Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 10

      Sadly my blog is coming to an end and the last location I visited was Venice Beach. As a child I had visited Venice and remember people rollerblading, selling bracelets, and being carefree. I still have a cute tie-dye shirt with a dolphin and Venice logo. When I visited Venice this time around I felt like it was a place I had never even seen before; Possibly because my memory isn't as clear or the city really has changed. In order to get to Venice I took the Big Blue Bus (# 1) featured on the right. The route had several stops and it took about an hour to get there. While on the bus, I noticed how close Venice is to Santa Monica. I always thought the two were a little more distance away. The two cities are drastically different.
      When my friend and I arrived at Venice there was a cool breeze and the beach was only a short walk away. The first thing I noticed was the long line of self-owned businesses that were eager to attract people in. The shops were small and placed in what seemed to be garage units. Clearly the vendors were earning individual profit and there was less of a concern for surplus value. While I walked down the boardwalk I saw more individual vendors selling their art work, performing, doing anything to gain a few dollars. I was shocked at how many marijuana advocates, and shops there were. There was a clear class difference between the vendors who had a garage and those who simply set up along the boardwalk. Many of the people could either be distinguished as homeless or tourists.

         

      I noticed that the majority of the homeless people were African American or White. This can imply Masson and Denton's argument that African Americans are till this day given limited opportunities in the housing market. In addition, in April of this year, the L.A. Times published an article "In Venice, a battle over the boardwalk". The article commented on the enforcement of curfew on the boardwalk. The homeless are no longer allowed to sleep on the boardwalk over night. Some argue that eliminating the homeless from Venice will not fix the issue, but rather make the homeless move to another area. The areas surrounding Venice are not the most appealing nature wise. People are attempting to make a living and there is a strong fear that Venice might be "corporatized" into a business run city like Santa Monica. This can pertain to the neo-liberal ideas that the government's role is not to help society but to flourish economically through the elites power and a free market. For the sake of the culture, performers, and individual vendors I hope that strong enough action isn't taken against Venice so the people who are attempting to make a living can continue doing so.  

Blogging Social Difference in LA. : Week 9

       This past Saturday I went home for the weekend. I live in San Fernando,  California in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. I decided to walk to a nearby beauty salon to get a haircut. I walked along Laurel Canyon Blvd, one of the main streets that runs down for miles. While I walked past my local high school I noticed that on the corner of Fox street a construction sign was attached to a fence. While I attended high school that corner was nothing short of a patch of dirt with some weeds. A popular bus stop was located there so many students would stand around the area. From personal experience I know that it got really crowded and people tended to litter once the trash can was full. There was some tagging on the walls. No one claimed the area and the city gave it very little attention. Below on the right is a picture of the area with moderate work done to the grass.

      To my surprise the area was now being reconstructed. I saw a glimpse of green grass and some equipment, it almost looked complete. While I waited to get my hair cut I decided to look up construction plans for the city on Fox street and discovered that the old patch of dirt was being constructed into a community park. The park is to include "two playgrounds, a performance area, walking path, picnic area, lawn, fitness, and several gardens" (Andy Holzman/ DailyNews Staff Photographer). A picture of the plan is featured to the left. This new park will be an attempt to beautify the city and serve not only the community, but students across the street at the high school.
   
      The park reminded of a discussion that we had in lecture regarding "Nature as a terrain of material inequality". We discussed the integration of nature, the city, and social difference. It was noted that nature as a material of inequality could include urban nature preserves such as parks. This illustrates the idea that the location of nature can be predetermined by the type of city one is observing. San Fernando is typically seen as a lower to moderate income type of city. There are not many sites of nature such as parks and the new construction provided a greener side to the city. The new park will eventually help the neighborhood look more appealing and welcoming to both residents and visitors alike. Nature is indeed an important signifier within cities.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 8

      This week I decided to visit my original hometown of Pacoima. Pacoima is one of the neighboring cities to my current home in San Fernando. The streets that I visited were along Terra Bella and eventually along San Fernando Blvd.. The area has several elementary schools along with middle schools. The population is primarily Hispanic, and you can tell it is by shop signs that are advertised Spanish. Growing up i never ran into any trouble and my neighborhood was often quiet. However, the city had its ups and downs.
      One part of the city that runs along San Fernando Blvd. is exposed to various environmental concerns. As you can see from the picture below (which I found on the internet for better quality purposes) an airport, railroad, and several factories are only a cross street away from residential homes. The people who live in these homes must withstand issues such as extreme noise and some partial smells.

      This environmental issue can relate to David Harvey's article on environmental damage. Evidently damage to the city is not the issue here, but it is interesting to see that these large industries are placed in a more low-income setting in contrast to a wealthier neighborhood. The people that are living in these areas might not have another choice, due to income and class issues. This issue points out the social difference and inequality that occurs between class. Harvey also points out that the standard view of environmental management is often concerned with economic growth, "end of pipe" solutions, and there must be a clear injury and clear responsible party for any damage. This view restricts the residents from voicing concerns on issues with the development of the city. 

      Pacoima residents seem to live on and even set up businesses along San Fernando Blvd. Prices are most likely lower and the people who live around the area are willing to deal with the consequences. The area where i lived could hardly hear much noise, but i still recall the distant sound of a train as I would go to bed. The ecological modernization view urges prevention and a decrease in economic activity that causes damage to the environment. With some government aid I feel some areas of Pacoima might improve their living conditions, but when I lived there for seventeen years I rarely saw any initiative taken. Perhaps one day when I become an city planner I can make a difference.  

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 7

      On Thursday my roommate and I decided to take a trip to Santa Monica. Although I have been to Santa Monica plenty of times I never stopped to really analyze the city for what its worth. We decided to take the Big Blue Bus and unfortunately the trip took longer than expected. The heavy traffic extended our commute to an hour versus the 20 minutes it usual takes to get there. The bus had comfortable seats and was filled with people of various backgrounds. They were most likely commuting back home from work or school. The crowd consisted of young adults and a group of older women.We finally arrived at the Santa Monica Promenade at around 7:30pm. The sun was down, but the bright street lights were illuminating.

      The city was very alive, groups of people were socializing on every corner. After observing my surroundings closely, i found it fascinating to see that the road was built as if cars could drive straight through it. The street had two sidewalks and a line running down the middle, yet it was all a walk way. The street was meant more for the performers and people seemed to respect that. The performers were very diverse.From the pictures you can see that everyone brings in their own culture. The man on the right was singing in Spanish and the women on the left were dancing to music i could not even distinguish. It is interesting to see that 3rd street promenade serves as a center of business for some people. These performers yearn to be discovered and recognized by others. They exposed what can be distinguished from lecture as a social difference in race. No matter what race they were they all struggled in similar ways, although most performers seemed to belong to minority groups. The street was filled with passion, and every single performer had their own story. The audience would sit along the sidewalks, stand around, and some even joined in on the fun. I could see why so many people visited the promenade.
      On the other hand, the promenade is widely recognized not only for its span of diverse entertainment but for its vast number of businesses that travel for miles down the same street. As a matter of fact every time I visit I tend to spend money on at least one thing. It was evident that other people were buying clothes, dining in, exiting the movie theaters,  or giving donations to the performers. One way or another retail sales were being made. The simplymap below exhibits the demand of sales around Santa Monica. Clearly the promenade is the centralized area for business, everything around it made less profit. This information can be connected to our class discussion on class social difference. One point within the Marxian view is that "the city is a tool for the production of surplus value". These companies that have businesses at 3rd street promenade are certainly utilizing the working class for the production of labor. There were hundreds of workers ranging from students to elderly janitors. Walking down the street allowed me to see many types of classes come together in a centralized way.  

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 6

      This Wednesday I visited a place, farther than 15 miles away, that I had never been to before. I walked around Old Town  Pasadena. As I was driving to the city I realized that the road suddenly transitioned from the 110 freeway to  Arroyo street. The street was divided by a row of palm trees and the city was lit up by the open restaurants, shops, and cars. The street lights were an array of four set of lights. Once I parked my car I was walking down S De Lacey Ave which had narrow sidewalks and meters every 12 feet. I had dinner at Buca Di Beppo which cost around 80 dollars for two people. The setting was intimate and mostly large groups were dining.

    Once I left the restaurant i was driving down Colorado Blvd. Colorado Blvd had extremely wide streets with 5 lanes. The city was mostly populated with shopping centers and what seemed to be expensive restaurants. Unlike some previous locations I did not see any vandalism and the city appeared to be very upscale. The picture on the right exposes the wide streets, the maintained vegetation, and a working transit bus. The buildings were not damaged and the city was very calm. 

      While I was on Colorado Blvd. I stopped by the Regency Theaters. To my surprise the theater was small and vacant. Only five movies were playing and the tickets were only 3 dollars. This is the smallest fee I have ever had to pay to watch a movie. As I sat to wait for the movie I noticed that the seats had stains and holes. There was only room for about 50 people and the quality of the film was not the best. The people were mostly older couples past their 20s.

      In lecture we mentioned geographies of difference one being consumption spaces. It was noted that "cities of consumption encourage subtle segregating". I wonder if the city of Pasadena can be an advocate to this claim. Perhaps one end of the city is designed to better fit the lower class in contrast to the other. With all the visible shops, we can follow the Marxian view which suggests that the "city is a tool for reproducing labor". Old Town Pasadena clearly represents a source of labor which leads to class differences and other means of separating groups of people.  

    

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 5

      For this weeks blog i decided to stay local. I went to have dinner in Westwood, the city right outside of UCLA. Westwood is more on the high-scale end in regards to other cities. It is often labeled as a college town, but many  non-students live there as well. Westwood spans out for various blocks. The city is surrounded by shops, restaurants, coffee stores, and places to lounge. It can be recognized as a "center" where people often go to work. Hundreds of people are either employed by UCLA or work in the cities myriad of businesses.

      A major sector of the city is transportation. Buses, taxis, vans, and cars are constantly seen running up and down the city at all times of the day. There is the free Bruin Bus, the Big Blue Bus which charges $1 max rate, and free van rides provided by the school as a safety measure. Evidently the city must have a lot of money in order to afford giving its residents these opportunities. Not all cities can afford these economic expenses. Although the city has plenty of means of transportation, the parking in Westwood is ridiculous. On several streets, like the one featured on the right, people are only allowed to park on certain days of the week. On other corners there are loading zone or time limit restrictions and on several occasions cars are parked on sidewalks. Parking enforcement is always on the move.

      In addition, the roads in Westwood are often congested. The picture on the left shows a four way crossing street that was most likely implemented because of the large number of people that are found walking around. One can run into people of various races and class groups. Many are found to be students and others visit the city for it span of restaurants. We cannot forget about the number of homeless people as well. During the day one will most likely see people in business attire walking out to lunch and the streets are not as congested. During the evening when traffic hits starting around 5:00 pm, both work and school commuters are heading home. However, during the night people are seen walking the streets enjoying the night life, perhaps waiting for the a movie at the Bruin Theater (picture below).

      In my opinion Westwood does not compare to many other "college towns" that I have visited in the past. Although recent crime rates have increased, I have learned to feel safe as long as I am in a group. The apartments near the city were constructed close enough for a late night walk home. I would consider Westwood to be a sort of minor "center", as cities are described in some of the articles we discussed in class. People are often traveling to the city and it has a busy L.A. lifestyle feel.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 4

*This is a comment to Erica Mendez Blog: Blogging Social Difference in L.A.
*Her location was Koreatown.
*Link: http://ericaaam.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-3-koreatown.htmlshowComment=1351315216108#c4866627557696593680


      Erica explored the streets and people around what I am assuming to be a couple of blocks in Koreatown. She noted that the dominant races happened to be Korean and Hispanic. 
       I was not as surprised to read that a great majority of the people were of Hispanic descent because I had previously heard that a prominent race is Salvadoran. However, it is interesting to see that these two groups of people seem to intertwine so well even though you would not typically assume so because of the distinct cultures and history of both groups. You mentioned that you encountered many places which had translations. I feel this ultimately prevents a language barrier from placing a hamper on the local growth of businesses. A smart idea! That I have often seen in other neighborhoods, most likely because of the population size of Spanish-speaking people in Los Angeles.
     I found in interesting that Koreans were distinguished as the employers in two separate circumstances. Why do you think this has happened? After observing the attached picture of the census of Asian population I have come to my own conclusion that Koreans arrived first, therefore had more time to establish their own network of businesses. The influx of Hispanics might have been at a later time. Also as it was mentioned in lecture, the first urban revolution noted that people came together because of agriculture, social desire, safety, etc. This in turn can be applied to the establishment of Koreatown as a city itself. People tend to migrate where family members are and where they see available opportunity and comfort. This can be one explanation as to why the city is populated with these two groups and why you noticed that "All around... people frequently knew each other".
     I must agree with you on your understanding of the article "The Growth of the City". Evidently the residents of Koreatown have helped the city to expand, but mobility has significantly increased the process. Mobility plays a large role in the development of the city. It can help determine certain zones of business, residential life, and ultimately affect individual lives. Although, the author does state that where there is mobility there can also be delinquency and poverty. I wonder how Koreatown would fit in to this assumption. Overall the city seems to be filled with culture and movement. I might want to visit this location for one of my future blogs :)