Session 5 - November 10

[Thomas Pineda]

 I thought about this persepctive as well and have very little knowledge in teaching Economics, as my subject matter is usually Math & Science in middle school. But in terms of a symbiotic relationship, thinking about temporary markets or food stands outside of permanent businesses- the stands depend on the permanent business to attract foot traffic, but if they directly compete with the business, they would both suffer? I'm sure someone with a better understanding of Econ could use that idea- I'm thinking of looking more at comparisons to interdependent relationships (competitive v. mutually beneficial). That could be studied in students' neighborhoods in dense areas.

[Alison Douglas]

I really appreciate learning about how places have changed due to other influences, but also keep tradtional ideas.  The gardens in Asia that we've looked at are fascinating and beautiful.  All have appreciation for the environment but serve various purposes.  I do realize that many issues are extremely complex and are different depending on where you are located.  Issues such as homelessness, climate change, and the loss of traditional ideas need to be looked at a local level.  As we discussed in the meeting, some parts of the world have homeless who come to look for work while other parts do not.  Looking at ways to solve this are very complex and different. 

Looking at architecture as a resource for many is also very interesting.  As you talking about the freeway overpasses and the simple need for shade becomes important and a nessecity for some.  The fact that people can always adapt and find new ways to survive is fascinating and will always be the case.  I found the idea of having windows overlook water interesting.  You made a great point about watching the water, which is beautiful and can deter the bad element that may exsist when no one is looking.  This can transform an entire area as we were shown in Asia with their cities along rivers.  I'm interested in reading about what you wrote about Covid, and how it may tranform how we interact.  No doubt certain things will change forever, and it'll be interesting to see.  

[Alison Douglas]

The river restoration is an inspiriring idea.  I would love to see LA transform in a beautiful river city.  As we discussed with having windows face the river, and how it would completely change.  

[Alison Douglas]

I agree with you, homelessness is such a complex problem.  Depending on where you are changes the way you have to deal with it.  It has been getting much worse, and it seems like cities all over are unable to solve it.  I wonder if it just they talk about but they don't do anything real to solve it.  It is a problem that affects everyone.

[Philip Bramble]

I spent a summer night in Nanchang, one of the many populous cities in China that nearly no one has ever heard of.  What impressed me about the city was the fact that there were so many people out and about on a summer evening.  There was no festival or special reason for being out; it was just what people wanted to do at nine o'clock: go out with family and friends, get something to eat, and see and be seen.  It was so lively in a matter-of-fact way, and I couldn't help but contrast it with so many downtown areas in the U.S.: empty after dark, and no one wants to walk around at night because no one else is walking around at night.  If we don't make our cities livable places 24 hours a day, we shouldn't be surprised if they fail and die right in front of us.

[Shurong Tu]

To compare or not to compare, is it a problem?

Do you always compare?

I came to America to study about 8 years ago. My family started asking me how education was there, easy, or difficult? We always compared the education in China and in America, which one was better and what big difference between these two countries. We compared the food- rice and bread, tea and coffee, stir fry and BBQ etc.

I found a job after graduation. My family started asking me what kind of job I could look for and how much salaries I could expect compare to the job I had before in China. My family and I compared the teacher profession between in China and America. Teaching job is a decent job most for women and can make some good money, but not very much in America (this is just my opinion).

After I married with an American guy later, my family started asking me what he would usually do at home and always compared the difference between the Chinese husband type and American husband type.

Until today, I am still always comparing each of my students, especially before parent teacher conference time.

No matter what material the house is made of or what shape the architecture is, do not spend too much comparing what are good or bad, just embrace the beauty exactly what they are.

 

[Shurong Tu]

After watched the last video, a word came to my mind- flowing water. It made me thinking about my hometown- Nanchang. I did not realized how my hometown is so beautifuly and unique until now. Because there are many lakes or rivers no matter in the city or outside of city. The first link are some good places in the city area you should go to visit and of course there are so many great places to go outside of city limit, and the second link is a song to describe beautiful hometown by Na Li.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g297446-Activities-Nanchang_Jiangxi.html

我热恋的故乡

 

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[Shurong Tu]

15 Museums Famous For Their Unconventional Architecture

The world is so big. I was looking for some architecture website and I found the one above. Please check it out for your students. I will 100 percent for sure to use it to show my 5 years old students in order to open their mind and shift the traditional thinking. 

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[Ingrid Herskind]

I really enjoyed learning about the "pop up" markets --but really wonder if these types of markets will be deeply impacted by Covid. The informal nature of these markets are what make them successful and an important part of the community and informal economy. What could happen to the livelihoods of these market vendors and what impact will the 6 feet rule have on the informality of these markets. One thing that does work well in a lot of the Chinese informal markets is the use of Wechat pay systems that take away the exchange of money. I would love to see this take off more in the US and think that contactless payment is a necessity in the post Covid world.

[Ingrid Herskind]

I, too, was struck by  the reclaiming of the river. I was also struck by the last part of the conversation we had in the meeting about the importance of nature and water in a living city. I've spent some time down at the LA River and have often wondered what could be done to reclaim the area and bring nature to the forefront in this part of Los Angeles. When Clay Dube talked about the industrial buildings and the train tracks surrounding the LA River Basin, I was disappointed with the city planners who never thought of the river as a something that would "feed" the city and its inhabitants. There are projects to try to reclaim the river basin, but it never seems to be a priority for the life of the city.

[Ingrid Herskind]

I was really struck by the last part of our conversation in the last lecture. I've been pondering ways to live more sustainably and stumbled upon this video about "The 15 Minute City". The idea is that cities in the future will be designed to make everything accessible to its residents-- within 15 minutes. Work, leisure, shopping, exercise, and home life will all be walking and biking accessible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McGyONofhi4

This idea goes hand in hand with making cities more sustainable by not only incorporating nature into the inner city, but also decreasing travel time and emissions. I think I am going to focus on this idea for one of my lessons in my Identity section. I also am thinking about discussing the built environment from the materials perspective. 

[Ingrid Herskind]

The Kowloon Walled City discussion in the video made me think about the informal society and ad hoc low rise settlements and how they catered to the needs of the majority population in Hong Kong for those 40+ years of its existence. I wanted to learn more about the walled city and found this article from the Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/kowloon-walled-city-photos-2015-2#kowloon-walled-city-was-a-densely-populated-ungoverned-settlement-in-kowloon-an-area-north-of-hong-kong-island-what-began-as-a-chinese-military-fort-evolved-into-a-squatters-village-comprising-a-mass-of-300-interconnected-high-rise-buildings-1

The squatter's rights that happened after the large population of Chinese immigrants allowed for people to build without any real restrictions except for the height restriction of 13 or 14 stories because of its proximity to the airport! Supposedly, the streets and alleys were incredibly narrow and quite dangerous at night. They interviewed a postman who seemed to be one of the few people to know the ins and outs of the city.  I am really interested in these informal cities and the ways in which people work together to build their informal economies and cities to meet their needs. 

[Shurong Tu]

China highlights

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/

Have you heard Chinese Kungfu?

Do you like eating Chinese food? 

Are you a teacher who needs culture and history materials for your class?

Are you planning to make a visit  to China or even Asia?

Please check this Chinahighlight website above, you proablay can find all the information you need. This website is very organized and has lots of authetic information here. 

[Betsy Telle]

In our discussion, Professor Bharne discussed how part of the solution to solve economic inequity was to add public spaces. That idea really struck me. I completely agree. In our communities in Los Angeles there are so few public spaces for people to congregate, especially in the lower economic areas. The school I teach at is in a very poor area of Los Angeles. There are very few parks and there isn’t a library or museum or other type building within walking distance of the neighborhood. The house are all close together with very tiny yards and the apartment buildings have not courtyard or public spaces, just the buildings and the parking lots. My students have no space to meet their friends except for the sidewalks and in the street. This is very different than other places in LA where there are large parks and fancy shopping areas with plenty of space to walk, congregate and exist. To build a better society we need to be able to have relationships and especially relationship outside of our own communities. I think it would do wonders to add these public spaces across all of LA where people from different neighborhoods could come and interact.

[Ying Yu]

I searched for Kowloon walled City, and I felt astounded about the environment and the people living there. I only hear about this place from Hong Kong Kung Fu movies, but I have no idea of what it exactly looks. The pictures of Kowloon make me feel uncomfortable since I cannot bear the dirty environment. I believe that a tidy environment can contribute to friendly personalities. A harsh environment may make people feel depressed and self-abasement. I feel so happy that most of them have a better living environment after the Kowloon place had been taken down. 

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