Urban studies

Explaination of zones North Philaldelphia community + pictures

2006-04-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

razerstein25 blog.

Link to Pictures

2006-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

link to picture

2006-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Key Terminology

2006-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

The key terms for my blog are found on the razerstein19 blog.

North Philadelphia community

2006-03-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

This essay describes the methods of my evaluations in a study pertaining to a community in North Philadelphia. The location I have evaluated is a 2 mile in radius piece of land on Board and Lehigh. The reason I studied this community is because I see a great future for this community by changing the landscape of the community. This 2 mile in radius community in North Philadelphia that has been a ghetto for the past 25 years or more. The evaluations in my study would have three aspects, the social life and living conditions in this community, the property values of these homes in the community, and government housing programs.
The first aspect is the social life and living conditions in the community, this aspect can be evaluated by studying the people of the community’s behavior, the income, the unemployment level, and the living conditions such as having running water, clean clothes, and any other necessity in life. In addition, this aspect would include the study of the schools, and any other government builds within the community/ traveling distance for residence. This aspect is important aspect to social workers so when the community goes through its transition(change of landscape), the soical workers can deal with the residences needs.
The next aspect is the value of the houses in the community, even though most of these houses are dilapidated, the property is valuable. This property is valuable because if the land in this area was sectioned off as eminent domain then private investors could buy the land and create beautiful student living complexes. The first step in changing the community is learning whether or not these residences are homeowners or renters. This way you know who to talk to about buying the houses. When this long process is finished the old homes can be removed and the new construction can begin. This construction would house temple students which would bring temple security, improve the local economy, bring jobs to the community and raise the property values of the homes in the area. This construction site is a great idea because there is already a large abandon office building and another office building that is struggling to stay open. Another great element about this area is there are subway stop directly next to the two office building. This subway stop would be a hugh increase in riders which Septa would love and if Philadelphia wants to hold the Olympics here in 2016 they need to improve their subway. In addition there is a region rail way stop one block away. Now that the two aspects are evaluated one can understand how to deal with this difficult part of resituating the renters.
The final aspect is the government programs that should be offered to the rents who had to leave their old homes. These government programs are just not section 8 housing where a renter only has the option of living in a project or instead they can a be a homeowner. The project is the Housing Vouchers which is similar to section 8 housing but the money goes to the tenant instead of the landlord. Even though these tenants may have to pay more n FMR they can still choice the quality of the unite they want. When they are certified by the PHA’s they can start this program and save for a home. To learn more about this programs check out http://www.landlord.com/directory_housing_programs.htm

Ethical Dilemma

2006-03-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

The following essay describes an ethical dilemma pertaining to the over consumption of fossil fuels in America. This ethical dilemma is explained in three elements, the high demand for oil in the U.S. the view in which America is perceived, and the proposal to limit the consumption of oil.
The first element the high demand for fossil fuels is causing a growing problem all over the world but especially in America. The reason is because America is the largest consumer of oil. America consumers 20.7 million barrels per day which is 8 times as much as Germany and Russia, and 10 times as much as France. The most amazing comparison is between America and China, for example Chine has a population of 1,288,700,000 where as America has a population of 291,500,000 which is a billion people difference. However America still consumes more than 3 times the amount of oil. This problem of over consuming makes America looks bad, which leads to the next element in the essay which is how America is viewed. http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilnx.asp
The reason U.S.A looks bad is because it raises the question “is it ethically right for a country to assume since they are the most powerful they desire most of the worlds natural resources. This question causes America to appear as the dominant power of the world pushing other countries aside for the world’s oil. One perfect example of how America is perceived is the war with Iraq. Most of the world believes America has gone to war for oil. The belief that other countries share, is also shared with in its own country by a large percentage of American citizens. For example the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Survey Reports claims that “America's image abroad remains negative in most nations, though it has improved somewhat in Russia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Vast majorities in predominantly Muslim countries continue to hold unfavorable opinions of the U.S, though the intensity of anti-American views has moderated. Opinion of the U.S. in Russia is now about evenly divided, with 47% favorable and 44% unfavorable. Positive views of the U.S. in Russia have risen 11 points in the past year. But U.S. favorability ratings in France and Germany are somewhat lower than last year and there has been a larger decline in Great Britain (58% now, 70% last year). Young people in Great Britain, France, and Germany have more negative views of America than do people in other age groups.”
The final element is the proposal to limit the amount of fossil fuels used in this country, which would improve the countries’ economy, the health of U.S citizens and it would be a greener solution. The Clinton administration proposed an idea during it’s time to upgrade the mass transit railways throughout the nation which is similar to the railway systems in Europe. The railways would be funded by the gas guzzling tax. This tax basically states that if a vehicle consumes too much gas that is will be taxed for it, which then will fund railways. This tax pertains mainly to the SUVs that are not work related. These vehicles consume eight miles to the gallon and are only becoming more popular. These railway systems would create a new mass job market for the nation. One aspect to this new job market would be the increasing demand for steel. This leads to a very import aspect because if the project were to only use American steel it would jump start an industrial that is almost extinct. These railways would connect our main cities of this country which would cause urban growth, and cities that are less dependent on cars. This would cause cities around the nation to become more localized and pedestrian friendly. In addition this would slow down urban sprawl. To learn more about european rail ways click http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_scheldules/index.htm?WT.mc_id=Google_European_trains&WT.srch=1

Juxtaposition

2006-03-13T21:07:00.001-08:00

This terms Juxtapostion on the other side. This project is a 55 million dollar investmereferres to between two elements that interact with eachother in irony. For example a bum laying on the steps of a billion dollar casino. One perfect example of a Juxaposition is the unused properity surrounded by student living building at Temple University in North Philadelphia. This properity is worth millions to private investors but the land is just sitting there worthless. The reason it just sits there is because there was a contract with the local community and Temple to develop the land for the citizens of North Philadelphia. The private developers want the land so the contract was never fulfilled and the land just sits there. Now temple has to wait for the contract to expire so Temple can lease the land to the developers. However this problems has two persepectives to it Temples University, and the North Philadelphian residences.
The first perspective is of the Temple University. The problem is North Philadelphia residence want this land but so do the developers. The land is down the street from the main campus, located at 10th and Montgomery. This land could be one of the next largest investment in North Philadelphia history. The reason is because the largest investment in Norht Philadelphia is taking place right now by the The Tower Company. They are now creating a hugh appartment complex and a movie theater arcoss the street from Campus nt which will change the university. If this project would be constucted on this empty land the University and the neighborhood of Philadelphia would improve greatly. This problem could be solved if the a deal was made with the North Philadelphia residence to develop community recreational center down the street provided by temple or something for the community. This would be a great deal for the residence because they are too are developing their community, this way each party is happy. In addition some may believe that this a very fair deal because the community is receiving something instead of them Temple just declaring the land theirs. The way Temple can declare the land their’s is by fighting to have the land declared eminent domain (htpp://www.cato.org/events/020514pf.html) which is the power of a government body to take private property for public use. This can be declaredgg theirs if they can prove to the city that it is a worthless piece of land and temple developer can invest there.
The other persepective is the residences of North Philadelphia are losing their little by little.

Horse and Buggy Dilemma

2006-03-13T08:50:00.002-08:00

Alexis Stewert, Martha Stewerts daughter is attempting to ban horse drawn carriages because of a recent car crash involving a car and a horse drawn carriage in New York city. Alexis Stewert claims that "these horses are forced to work long hard hours in extreme weather conditions while walking on hard pavement and inhailing exhaust fumes all day long and they are equally dangerous to riders, drivers, pedestrians and motorist. The lifestyle that these horses endure should be changed for the better of the animal but the entire business should not be banned. The way in which these business should be changed is by limiting the horses time walking on streets and more time in Central Park. In addition these horses should be ordered to stay a safe distance from the car directly in front of them, thus lowering the direct cantake with exhaust fumes. This will keep the horses safer from pollution. This pollution level that the horses endure might be higher then a normal pedestrain but not as high as a bike messagershttp://www.themorningnews.org/archives/in_the_city/no_yellow_%20ersey_here.php). This will improve the life of the horses and it will not effect New York city and it will set a perfect example for any other cities that are facing a ban. If this ban did come into effect New York would be effected in three major aspects. These aspects are the culture/ tradition of horse drawn carriages, the economy of New York city and the slippery slob effect.
The first aspect is the long lasting culture and tradition, will be lost. This aspect is vital because culture is very difficult to perserve and when it is lost it is lost forever. An example of what would be lost is, the riders would loose the feeling of being transported back to the time of the founding faters of this country .
The next aspect is the economy of the city that thrives off horse drawn carriages. This business that brings in 5% of the cities economy is a lot. The best way to think of this 5% is by thinking of the 4.5 percent city wage tax that Philadelphia citizens have to fork over very month. If another 4.5 percent was imposed on the citizens of Philadelphia it would cause a hugh problem for philadelphia citizens. In addition cities spend millions on creative ways to raise 5 percent for their citie's economy. An example of 2 percent is the ride duck in Philadelphia, which a tour through philly on a amphibious truck. In addition New York is most important city in the nation. One persepective of how important New York is If it were a nation the city would have the 17th largest economy in the world
The third aspect is known as the slippery slop. This means that if the horse drawn carriages are banned then what is next for New York. This could cause more problems for a city that has expericenced horrible tradige with the last five years. In addition events are held which involve these horses, and a future generations missing out on this culture.

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Community Map

2006-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

This map shows a community that is located in Lower Buck County which is one of the five counties in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. This community shows three main towns Langhorne, Levittown, and Penndel and it labels important landmarks on the map which relate to my life. The landmarks are grouped together in three main aspects which are the private and government own building, friends residences, and main roads. When these aspects are clearly evaluated one can understand how the community functions on an interactive level.
The first aspect is the private and government own buildings. The first landmark is my house that is the most North Eastern part of the map. This part of town is known as Langhorne where as the North West part of the map is known as Langhorne burro. The next landmark is Neshaminy High School. This is located on the west part of the map which is down the street from Langhorne burro. This school is accessible by route 1(before it turns into the Bilivard) and it draws students from the northern part of the map where as Truman High School, which is on the southern part, draws from the south of the map. The next landmark is the oxford valley mall which is south from my house and is next to the Sesame Place. The combination between the two makes a very recognizable landmark for the whole area. The oxford valley mall draws customers from all the surrounding towns especially during the Holidays. Sesame Place on the other hand draws New Jersey tourists, during the summer time. So between the two causing economic activity other business spring up and over the years this part of Langhorne and Levittown has been transformed into a community very similar to North New Jersey.
The next aspect is my friends’ residences. The first landmark is right next to Truman High School and is labeled Chrissy which is my girlfriend. This southern part of Levittown is known as Levittown/Bristol because Bristol is just south of Levittown. The next landmark is labeled Eric, my friend, which is the middle of the map. This part of the map is considered Levittown. The Landmark Labeled Russ, my friend, which is west of Eric and south Langhorne burro, and North of Chirssy is a very interesting point in my map. The reason is because this part of my community Penndel has always been the low rent part of the community. However I believe that this will soon change. The reason is Penndel is located next to the I95 highway, and is apart of the Neshaminy School district which is high rated school. In addition there is a high demand for people to move into this community.
The final aspect is the main roads that run through this community. The two main roads are I95 and highways 1 in my community. The first road that will be described is I95 because this road is a giant highway that runs from Maine through New York past Philadelphia then to Jacksonville. This highway is a great way to get to Philadelphia from my community because without it, it would take an hour and a half instead of just 45minutes. This road also a quick way to by pass roads that can get congested in this community. The next road is route 1 which is the main way to get to the Neshaminy High School from my house. This road also intersects with I95 which makes it a great road because of the vast amount of options a driver has. For example one can use both of these roads in combination to by pass any congested roads, and to get any major landmark in this community.