Reuse of Urban Spaces

If only Baltimore had better hills during that massive snowstorm. Check this out in Pittsburgh (I know I probably discuss Pittsburgh a bit obsessively), but all of what these guys are doing is in the city. I did see some cross country skiers roughing the baltimore sidewalks though.

Urban Skiers Video

Excerpts from:

Some comics from Will Eisner's book New York The Big City. Eisner's work mostly focuses on urban environments, both the positive and negative features, and how people interact with each other. He lived in New York most of his life.

Drift Photos

Here are some polaroid photos from the driving drift Rachael and I conducted a couple of weeks ago. We started and ended in the Central Baltimore District, but otherwise left the drive open, and had the one main factor being snow.

Loft Living in a New LIght

     I think Gary Kachadourian was the most refreshing guest speaker we've had in the class so far.  He wasn't representing any business or organization, and it was apparent that he was very honest without any outside agendas.  I was shocked by how impartially he was able to talk about loft living spaces.  Despite the fact that he is an artist himself, he spoke very matter-of-factly about the instabilities of artist loft housing.  Rather than cursing speculation for creating cycles of housing instability for artists, he just accepted the fact that property owners would eventually want to kick people out and do something more profitable with the property, and accepted that all you can do is be thankful that speculation created the conditions for this temporary housing in the first place.  

     Kachadourian gave a list of reasons that property owners saw artist housing as an option for holding their property until they found a better deal.  He mentioned that although owners make no significant profit, the artists treat the property well, complain very little, build and leave things better than they found it, and can fix problems themselves in addition to the fact that they bring new culture to the area that makes the property more valuable.  Although it appears that creative people are basically exploited because of these positive traits, It's amazing to see that they are recognized by these traits in the first place.  Despite the implications it has on housing cycles, it still gives me a little hope to know that artists are recognized for the good they can offer other than money, and to know that something other than money can factor into an owner's decisions.  I doubt that many other social groups can boast that.

     Before listening to Kachdourian speak, I would have agreed that it was unjust to raise rents or kick artists out when a good business proposition comes along.  I still think it's very unfortunate, but now I at least can see both sides of the story. 

The Problem of Specultors

One common thread through many of the people who have come in to talk to us is that they have all talked about speculators. Also, pretty much all of them spoke negatively about them. It seems that the idea of real estate speculation become an especially hot issue in neighborhoods that are begining to re-develop like Station North. I've thought a lot about the idea of speculation over the past week and I've mostly come up with questions. Here are a few.

Why do people do this? Other than the obvious reason of sitting on the property with hopes of eventually making money. Are there more complex reasons that we are missing?

What is already being done to stop speculators, We've heard about code enforcement and the city taking over properties, but what else is there and are these the most effective things that can be done?

What should be done. How can the people in a neighborhood stop this from happening? How can the city stop it short of taking people's property away (because no one likes eminent domain)

What conditions lead to an area becoming ripe for speculators? How can these things be combated?

These are not questions I have any sort of answer to, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks about this.

So many relationships in cities seem to be symbiotic, but the relationship of the speculator to the city seems to be inherently parasitic. They contribute nothing to the city (except property taxes) and get rich when property values do go up. I'm totally over simplifying the whole situation, but since it is something that so many people have mentioned, perhaps we should look into it as a class?

Secret Baltimore?

Recently, as I've been exploring arts districts and community-arts relations within different cities, I have discovered that its difficult to just look up a city and find out what is actually going on there. Through my research, I have found that the situation in many cities resemble Baltimore and the SNAD plan. To someone who isn't a resident within the area, rejuvenation plans drafted by bureaucrats may seem to be a massive improvement, but those of us who live inside and around the community see things differently. We see the spaces that may be destroyed and we understand the necessity to preserve the "SNAD" that we are familiar with and know today.

I just found several interesting groups on Facebook that discuss and share secrets of Baltimore and other cities. They are called "secret city" groups that discuss the happenings within places like New York and San Francisco to name a few. Since we as a class are beginning to understand the value of the intricacies and secrets of cities, maybe we should use this group as a forum for discussion. When looking at the "Secret Baltimore" page, it was apparent that each person posting had a different idea of what "secrets" were worth sharing. I realized that the MICA community has its own unique vault of "secrets" that are worth exploring. There are many places featured in these "secret city" groups, and all are interesting to look at and think about. Check it out!

I can make money too

After studying the research of Markusen, I found it to have a refreshingly new take on the artist’s contribution to their local economy. The distinction lies within the breakdown of the “Artistic Dividend” into two categories. The first is referred to as “returns to the region”. It begins with local investments in the creative sector, or a community of artists. A rich cultural center is created through these investments, drawing more artists and firms to the area. This concept has repeatedly appeared in our assigned readings: higher-quality human capital is drawn to the alternative urban lifestyle created by residential artists. However, second factor of the “Artistic Dividend” is unique to the research of Markusen. It is referred to as “current income streams”, or the process by which creative goods and services are exported out the region. Thousands are employed through this process, receiving varied amounts of income. These incomes are then spent on local businesses and the importation of other goods and services, bringing even more capital into the region. By highlighting the impact of “current income streams”, Markusen establishes the role of artists as not only culture-creators, but also contributors to immediate economic turnover.
Though Markusen’s “Artistic Dividend” is distinguished from our previous readings, it holds several important similarities. Currid, in the text “How Art and Culture Happen”, emphasizes the low involvement of the city in cultivating of a cultural district. Local government must adopt a “benign acceptance” of creative development, as any efforts on their part will be only disrupt local artists. Markusen agrees, stating that the artistic dividend is “a product of long term commitments by philanthropists, patrons, and the public sector”. Another similarity found between Currid and Markusen is the concept of opportunity tied up in social networking. Currid places a strong emphasis on the role of “cultural producers, cultural gatekeepers, and owners and managers of entertainment venues” in contributing to the success of a creative sector. Artists are drawn to dense concentrations of these parties, not because they seek the alternative lifestyle therein (which may indeed be true), but because the social connections formed are the key to a successful career. Markusen observes the same, stating that the networking of fellow creative contributors offers “opportunity to improve both their [artist’s] craft and methods for enhancing their exposure and incomes." The agreement of these two reputable social scientists offers a firm support for the role of informal networking and low government involvement in the formation of the creative sector.