Last Lap: Thoughts, Reflections, Conclusion

My City Dwellings Photo Blog

Well this is the last lap; it’s my 11th and final blog post which shares my thoughts and reflections which discusses the relationship of my core theme to some of my colleagues’ blogs. My photo blog ‘Urban Dwellings’ was intended to showcase the different types of houses located in urban areas of Trinidad. My theme encompassed these main topics of the urban:
• Development
• Homelessness
• Apartment Buildings
• Slums
• Public Housing
• Abandoned Houses
• Luxury Apartments
• Disparities between Rich and Poor
• Single Family Housing
• The Modern City

I must admit to this being possibly the most creative and inspiring Urban Geography (GEOG 2007) assignment. It has truly helped in my understanding of the urban, not only through the research done on my topic but also from all of my classmates’ captivating and insightful blogs which encompassed every and anything to do with the urban. Everyone has a different perception of the city due to its vast diversity and dynamics. It was most fascinating to see the wide variety of themes my peers had as well as the differences and similarities to my blog. My reflection is based on a few of my colleagues’ blogs which were related to mines, in some cases expressing differing or similar perceptions of urban dwellings.

       1) Vanessa Williams Blog : Disparity
      http://wealthycontradiction.blogspot.com/

      I chose Vanessa’s Blog since it was directly related to my post on Disparities between rich and poor Her entire blog expanded on my one blog entry and her photos represented her theme beautifully. In my entry I dealt with the stark differences of wealth in this country displayed through housing. This is similarly seen in Vanessa’s post where dwellings were the most significant part of her overall theme since it’s most obvious through residential structure. In her third and fourth entries she looked at the direct contrast between the rich and poor in terms of housing and inequality of wealth. She analysed residential segregation with regards to the inability to afford housing of better standards and conditions (poor) as well as on the other end of the continuum (rich) in gated communities. Interestingly she dealt with this in two separate entries while I showcased mines in one, to show the thin diving line of wealth.

      2) Tamara Atwaroo’s Blog : I am not homeless 

           http://sincasa-tnt.blogspot.com/ 

      Similarly Tamara’s entire blog expanded on my single blog post on Homelessness: No where to go which dealt with the issue of homelessness in the city, the importance of housing and causes of homelessness. Her writing and personal experiences really intrigued me as I read her blog. She explored many aspects of the homeless in the urban and what exactly it means to be homeless. Her very comical yet insightful blog has really broadened my scope of knowledge about the homeless and provoked my thoughts and actions regarding them in future. I really enjoyed her post “You can dance if you want to”.

      3) Zakita Bethel’s Blog : Architecture and Subversion     

         http://casasubversion.blogspot.com/

      Zakita’s Blog was mainly focused on urban architecture and images of the subversion within the urban of Trinidad and Tobago however there was one post that really stood out to me and related directly to my blog. Her entry "I need me a house to shelter from the rain" had a direct correlation to my post on "Public Housing: A chance for all" In her post she speaks of architecture for housing which tells much about the city, especially its economic status and the level of social welfare given to citizens, whereas I looked at it from a different point of view. The principle of design for beauty and enrichment is too seldom used in the design of housing for low income families because of the poverty of imagination and not the shortage of money. In her same post we shared the similar view of architecture being practical for the user and the design of such buildings play a great role in dictating how people interact with space, as in my post "City of Towers". Her photos were full of meaning and her writing was very captivating and enjoyable, she also filled in where I left out.

I would like to sincerely thank all the people who supported me, visited, critiqued and commented on my blog. I really hope that you all enjoyed my blog and learnt a little more about the urban in my country Trinidad and Tobago. Thanks for the opportunity Dr. K and thank you all for reading! :)

Nirvana

The Modern City....A mosaic....

The City At Night

The city is very beautiful at night.
To see the shimmering lights
In the buildings around,
Beacons to the minds eye.

The cars slide through the dark

And then disappear again

Into the dark corners of the night.

The people weave in and out

Of the fabric of the night air,

Appearing briefly as a

Silhouetted puppets in the nights sky.

The city is always very beautiful at night.

Charlie F. Kane

(i) This picture does not come anywhere close to doing justice to this amazing view at night. My family took me to Mount Saint Benedict, situated high in the Northern Range, since I’d never been there before. This place is visible for miles and I always displayed an interest in wanting to visit the Roman Catholic Church. When we finally arrived at the top, a most breath taking view greeted us! A panoramic view of the Tunapuna, St Augustine and Piarco area. We could see buildings for miles and miles away and immediately I thought about it being perfect for my blog! This particular picture which was taken later at night really encompassed the urban as being multifaceted, diverse place and truly beautiful place. It may not be clear to see (see picture below) but during the daylight a wide variety of different houses, household types and settlements can be seen ranging from all different socio-economic classes showcasing a distinctive montage. Every single photo from my previous posts in this blog is all encompassed in this mosaic! 

Photo I took  from Mount St Benedict showing a view of St Augustine, Tunapuna and  Piarco during the day time

(ii) The city is a mosaic with distinct residential patterns, where certain household types occupy particular niches. The modern city is a highly complex, disorganised and heterogeneous place, yet these early researchers discovered that rather than resulting in a jumbled mass of people, the modern city displayed a distinct mosaic, with certain household types occupying particular niches in the city. A similar patterning or clustering of particular group had been highlighted by the Chicago School in their study of the city in the 1920s. The key points to emerge from the huge volume of empirical research undertaken were the affirmation of socio-economic status, family status and ethnic status as key dimensions underpinning residential differentiation and a general consistency in the spatial expression of these dimensions in the great majority of cities in the developed, industrial world (Knox and Pinch 2010). Socio-economic status displayed an essential sectoral pattern, family status a zonal gradient and ethnicity a clustered patter. These factors were incorporated into an idealized model of urban ecological structure by Murdie (1969), although his model also acknowledged that in reality the city’s ecological structure was the result of detailed interaction with the city’s morphology and other local conditions.

References

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett .2012. Urban Geography. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.                      

Here is some additional information: 

For some extra readings check out "Imagining the Modern City"- James Donald

http://italianstudies.nd.edu/assets/68854/donald.pdf

This song really captures the essence of the modern city, have a listen!

I would like to sincerely thank my best friend Salz for all the support, critiques and thoughts on my blog! Thank you!