “gritty” (pre-gentrified) neighborhoods in legacy cities arose in the public imagination during the Great Recession. Why? Well, according to a quote attributed by Coco Chanel, “Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.” The Great Recession, then, becomes the backdrop for activities and lifestyle of the hipster: DIY, handmade, artisanal, ironic (“ironic”) clothing that may or may not be flannel.

Continue reading “ITF Post: Hipsters, Urban Space, and Authenticity in 2018”

Posted on

ITF Post: How to add footnotes to your posts

After reading everyone’s latest posts, it occurred to me that there’s a simple way to add citations to your posts: the plugin FD Footnotes. I’ve activated FD Footnotes and now you can easily add footnotes to your posts.

Why is this important? 1. Published posts instantly appear more streamlined; 2. As a result, the reader focuses on your ideas and you’re still properly citing your sources. 3. Learning how to adapt academic writing conventions to digital formats develops your ability to write for different platforms and audiences.1

Read on for very easy instructions + screen recording that I made to show you how to do it!

Continue reading “ITF Post: How to add footnotes to your posts”

  1. Alexis Carrozza, ITF for your seminar. ↩
Posted on

Can Bill de Blasio turn the public tide against homelessness?

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s initiative Turning the Tide Against Homelessness calls for 90 homeless shelters designed to decrease the city’s reliance on renting hotel rooms for homeless people. Part of the initiative’s emphasis is keeping families’ social networks in place and therefore building shelters in all boroughs. Framed as an “overhaul of how and where the City shelters homeless New Yorkers” the plan emphasizes finding locations so shelter residents are closer to the social networks with the goal of giving “families and individuals continue to live near the neighborhoods they called home, in a clean and safe environment, while receiving the assistance they need to get back on their feet” (“Turning the Tide Against Homelessness,” 78). Moreover,  the plan also focuses on gaining the cooperation and input from residents and businesses in the neighborhoods proposed to receive a shelter.

And yet residents don’t seem so pleased at least in this video provided by NY1 of residents at on such community board meeting – click through to see the video and a very provocative comparison!

Continue reading “Can Bill de Blasio turn the public tide against homelessness?”

Posted on by Alexis Carrozza

NYT in 1957: “Bohemian Flair Fades in Village”

Welcome to our seminar! This course will explore aspects of gentrification – a phenomenon noted by The New York Times even back in 1957 in the article below by Ira Henry Freeman.

Does Freeman’s article’s tone and sentiment from 1957 seem similar to your current understanding of gentrification or other debates about gentrification? Is there anything that seems different? Does a primary source like this, a newspaper article from 1957, help us understand the present issues surrounding gentrification and development? Does history tell us anything about the future of New York?

https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6075/2018/01/16170315/NYT_washsquare_1957.pdf