DRS - Built 2001

I finished elementary school and now it was time to move on to the real deal, high school. The high school for our elementary school, D.R.S., was established only shortly before I finished elementary school. They had just graduated their first class when my class was joining. At the time they were renting space for school. Not only was the building small, but we were sharing it with a preschool. Our student lounge doubled as a class room, our auditorium served as our lunch room and a class room as well. I even remember times when a class would have to meet on the front stairs because no class room was open at that time. The building had no gym or computer room. Our basketball team had to travel and rent space for practice and games. Our computer classes were also taking place off campus.

Then in 2001, towards the end of my first year, the new building was completed. This building contained its own gym and computer room. The lunch room was just simply a lunch room. Class rooms were larger and more spacious. The new building changed my high school experience completely. The gym became my best friend. When a teacher wasn’t there that day or I simply had a free period, there was a place for me to spend my free time. If a class was going on in the gym then there was always the computer room. The series of computers connected to the same network allowed for some amazing team action shooting games.

My high school years were my most enjoyable years of my life. My friends from high school are still some of my closest friends today. When we all get together to hang out we still can’t do it without reminiscing about our days in D.R.S. The school defined who I am today and will always be apart of me.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapters 11 and 12

In chapters 11 and 12 Jacobs discusses the gains of having high density communities. Combining the principles of high density and diversity all your or at least most of your needs within a close proximity. This diminishes the need for cars which in turn decreases the need for parking. You can then condense things further. On the other hand if you spread things out people will need to drive and then parking lots become a necessity. These parking lots then spread things out further. This is one of the problems of suburbs. Everyone uses cars so readily that it becomes more convenient to got o a supermarket that has everything you could possibly need even though it is farther away.

My House - Built Pre-1950

Although, the house I live in now is the only place I have ever called home, my house cannot say the same about me. There were many people who lived in this house before I arrived. My house was built in the early 1900’s and my family moved in a few months before I was born in the summer of 1987. Over the years this house has taken a few beatings and lived to tell the tale. There was a fire, a flood and it seems like countless leaks. Windows have broken, ceilings caved in and holes in the walls. The house has witnessed many good times as well. There have been birthdays, graduations and weddings to celebrate. Most importantly my house has always been there for me as a place of refuge. When times were bad I knew I could always come home to feel safe.

My house is definitely not the same as when it was originally built. Over the years there have been various forms of construction and remodeling. Rooms have been totally redone while others have been added on. Although my house has gone through these transformations it still contains the squeaky floors of an old house.

Lawrence, NY Demographics

1. “Lawrence, NY” E Podunk, The Power of Place. 19 February 2008

On this site you can find some of the common demographics of Lawrence, NY. Included on this site is the population, income, housing, education level, marital status, crime rates and much more. All this data can be found in links lower down on this page.

2. “Lawrence, NY” City-Data.com. 22 February 2008
<http://www.city-data.com/city/Lawrence-New-York.html>

On this site you can find some demographics of Lawrence and how they compare to the rest of New York. The average age, household income, house value and population are just some of the things you’ll find on this site.

Interview Questions

1. What is your name?
2. How long have you lived in the neighborhood?
3. What was the neighborhood like when you moved in?
4. How has it changed?
5. What are some new businesses in the area?
6. Have you seen a change in the economic status of the people in the neighborhood?
7. Are there a lot of children in this neighborhood?
8. Do you think this is a suitable neighborhood for raising a family?
9. What nationalities live in the area?
10. What type of people does this neighborhood attract?

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 9

In chapter nine Jacobs argues that smaller blocks make for a better neighborhood. She says that shorter blocks give pedestrians the opportunity to turn corners more often. This will not only make things more convenient for pedestrians but it will give businesses the opportunity to be more successful. People can take multiple routes to there destination finding more places to complete their business. On these alternate routes people will also meet others that they would not have met if they were taking the same route all the time. The smaller blocks help to bring the neighborhood together. On long blocks people don’t really know what’s on the blocks adjacent to them but with shorter blocks you can easily find out and use that to your advantage and the advantage of the community as a whole.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapters 7 and 8

In chapters seven and eight, Jacobs describes the importance of having all kinds of diversity in your city. She explains that you need diversity in commerce. There should be many types of businesses. Diversity in business will lead to diversity in different areas of life in the city. She also says that businesses should serve more then one purpose. In this way they can expand their clientele and hours of business. She brings an example of down town New York. Because there is mostly office building there, the restaurants are only open during the day. Then there is no draw for people to come there at night. It is a one dimensional neighborhood and can’t function well. There needs to be diversity in neighborhoods and cities to succeed.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 3

In chapter three Jacobs outlines what she believes need to be present in a city neighborhood in order for the social network to work properly. She states that there needs to be public shops, stores, restaurants and cafés for people to meet in public setting. The purpose of these public locations is for people to have conversation with others without letting that person in on their personal lives. Without these places, Jacobs explains, people would have to choose between inviting people into their homes in order to hang out with them or not have much contact with them at all. People will start to choose their friends very hesitantly and their social network will shrink. Hey will only befriend people very similar to themselves and this will cause all groups to be separated from one another and greatly increase the probability of discrimination. On the other hand if stores are available you there would not be an all or nothing type of attitude when it can to relationships with others. You could have a casual relationship with many people of all different walks of life.

Formerly Cedarhurst Ave

Around the corner from my house is a street sign unlike any I have ever seen. The sign reads “Briarwood Lane formerly Cedarhurst Ave.” Why should I care what the street was previously called and more importantly why and how did this change take place? The problem with Cedarhurst Ave was that is passed through two towns, Lawrence and Cedarhurst. As you passed the town line the addresses were not in order and in some cases there where even duplicate addresses. For years this was causing small problems like getting lost when looking for an address or mixed-up mail but these issues were tolerated. It wasn’t until an ambulance showed up at the wrong house that this seemingly small problem showed how dangerous it could be. Changes needed to be made. At the next town meeting a seemingly simple solution to this problem was proposed. At the other end of the street, on the Lawrence side, Cedarhurst Ave became Briarwood Crossing. Why not just switch the entire Lawrence portion of the street to Briarwood and leave the section in Cedarhurst the way it was. Therefore, it would not matter that the numbers on the two sided didn’t sync up. They would be two totally unrelated streets with different names in different towns. The problem with this plan was that where Cedarhurst became Briarwood there was an upward shift in social status. The wealthier members of Briarwood Crossing did not want the residents of Cedarhurst Ave to be associated with. They obviously put their social status ahead of the safety of everyone on that block and felt no obligation to these people who considered themselves neighbors. Eventually, after hours of debate, a compromise was reached. The street would be renamed Briarwood Lane. This solution would avert anymore mishaps while still creating a barrier of sorts that showed the separation between the residents of Briarwood Lane and those of Briarwood Crossing.

Forgotten NY

http://www.forgotten-ny.com is a web site dedicated to bringing forgotten aspects of New York City that have been forgotten. All parts of the city ranging from old street lamps and run down cemeteries to parts or even whole neighborhoods that you wouldn’t believe are part of the city. There are old advertisements that have lasted longer then there products and subway signs that haven’t been correct for years. This site shows you a side of that city that most people never even imagined existed.

One section of the site is dedicated to old advertisements that have truly withstood the test of time. These advertisements can be found on the front, sides or even the back of old building all over the city. Just walking around the city, you can find these artifacts of last generations advertising business. The natural preservation of these ads has been greatly aided by the lack of sunlight they have been exposed to. Some date back to the 1800’s like an ad for Martinson’s coffee between 9^th and 10^th Avenues in Inwood, Manhattan. That company was started by Joseph Martinson in 1898 when he began selling coffee from a pushcart.

With current ads coming in the digital age it is conceivable that these ads will out live the ads being put out today. While an advertisement on TV only runs for a month or two these ads have been representing their products for over a hundred years. Even billboards have moved into the digital age. Although this seems like an improvement over old advertisements, how long can a digital billboard last without maintenance.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

In the introduction to The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs explains her goal of introducing new principles of city planning and rebuilding. She says that her ideas are very different and some even opposite from those taught and used today by everyone involved in city planning. However, Jacobs demonstrates just how difficult this may be with her story of North End. It was there that she witnessed the transformation of a run down slum to a flourishing community. Even though, North End made this remarkable transformation conventional wisdom was preventing people from seeing that change. Because North End didn’t change that way they thought it should people still viewed it as the slum that it once was. Jacobs’ friend who was a city planner knew that North End had become a beautiful community but he still couldn’t get the idea of it being a slum out of his head.