What about Hong Kong this summer?

Some of my friends have already packed their suitcases and are ready to leave for vacation this summer. And I hear Hong Kong is one of the best places to be (and to live in too). Although I have visited Hong Kong several times, I've lived in Canada for almost my entire life. So, I can't vouch for that, but I think some of these beautiful pictures will inspire some of you to visit Hong Kong at least once in your life, or even live there for the rest of your life...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/photographs-that-prove-hong-kong-is-the-only-place-to-liv

Hong Kong is indeed an incredible city. Although the pictures only capture small bits of Hong Kong, I guess you'll really have to be there yourself to get the full experience.

Have a fabulous summer everyone!

Return to the Flaneur/Flaneuse

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

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

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

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

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

Public Spaces and Cities

I came across this video:  http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_burden_how_
public_spaces_make_cities_work

As more and more people become city dwellers, it is important to note how cities work. The speaker, Amanda Burden talks about the planning of city's public spaces, and drawing on her experiences, she discusses the challenges of public spaces. She talks about how in between the buildings and structures within a city, it is important to have public spaces, these spaces are what makes the city work. They help people come together, enjoy the city, and build community. She believes the it is essential to have public spaces in cities for it to 'work'.

Public spaces like parks require a lot of attention to detail, and don't come out of nowhere for no reason. How public spaces attract people is what the people need. And in the example of a park, what people need is a comfortable space, and a green space. It is in public spaces like parks that give people this kind of comfortable, relaxing feeling. However, Burden argues that cities aren't all designed to have much greenery and comfortable public spaces, such as that seen in New York.

In New York City for example, the modern architecture, the tall buildings that surround a plaza and streets make it seem intimidating, and dangerous. There really is no place for city dwellers to sit comfortably and enjoy the landscape. But architects and urban planners think this is ideal. No greenery to maintain, beautiful tall modern buildings, and not many spaces for people to loiter and create commotion in.

Burden argues that successful designs always depend on how an individual experiences that space. She explained how she had to really get to know the people and communities to understand their needs, and to plan the city to make sure all the needs of individuals were met. Her idea of 'tapping into humanity' led her to her success in planning New York. She stepped outside of her planning expertise and thought how humans, New Yorkers, would think, want to do, and want to see in the city.

The goal of the city was to accommodate a growing population, and it is important to meet the needs of these people and make them feel comfortable. Public spaces are powerful in a city because it is one of the most important reasons why people stay in a city. If they feel comfortable in these spaces, if they enjoy the spaces ... they will likely stay in the city.

"...a successful city is like a fabulous party. People stay because they are having a great time..."    - Amanda Burden

China's Housing Bubble

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

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"

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.