A new semester!
With some tenacity and a lot of coffee, we finished our first semester at Weiss Fellows. As we start our second (and last) semester together in an official context, we held a "State of the Fellowship" meeting on January 14th. It served, at least for me, as a refocusing of goals and refreshment of dedication to urban livability issues.
We are still working towards our personal and collective definitions about urban livability. What was most striking to me during the meeting on the 14th was how complimentary our interdisciplinary interests help round out our definitions of urban livability. For example, Zhara's research on religion seems highly salient given our current political context. What caught your attention about other Fella's research interests?
On Tuesday, fresh off of our great start, we had a luncheon honoring the Weiss's and were treated to the ever-entertaining Mayor Riley of Charleston, SC. His discussion about what it took and what it takes to bring a city back highlighted a number of issues for me. The concept of true public space is one I think is often ignored in the race to develop all usable land. Whereas many cities build up their waterfront to raise the tax base, Mayor Riley clearly illustrated his belief that the people of Charleston, all people of Charleston, should have a place they can go, anytime. The second issue he touched upon was pride. When I think about places I have lived, I feel blessed that I was almost always proud of my city of current residence. In Montpelier, the capitol of plucky Vermont with no McDonald's, we defended our identity fiercely. Although I was happy to move on to larger places when I finished high school, I am still proud to say I am from there. In Austin, I was proud of the legacy of weirdness, which translates into an acceptance of people for who they are, as different from me as they may be. Green space was valued and defended. Development is largely intentional, even as the population explodes exponentially. The only place I don't have a huge sense of pride around was Albany, a city that to me, has always seemed...depressed. Empty storefronts, high crime, poorly maintained roads, limited parks all made it seem like a place to be because you had to, not because you wanted to. I don't mean to infer that aesthetics are all that matter, but sometimes, the tangible representation of pride and upkeep translate into the intangible. What about Mayor Riley's talk struck you as salient? What questions did you have?
I am excited for the potential of our second half and proud to be one of the fellas...
We are still working towards our personal and collective definitions about urban livability. What was most striking to me during the meeting on the 14th was how complimentary our interdisciplinary interests help round out our definitions of urban livability. For example, Zhara's research on religion seems highly salient given our current political context. What caught your attention about other Fella's research interests?
On Tuesday, fresh off of our great start, we had a luncheon honoring the Weiss's and were treated to the ever-entertaining Mayor Riley of Charleston, SC. His discussion about what it took and what it takes to bring a city back highlighted a number of issues for me. The concept of true public space is one I think is often ignored in the race to develop all usable land. Whereas many cities build up their waterfront to raise the tax base, Mayor Riley clearly illustrated his belief that the people of Charleston, all people of Charleston, should have a place they can go, anytime. The second issue he touched upon was pride. When I think about places I have lived, I feel blessed that I was almost always proud of my city of current residence. In Montpelier, the capitol of plucky Vermont with no McDonald's, we defended our identity fiercely. Although I was happy to move on to larger places when I finished high school, I am still proud to say I am from there. In Austin, I was proud of the legacy of weirdness, which translates into an acceptance of people for who they are, as different from me as they may be. Green space was valued and defended. Development is largely intentional, even as the population explodes exponentially. The only place I don't have a huge sense of pride around was Albany, a city that to me, has always seemed...depressed. Empty storefronts, high crime, poorly maintained roads, limited parks all made it seem like a place to be because you had to, not because you wanted to. I don't mean to infer that aesthetics are all that matter, but sometimes, the tangible representation of pride and upkeep translate into the intangible. What about Mayor Riley's talk struck you as salient? What questions did you have?
I am excited for the potential of our second half and proud to be one of the fellas...
posted by Sarah Jane at
5:58 PM
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