Week 5 – The “City Beautiful Movement”
Hi everyone and welcome back!
I’ve been up to a lot this week so let’s get into it!
I mentioned last week that I had just finalized some details for my opportunity to shadow this week at an Architecture and Urban Planning firm in D.C., called Torti Gallas + Partners, Inc.
Monday was my first day and it was amazing! I got a tour of the building, which is an old school turned office and most of the interior details are still intact and very nostalgic. Along with a building tour I was able to have lunch and discuss more in depth what the firm is like with two Architects. I was also introduced to their library which has an insane collection of anything Urban Design or Architecture focused.
Tuesday I got to learn more about a concept invented at the firm called ADDification which focuses on having the opposite effect of gentrification and as per the name wants to add to the community, this can be seen through additional affordable housing units. Later on Tuesday I got to learn more about what Architecture school is like and what the first couple years starting at a firm is like. To end my day I had the pleasure of hearing about one of the recent projects at the firm involving the neighborhood of Hill East.
And Wednesday! I started my morning presenting what I had so far in regards to my senior project and was able to get some great suggestions and commentary, while getting ready to present I was able to find the common link between the 4 cities, all of their original plans were heavily influenced by the “City Beautiful” movement of the early 1900s which was an Urban Planning philosophy that centered around making cities more aesthetically pleasing and sanitary.
Another common trait in the majority of these cities is the occurrence of riots or protests that have caused damage to the cities infrastructure. The two main ones I would like to highlight are the riots of 1992 in Los Angeles that followed the ruling of the Rodney King case, and the riots in Washington, D.C. that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. What I found most interesting is that the city of LA established the “Rebuild L.A.” proposal which renovated 63% of the businesses that were lost and created a hiring boom in South Central LA.
I can’t wait to finish this week off strong!!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog post!
Comments:
All viewpoints are welcome but profane, threatening, disrespectful, or harassing comments will not be tolerated and are subject to moderation up to, and including, full deletion.