Metropolis 347

Return to the Flaneur/Flaneuse

2014-04-16T16:31:00.005-04:00

Hey,

So we've come to the end of the course. The exam will take place less than three hours from the time I am writing. It's been fun.

I want to direct your attention to the video below. This is how some fellow undergraduates in the drama program at U of T read and practice Benjamin. Our class assignment on the flaneur provided, I believe, some measure of what these students must have experienced in Berlin. Some approximation.

There is so much excitement in the eyes of these students. There was far too much information to process and to convey. It's this energy and this process of telling a story that's so much larger than yourself that I desire. If you too desire this experience, I would encourage you to travel, to listen and to learn broadly.

Best,
Dan

AftER - Walter Benjamin project 2012

Prostitution: The Underground Economy in Flux

2014-04-16T12:41:00.000-04:00

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/underground-economy/

The underground economy is an interesting avenue to study. This article is relevant because recently there was a debate about legalizing prostitution. This change will shape the way the city is understood and its reputation; however, although there are many negative connotations aligned to this legalization, there are possible positives. The underground economy will shift because prostitution may be legalized; it may no longer a grey area.

Non-Place and the Denver Airport

2014-04-15T14:45:00.001-04:00

On a recent trip to Austin, Texas I had a lengthy layover in the Denver airport. The layover was very long and tedious and allowed me to walk around the airport several times to gain a sense of the destinations, people and airlines that were constantly moving in and out of the airport. As with all airports the groups that were flying out of Denver were heterogeneous in composition and size. The variety of people varied along ethnic, racial, class and gender lines. During my several trips around the airport in an attempt to keep myself busy I started to think about Marc Augé’s idea of "non-place" and place (yes Denver airport is that boring). Although I had a relatively limited remembrance of his ideas I do not recall strongly that the airport was a central example of his idea of "non-place" based on its role as a place of transience. defined by “supermodernity”. Moreover, airports lack the required significance and stability for it to be considered a “place”. Although the idea made sense at the time of my reading of Augé’s article I was struck at the dissonance I experienced when trying to apply his theory to my experience in the airport. In theory as described in Augé’s article the airport is a place which lacks a distinctive sense of place as its user and residents are highly fluid, and temporal. As a result a consistent element of place is theoretically missing from the airport. However, this fluidity and lacking in distinctive characteristics due the transience of flyers was not by my experience in the airport. Firstly Augé’s ideas are a very generalized assumption of a monolithic character of airports around the world. What struck me most strongly about the Denver Airport was how rooted in a distinctive place it was compared to this idea of transience as described in Augé’s article.

Firstly in the bathroom there was a sign declaring the bathroom to be a tornado shelter. Apart from the surprise of seeing this sign I was struck by how the materiality of the building and its rooting in place was reinforced by this declaration. The building took on a far mote concrete and lasting image in my mind. Secondly and most importantly the composition of the passengers moving throughout the airport was rooted in a distinctive and particular place. Many of the flights were going to cities in the Midwest and the Great Plains. As a result some of the passengers had cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and hunting camo. I was rarely see any of these items while living and Toronto and thus it became that the Denver was a not non-space but strongly associated with particular places in America. The airport and its function at that moment was not defined by transience but instead defined by its placement in a particular geographical location in America. Thus, the idea of place being tied to the airport over one of non-place seemed far more helpful in understanding the airport at that moment. That is not to suggest that transience was not an important feature of the airport but to ignore the idea of place within the airport ignores its particular position in a distinct geographic and cultural part of America.

More and More Condos

2014-04-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/here-comes-money-gentrification-condos-and-canadian-cities.html

Yet another article about gentrification in Toronto. This one is more about the rising number in the amount of condos. The article looks at condos in Toronto, but also the popular cities in Canada. One of the things that shocked me the most was the possibility of removing a sacred site, such as a church and replacing it with a condo! It just goes to show how these cities continue to grow and how condos are becoming a popular replacement for historical places.

Enjoy!

Stephanie

Gentrification and Toronto

2014-04-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/02/02/kensington_market_loblaws_beyond_a_debate_over_gentrification.html

As I finished up the final book for the course, I began thinking about how our own city has changed in a number of ways. One of the things that came to mind was the possible idea of bringing a Loblaws to Kensington market. I think this shows how even Toronto is becoming gentrified.

Enjoy the article!

Stephanie Di Matteo

China's Housing Bubble

2014-04-11T09:24:00.002-04:00

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21599395-chinas-property-prices-appear-be-falling-again-double-bubble-trouble

This article by the Economist highlights the ongoing insecurities of the Chinese housing market, the power of the large developers and also the government's efforts to try to keep the housing market under control.

It also highlights that there are so many houses/apartments being built, yet most of the population in China cannot afford to buy them and most migrant workers still live in dormitories. This highlights some of the huge social inequalities which are growing in China, and which the housing market emphasizes.

There are fears the housing bubble might burst, yet at the same time there are so many people in China who would like to buy a home/apartment who cannot afford to do so.

Links nicely with the Zhang book.

How to be sexy though consumption of the the ideal image

2014-04-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailymakeover.com/trends/slideshow/how-to-be-sexy/

http://www.gq.com/

As discussed in lecture, consumption is linked to identity. The article and the GQ home page illustrate fashion as a way of being "sexy". In this sense, sexy is intimately linked to consumption patterns. These consumption patterns are linked to socioeconomic status.

Power of the word "sale"

2014-04-01T12:50:00.000-04:00

http://agrinomics.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/predictably-irrational-the-power-of-the-word-sale/

Article explores how consumption can be encouraged through the use of the word "sale". Consumers are more likely to engage in consumption when the word "sale" is used. The words creates a sense of bargain which entices consumers to purchase items at a discounted price. What I find is that consumers are misled by the word sale and that the sale may only entail minor discounts to regular retail price.

Nail Houses and Expensive Dogs

2014-03-31T16:38:00.002-04:00

Zhang’s discussion regarding “nail households” in chapter 5 sounded interesting so I looked them up and found the photos pretty shocking.

I also came across this article which relates to our discussion last week about conspicuous consumption and the debate over dog ownership in China.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/20/is-this-the-worlds-most-expensive-dog-pair-of-very-big-very-slobbery-tibetan-mastiffs-go-for-3-2-million-in-china/

The person who bought these dogs for $3.5 million dollars (the bread of which is apparently notorious for their short life-spans adding weight to Velbin’s idea of buying things for the sake of it), is a real-estate developer who seems to fit with how Zhang characterizes developers in her book.

Toronto's St. Jamestown

2014-03-29T21:17:00.002-04:00

The north-west corner of St. Jamestown is an interesting piece of Toronto. An office building at the corner of Bloor and Sherbourne houses shops, a private college, and the main entrance to Sherbourne subway station. To the east is a busy fire hall, and to the south is a church. Yet this block also contains several abandoned houses, some of which are heritage properties. Some of these have been boarded/bricked up since before I first became aware of them in 2001.

The James Chalmers Building was demolished in 2006 following its collapse. It had been left unkempt by its owner despite its heritage designation. and remains a vacant lot to this day.

Its collapse also forced the evacuation of 4 Howard Street, which was subsequently boarded up to match its neighbours on Glen Road. The upset caused by these events helped lead to changes that allow the city to mandate ongoing maintenance.

It has long been suspected that the abandoned houses on Glen Road will meet the same fate as part of a gentrification scheme where buildings are allowed to collapse when they cannot legally be demolished. The street sees heavy foot traffic due to the east entrance to Sherbourne Subway Station, and for the still-inhabited homes. It has also been used regularly by film crews; a sign was posted this week to announce filming of a new television series. 14-16 Glen Road, as seen in the picture that can be accessed via the link above (this paragraph), is shown with windows and doors boarded on only one side. With 1 semi-detached home abandoned, the other inhabited renters for some time yet is now also sealed off from the public. The Anson Jones House on Sherbourne (beside 4 Howard Street) can be seen still inhabited on page 2 of the linked site, yet it also now sits boarded up.

Indeed, since the publication of the articles I have linked to, signs have appeared detailing extensive high-rise development proposals. Gentrification is not new to the area, evident in Tridel's postmodern condo building on Sherbourne (almost facing Howard Street) that adjoins an old Knights of Columbus hall which was moved forward several feet from its original site. As can be seen in the picture below, there has been some backlash. A faded sticker reading "Gentrification" can be seen at the top, and it has been graffiti-ed while the buildings remain untouched.

Most recently, fences have been erected around the Glen Road houses. The signs remain unchanged, so perhaps this is a sign of imminent changes to the St. Jamestown landscape.

Camille Paglia on Her Love for The Real Housewives! (and New York Times articles)

2014-03-26T01:00:00.001-04:00

For those Real Housewives fans in the class, we are in good company! Camille Paglia is also a fan. In the video above, she refers to it as "anthropological" (great news for us!) And below I've linked a rave review that she penned for Bravo, in which she states, "I watch virtually nothing else on TV now, except for occasional documentaries and Turner Classic Movies."

http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/the-dish/camille-paglia-why-i-love-the-real-housewives

Also, here are the links to the New York Times articles that I mentioned today. The second one is more relevant to Chapter 6 in Zhang's book (Recasting Self-Worth), which we will discuss next week:

"In China, Children of the Rich Learn Class, Minus the Struggle" (NYT, September 22, 2006)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/world/asia/22elites.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1395615663-QhUx0poWohfI+iaV+Cb5rA

"For Many Chinese Men, No Deed Means No Dates" (NYT, April 14, 2011)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/asia/15bachelors.html?pagewanted=all

A Perfect Example of Conspicuous Consumption

2014-03-25T23:03:00.000-04:00

Since we were talking conspicuous consumption in class and someone mentioned the Rich Kids of Instagram. I just wanted to share their tumblr link and let everyone know that some of kids from this blog have also received a TV deal under the name "Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills".
Here you go, and enjoy their displays of wealth.

http://richkidsofinstagram.tumblr.com/
http://ca.eonline.com/shows/rich_kids_of_beverly_hills

The Zabaleen of Cairo, Egypt

2014-03-07T14:30:00.006-05:00

Have you ever heard of the Zabaleen?

Well you should consider looking into them - especially if you're interested in where urban anthropology and environmental issues intersect. The Zabaleen "Garbage People" are a group of refuse collectors and recyclers that predominantly live in Cairo. They are a well established group consisting of upwards of 70 000 people that have informally served as garbage collectors for over 70 years. In fact, they are argued to be the world's most efficient recyclers as they are capable of recycling 80-85% of waste. However, Cairo has begun to adopt neoliberal ideologies that place urban branding and renewal at the forefront of its political agenda. This has led to the privatization of municipal waste management and the attempted displacement of the Zabaleen as they are accused of what essentially boils down to an eye sore in Cairo's bid for a clean and attractive city that hopes to promote tourism and foreign investment.

If you're interested in finding out more, you can brush up on your research from some of the following links or track me down in class to have a conversation!

Cairo’s Contested Garbage: Sustainable Solid Waste Management and the Zabaleen’s Right to the City

- http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/6/1765

Crushed? Cairo's Garbage Collectons and Neoliberal Urban Politics

- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/juaf.12073/full

Entertain yourselves, anthropologically

2014-03-06T02:34:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you all have a lot on your plate these days, but I wanted to point your attention towards some videos and articles that I have mentioned in class, in case you are in the mood for some anthropological entertainment.

First, "Unsettled: From Tinker to Traveller" - this is the documentary about George and Sharon Gmelch's return to Ireland to reconnect with their research participants, 40 years later:

Second, here is a 2008 Savage Minds post (this is a great anthropology blog, by the way) about The Wire, which makes a case that The Wire is the best ethnographic text on contemporary US society:

http://savageminds.org/2008/02/25/is-the-wire-our-best-ethnographic-text-on-the-us-today/

Third, here is a recent article from Forbes magazine, about urban development in Kunming, China - the city in which Zhang's book, In Search of Paradise: Middle Class Living in a Chinese Metropolis, is set. A very interesting read, that may help provide some context for Zhang's book:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganhartley/2013/11/22/making-room-for-history-among-chinas-new-highrises/

Enjoy!

TIMELAPSE OF 30 YEARS OF CHANGE

2014-02-24T11:32:00.001-05:00

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/05/terrifying-fascinating-timelapse-30-years-human-impact-earth-gifs/5540/

This website talks about a project done by NASA and Google. It has some gifs that show how areas of the earth have changed over the past thirty years (I think the exact dates are 1984-2012). These includes gifs of Dubai and Vegas. But more interestingly, if you scroll down a bit you can zoom in on any location and see how any city has changed over this time period (make sure to press play after you have zoomed in). It is amazing to see how cities have built-up and spread out over the past thirty years.

Radioactive Bluefin tuna

2013-11-20T19:18:00.001-05:00

http://thecitizenscolumn.com/general-ed/2013/10/2/all-bluefin-tuna-caught-in-california-are-radioactive-stay-away-from-sushi

Toronto Photographers

2013-11-14T22:56:00.004-05:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2499677/Torontos-notorious-rooftopper-survives-death-defying-encounter-skyscrapers-captures-city-1-000ft-up.html

Really interesting article about young photographers and thrill seekers climbing skyscrapers to capture breathtaking images of the "urban jungle" we call Toronto. I enjoy how the photographer(s) juxtapose the people in the frame and the cityscape itself. The pictures are an intriguing way of viewing the city from a vantage point not native to most urban dwellers. Most of these shots are taken illegally, with the photographer and thrill seekers avoiding security guards. This relates to the idea of the contested city, being that these people are defying the norms and legal system imposed on the system to provide themselves enjoyment and capture their view of Toronto with the use of a lens. These photographs contest the city's legal framework by defying private property rights, something that is instrumental to the neoliberal system. This is even related to this upcoming weeks readings... food for thought! I don't want to delve too deep into my perceptions, I hope you all can produce your own conclusions given the knowledge provided in lecture and in the readings. Enjoy!

Toronto and the Figure of the Hoser

2013-11-05T17:39:00.001-05:00

An interesting piece by John Doyle about the figure of the hoser in Canadian culture from Bob and Doug Mackenzie to Rob and Doug Ford. The two key points: the hoser has morphed from a loveable figure into an angry and aggressive one; and it's now acceptable for hosers to be rich businessmen and media figures (Don Cherry) despite their appeals to 'blue collar' values.

Exciting new technologies for urban planning

2013-11-05T00:52:00.002-05:00

AMAZING Ted Talk which addresses the problems with mainstream urban planning theory and presents a technology that has the potential to change the way homes and cities are built all over the world. Check'er out! http://www.ted.com/talks/alastair_parvin_architecture_for_the_people_by_the_people.html

2013-10-30T10:47:00.002-04:00

The Trayvon Martin case is an example of how an encounter at the street level in a nominally public space can scale up from the street and become a national public debate about race and racism. In this relatively impromptu speech, Obama puts himself in the position of Trayvon Martin and discusses some of the other ways that racism gives rise to a fear that forecloses the possibilities of open "contact" (Jacobs) kinds of encounters in the public spaces of the city. Note though how gender plays into this dynamic of fear, for when he discusses the now heavily mythologized elevator scene he refrains from putting himself in the position of someone who might be feared. Keep in mind also that this speech is aimed at giving expression to widespread political outrage in the hopes of heading off what could be a violent response to such a verdict (memories of Rodney King and the LA riots). In this regard, watch his hand gestures, which might be expected to emphasize his points with fist thrusts but which come across as being fatigued and lacklustre. Thus, even in his body language he channels the frustration while refusing to channel a forceful reaction, replacing the potential force with a frustrated fatigue.

TED talk on "Walkable Cities"

2013-10-27T23:30:00.003-04:00

Urban Planner Jeff Speck does a great TED talk on the value of "walkable cities". A must see! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wai4ub90stQ

NY Times Article - The Experiences of living in London

2013-10-24T15:57:00.000-04:00

I found this article from the New York Times titles 'Lessons From Living in London'. The writer is a New Yorker describing her experiences moving to London, UK. I thought it was a really interesting article to read as the author discusses how one makes a city their own, by becoming a local, and how living in a city is very different to visiting it. The author talks a lot about the neighbourhood feel of London, and I think this is something we all do in each city we live. We always frequent the same areas, we have our favourite places to eat, our favourite stores, and usually our friends live nearby. It was also interesting to note the cultural aspect - the difference of being an American in London.

Whilst this is essentially a travel article, I think it is useful and interesting to read when considering the metropolis.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/travel/lessons-from-living-in-london.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=TR_LFL_20131021&_r=1&

Jane Jacobs meets John Travolta

2013-10-22T21:01:00.002-04:00

One could probably have an entire film festival just on films with good sidewalk scenes but the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever is undoubtedly among the best. The soundtrack from the brothers Gibb certainly doesn't hurt either. Here we have all of Jane Jacobs' themes about sidewalk sociality: the different forms of contact (here: the gaze, the glance, the stare, the stop and chat, the shared liminal space) and the public characters (the pizza parlour woman who knows Travolta's usual order, the shopkeeper and Travolta himself). Here too the theme of trust comes up when Travolta tells the shopkeeper he doesn't need a receipt, saying 'I trust you'. That the shopkeeper rejects this trust only serves to emphasize the social fact of its existence, regardless of actual individual reliability (as it turns out Travolta can't really be trusted either as he proceeds to fleece a customer while acting neighbourly). Enjoy!

2013-10-15T15:51:00.003-04:00

Today in lecture, Professor Barker talked about separated the reality of the U of T campus and the notion of the film studio, which reminded me of a song by Lorde called "Team", in which some of the chorus lyrics talk about what directors or media captures as representing cities. The lyrics read "we live in cities you'll never see on screen, not very pretty but we sure know how to run free". It could mean that depictions of cities that may seem beautiful and romantic may not be what it is really like to live there, especially if only attractions are captured in the film, show or commercial. It may also mean that (or at least I like to think it means) locals within cities understand and appreciate the hidden treasures that their city has to offer, such as family run bakeries, quiet grassy areas amongst the skyscrapers and back alleyways that provide some peace and quiet within the city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdK_Y5iZnU

2013-10-14T13:35:00.002-04:00

This is from the website http://urbane.us/welcome.html dedicated to vibe maps of cities, this is their home page blurb:

"NAVIGATE BY VIBE."

"Urbane is a new way of using maps to better navigate the world. Get a sense of place by capturing and discovering the character of your own neighbourhood or new places you're visiting. "

On the website you can scroll around on an interactive map and see how people described the area, the team who created the website talked to people in different neighbourhoods to "translate" the vibe. Thought it was pretty interesting, as well as the New York and Los Angeles maps. This particular map I think is lacking certain vibes. Any thoughts?