Get to Know Your Neighbor

When I think of the communities I belong to I come up with a few like my neighborhood, my daughter's school community, and the church community.

I have lived in my neighborhood for quite a few years now. At first I didn't interact much with my neighbors, but as time has gone on we have begun to speak more often. Seeing each other outside frequently naturally leads to conversation and, in some cases, friendship. This neighborhood is a subdivision with one main entrance so the boundaries are clearly defined. There are smaller divisions within the community based on life stages. People with children, older adults, and young adults tend to form relationships within their own groups. The values of the community are mutual respect of other people and property in the neighborhood and most people are good neighbors. However, there is always that one family in the neighborhood that has the loud cars coming in and the police showing up at their door at least once a month. This family doesn't seem to associate with anyone from our subdivision. Maybe they are holding onto connections in their old neighborhood instead of forming new ones.

The church community is not based on where you live. It is based on which church you go to or maybe even which religion you believe in. I have been a member of the church since the day I was born, but my involvement has wavered over the years. I went to Catholic school for 8 years. This meant that I went to church four days a week every week during that time. The church and school were very close and I spent a lot of my free time with the priests and nuns even when we weren't in church. It was a really wonderful experience. Now that I have moved out of the area and the school has closed I don't go to church as often. It has probably been at least three years since I have set foot in a church. Sometimes I miss it, but even if I did go back to church it can never be the way it was.

This blog post really did make me think about the communities we belong to and wonder if we appreciate them as much as we should. How many people can name five of their neighbors? Do people make an effort to get to know the person next to them at church? With the development of social media sites I worry that people are giving up real human connections for just another fake "friend". I don't think 100 facebook "friends" would equal the warmth and true support of a real friend. We need to take the time and be open to making real friends with people that really matter, the people in our communities.

Art in the city

This was probably the most difficult blog assignment for me so far. Selecting an art project to represent the Detroit area is a difficult task. Choosing the right project could be a great thing for the city, but if the wrong one is chosen it could create more problems for the city.

I considered the use of an object like the cows in Chicago. Then I started to wonder if this could lead to increased gang activity. If one area decides to have lions and another area wants bears this could lead to fights over which one is better. We've all seen how violent the spectators can become with each other at sporting events. So I decided that this wasn't the best idea.

I considered random modern art sculptures designed by residents and professionals that could be placed through the city. I wasn't sure that this would really be much of a benefit to Detroit so I decided against it.

Finally I felt that art can be found in just about anything so the best idea would be to work improving what Detroit already has, buildings. A few blocks of the city could be improved by fixing up the outside and painting murals or bright colors on the buildings. Even the sidewalks could be decorated. Artists could design street lights that would keep the streets looking good and well lit. This interesting area would be a place that people would want to see so it would bring people into the area which would be good for business and the whole area.

An artist that makes art to hang in a museum is fine. Making art to help a community is even better.

My Pick for Most Interesting Blog Post

I was able to read through the blogs of almost everyone in the class, except for one I wasn't able to view. Overall I thought the blogs were well written, though I was surprised by the number of people with missing posts. I had a hard time coming up with just one favorite, but I think my pick for most interesting post would have to be Fedor Andreev's plan for a community in Detroit. It sounds like it would improve the city and encourage successful people to move into the area. I also liked all of the photos used throughout the posts. They added another layer to the blog that I appreciated. Especially the photos of what the building would look like before and after the remodel. I thought it was a great post.

My Imaginary Neighborhood

Many people would like to live in a big city, but they don't because they don't want to deal with the high levels of crime. If I designed a neighborhood within Detroit it would be a safe area with plenty of green space and a feeling of camaraderie between the residents.

The main qualities I want to have in my neighborhood are happiness and safety. So when I was coming up with a design plan for the new neighborhood I took a look at some of the happiest countries in the world. Because if I know what makes people in other countries happy hopefully I will be able to increase happiness within my community. Researchers have found that one thing known to increase happiness is strong social ties. So I would be sure to include things that would bring people together. To get the true neighborhood feel most of the town's residential area would be single family homes. There would also be two small luxury condo developments. The town would have an entertainment area with a bowling alley and skating rink as well as a pool and tennis court. These things would also help to keep people happier by improving fitness. I would try to improve overall health by providing a community garden so they can grow fruits and vegetables together. The entertainment and retail area would be located in the center of the city with the residential area surrounding it. Monthly neighborhood parties will be held there so residents can get to know new people in the neighborhood while spending time with old friends. This should help to build social ties and keep crime to a minimum. I would also have to provide some after school activities for children because kids that are kept busy have less time to get into trouble.

By providing a safe area that is somewhat seperate from the city of Detroit while being inside the city limits I hope to attract people from the suburbs to live in my neighborhood. Some suburbanites would like to live in the city, but they don't because of the crime. So I would keep the crime level low by making it a gated neighborhood with only 4 entrances. Each entry point would be guarded by police and dogs trained to detect drugs and there would be at least one officer patroling the neighborhood at all times. Anyone that wants to live in the area would need to sign a list of rules that will be monitored by the home owners association and any home sold must be occupied by the owner. I would not allow renters. There would be very low tolerance of any type of crime. The first time you violate the neighborhood rules, by committing a crime or possessing drugs, you get a warning. The second time you must leave the neighborhood.

My neighborhood would be a place where good people would like to live because everyone will feel safe and appreciated. One of the reasons Detroit is in such bad shape is because they are not willing to take a strong stance on crime. That mistake would not be made in my neighborhood.

A Tour of Detroit

If I was giving a tour of Detroit I would begin with security. I would charter a bullet proof bus and a couple of large security guards. The people I would be taking on the trip are not used to being in a city like Detroit and I would want them to feel safe.

I have never lived in Detroit so I used tripadvisor.com to help me come up with some of the places on my list. Based on their recommendation I decided to make the Detroit Institute of Arts our first stop. The institute holds over 60,000 works of art from all over the world. We would try to make the visit during a Family Sunday event. Every Sunday the museum features some kind of entertainment like singing, dancing, puppets, or some other art activity for families. I think that the kids in the group would really enjoy it.

It's about time for lunch now so we'll stop at Todoroff's for some coney dogs. They have been in business since 1914 and they are supposed to have the best coney dogs in Michigan.

After lunch we'll stop by Fox Theater for a tour and maybe a concert. The theater was built in the late 1920's and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next we would take a drive through the Boston Edison neighborhood. This area has a rich history and most of the homes were built between 1905 and 1925. Some of the first residents of the neighborhood were amazing people like Henry Ford, James Couzens, and Walter Briggs. It was a lovely neighborhood with quiet streets that offered residents a little bit of nature in the middle of the city. Driving through the neighborhood today you see homes that still look nice on the outside and you might think that it was a nice area. However, many of the homes are run down on the inside and the crime rate in the area is extrememly high. This lowers the value of these once great homes to as low as $9000.

We'll end our day in Greektown. Any area like this is a nice way to learn about the people that built it. The architecture of the church is amazing, it's obvious that religion was important to the early Greek settlers. We'll have dinner at the Pegasus Taverna and then go across the street to the Astoria Pastry Shop for dessert. After a long day we'll head north to one of the safer suburbs to stay in a hotel for the night.

An Ideal City

There is a mini series called The 10th Kingdom that is set in an imaginary land of nine kingdoms. My favorite is Kissing Town. It is a small, beautiful, 18th century city in France. From a distance the green hills and trees that surround the city provide a spectacular backdrop for all of the buildings. As you get closer to the city you see a marketplace full of people shopping and having a good time. Wandering through the streets you see horse drawn carriages, sparkling fairies that tell the future, and butterflies that spread little hearts through the air as they fly. Many of the buildings are pink or white and there are balloons and flowers throughout the city. The atmosphere of the town is fun and romantic. This is the perfect setting for the point they are at in the movie. The leading lady just saved the werewolf man from being prosecuted for a crime he did not commit and she was beginning to have feelings for him.

If this city was real I would love to live in it. Good people, fairies, and beautiful scenery make city sound ideal. It's a peaceful place, but there are still things to do. If there are still cities like this in France then I think it's time to start planning my trip.

It's London Time

It is very difficult for me to pick just one city to visit. My decision changes all the time depending on my mood. When I first looked at the question I thought... London, Sydney, Venice, or Honolulu? I finally decided on London because they speak English, some of my ancestors came from that area, and even though the weather there isn't great they have a lot to offer. I think that traveling to an area where your ancestors come from is important. At least it is for me. I would like to know a little about the kind of lives my ancestors lived and possibly learn why they decided to come to the United States. I would also like to go to London because the shows I have seen about the city on the Travel Channel show have featured museums, theaters, and castles that I would really like to see. I don't get bored often because I always have something to do, but I live in a small city so when I want to take a break and do something fun I don't have a lot of options. So it would be nice to have a larger selection of things to do. London is also in a good location so while I am on vacation I can also go to other European cities like Dublin or Paris.

During my week in London the first things I would want to see are the castles. They are so majestic I almost feel like they're not real. It's hard to believe that people actually live or lived in them and that there may have been battles there. Roaming the halls of a building that is hundreds of years old and has so much history is amazing. From there I would probably take a tour of the zoo and museums. The zoo is the home to 16,000 animals and they were the winners of the "best tourism experience award" from the Visit London publication. It would be easy to spend the whole day here. The newest exhibits are a rainforest where the animals run around free without the burden of being stuck in a cage and a penguin beach which is the largest penguin habitat in England. After seeing the lions and tigers I would wrap up my visit with a trip to butterfly paradise and then head to the British museum. I would begin my museum tour by seeing the museum's exhibit that features 2 million years of world history through 100 objects. These objects range from the 2 million year old stone chopping tool to the solar powered lamp and charger. Next I would look through the galleries of Ancient Egypt, the Americas, Europe, and Ancient Greece and Rome. I would finish exploring the themed exhibits at the museum before leaving to have dinner at a local pub.

I would finish my week by visiting Stonehenge, even though it is a bit of a drive from London, seeing a play, and taking a walk through one of London's beautiful parks. Since this London trip involved so much activity I'll probably be ready for that trip to Hawaii so I can spend a week just relaxing on the beach.