Reaction to Sparks 2/6/2012

If these readings show anything,  it’s the natural progression of cities. As Jacky said, New York City looked nothing like it did 50 years ago, let alone 150! Five points was really eye opening for me because I always saw New York as the diverse and open-minded place that it is today. I also knew that New York was one of the first states to abolish slavery. It was surprising to read about anti-abolition riots in New York, and the terrible discrimination that African Americans faced in New York back then. The Irish, who compose a huge chunk of our firefighters and policemen today, were once seen as completely undesirable and unwanted. New York would be a very different place if those rioters had their way. This progression of the city of New York was surprising, but seemingly natural. New York was also a major slum- not the shiny metropolis that we have today. I think that many cities have the same or similar histories. I don’t think that the evolution of cities can be bypassed; as we read in The Death and Life of  Great American Cities, much of the planning that city planners do is in vain. They never account for the needs of people and the models of cities that exist today, and become hung up on theory over practicality. I don’t think these cities have to be planned, to be honest. I think natural progressions will take place as peoples’ attitudes, needs, and a horde of other factors change. As the text by Mumford shows, even a seemingly minor change, using Jacky’s example of the public transportation system, radically affects the way the city functions and operates. With so many factors contributing to the structure and operation of a mega-city such as New York, how can any sort of building plans attempt to replicate (or accurately modify) the results?