Week 4 Urban Institute

ON TUESDAY MORNING WE HAD A LECTURE ON THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC TRANSIT IN CHINATOWN FROM MEMBERS OF THE CHINATOWN TRIP. WE LEARNED ABOUT THE SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED BY THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS TOWARDS THE ASIAN COMMUNITY LIVING IN CHINATOWN (30 BUS). DURING THE PRESENTATION, WE HAD ALSO LEARNED ABOUT THE PROJECTS THAT TRIP OVERSAW WHILE ASSISTING THE CITY. SUCH PROJECTS BEING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CENTRAL SUBWAY SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE SCRAMBLE CROSSWALKS (SUCH AS THE ONE AT JACKSON AND STOCKTON). SO WHEN LATER THAT AFTERNOON WHEN WE WERE TAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT TO CITY HALL FOR THE DOME TOURS IT WAS NICE TO SEE THESE EXAMPLES IN THEIR PHYSICAL WORKING FORMS. THE DOME TOUR WAS EXTREMELY FASCINATING ESPECIALLY SINCE I NEVER KNEW THAT CITY HALL OFFERED TOURS OF IT TO THE PUBLIC. ALTHOUGH I HAD AN EXTREME CASE OF ACROPHOBIA DURING THE TOUR, IT WAS FASCINATING TO SEE THE HISTORY OF CITY HALL ILLUSTRATED BY THE PEOPLE AND MATERIALS THAT BUILT IT. AFTER THE DOME TOURS, WE HAD A SMALL “MEET AND GREET” WITH TWO PREVIOUS CCDC STAFF ANGELINA YU AND CALVIN YAN WHO ARE NOW WORKING AS LEGISLATIVE AIDS TO DISTRICT SUPERVISORS.

ON THURSDAY MORNING’S LECTURE OF DELAND, WE DISCUSSED THE DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY AND HOW IT IS IMPLEMENTED WITHIN A CITY/ SOCIETY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TOWARDS THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, SUCH AS THE PROTECTION ACTS FROM THE 1960S. WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE, WHICH BASICALLY STATES THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A EQUAL “GIVE AND TAKE” BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, AND PROFIT IN ORDER TO HAVE “LONG-LASTING SUSTAINABILITY”. ONE STATISTIC FROM THIS LECTURE THAT SURPRISED ME DURING THIS LECTURE HAD BEEN THE CAUSE AND EFFECT THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF FASTER AND MORE RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSIT COULD, IN TURN, RESULT IN THE GENTRIFICATION OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD/ COMMUNITY. LATER THAT AFTERNOON WE HAD LUNCH WITH THREE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS OF THE CTA, WHERE WE LEARNED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS THEIR CURRENT PROJECTS. 
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ON SATURDAY I HAD ACTUALLY ATTENDED THE WE ARE THE CITY CHINATOWN: SUMMER SATURDAYS ON WAVERY STREET FAIR. WHERE I WAS ABLE TO NOT ONLY EAT A BUNCH OF TASTERS FROM THE STALLS PRESENT AT THE FAIR BUT ALSO GAINING MORE EXPOSURE TO THE ARRAY OF RESTAURANTS THAT ARE LOCATED IN CHINATOWN.                         
​- Mark

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