Monday's Community Tour Reflection

1. After seeing all the neighborhoods, I feel like Holly Street will effect old residents the most by pushing property taxes up with new homes and ugly ones and pushing them out. This will have a long term effect on the community at hand and these poor people will have no where to go; the negative side to gentrification. However, the community of Mueller will last long because i feel that it attracts more new adults and young families and retired people because it is seen as an up and coming area of Austin, therefore those families will stay longer and more will move there. This will add to the community to the point where they probably will be able to have their own elementary and middle school and close off their Step ford borders.

2. I feel like this article on the gentrification in South Africa shows only the the positive side to gentrification but I think gentrification in that area of the world is better bc you can kinda only go up from where they are economically so its no surprise that crime has gone down while jobs have been created. Similarly in the US this occurs but it has negative effects more because these citizens have more to lose in the sense that the US is the best place to go and they can only go down from their rather than up like those of South Africa. South Africa is seeking to become more like America not in a positive way.

3. After reviewing the articles, I feel like we should be unlocking more at this school because we have the man power for it. There are so many students interested in social work and community projects, writing grants and helping. As an idea for helping Holly Street, since they are ambivalent to our efforts and don't want us in the community maybe we can focus on ourselves for a while; focus on rallying behind this cause. Do more research, poll citizens more, make them more open to us, maybe as an opening gesture, try to write a grant for this community or like the people in the last article get someone powerful behind it like the president of the university. This could be just what we need to show the community we really care, have their interest at heart and take this seriously.

Reading Response for week 10/21/13-10/28/13

The Empty Stairs: The Lost History of East Austin:

The most interesting thing for me in this article was how the city did not enfornce zoning oridanes in the 1960s and so the small bussiness owners took it upon themselves to build up bussniess. It just shows how people even when at a disadvantage can take contol of an opportunity and make the world a better place. 

East Austin Neighborhood:

An interesting point in this article was how race relationals with police and city officals with minority committees is in a bad place and there are less healthy options for food when it comes to minority neighborhoods. I wonder if city officals make ordiances that disqualify healthy bussinesses from developing there to better serve the people of minority communitees. 

What is Gentrification? 

My favorite part of this article was how it presented postive aspects of gentrification instead of just focusing on the negative. I think gentrification is a double edged sword but it is putting people out of homes and pressuring bussiness owners which is bad for the economy. 

Craft Activities Table Assesment

Craft Activities Table: Martin Middle School Project

I feel like for our project, we are still at the contact stage because we havent gotten a response from the new libarian or project manager. However we are trying to be postive and contact others such as the boy who Dr. Gilbert knows, and an ex Martin Middle school student who is a ut grad student. We are also trying to bend to the needs and possibilities of the community by changing our proj from oral history to photo journalism. I think this will be great and can't wait to start reserching this and incorporating it wuth the kids, families and community as a whole. I think it will bring them together bc pictures truly are so powerful. We also really need to focus on connecting with that community and how to go about doing that that works for both community and us.

Reflection Blog:

Colony Park is the project and is the community needing the most advocacy, where as Holly street there is more of a focus on history and togetherness. The martin middle school project, is focused on oral history where as Colony Park is a community who needs to work together to fight crime, keep up their neighborhood and build a strong sense of communitty. All of the residents in all communities including Marlo Heights need to have their voices heard though. Marlo Heights is the most extreme case of this though. Food deserts are affecting where residents go for food, the prices for somethwere cheap and the accessiblity to fresh produce and healthy food which effects the lifestyle of these communities and only detorates them more.

Colony Park

Colony Park Pre Reflection:

What struck me about the community was the fact that even though this community has suffered hardship and struggles they still manage to have neighborhood association meetings and have a sense of togetherness.
My neighbor hood does neighborhood watch, I know all my neighbors, there is a park, no houses are run down, everyone helps everyone out, my neighbors are like aunts and uncles to me. We all have stayed there for several years and plan to and its most likely the same kinds of people, older couples who have empty nests or almost do.
I think this project will make me appreciate what I have more and want to help with the restoration of this commmunity and to be more sympathetic to this community and their issues.
I think problems will be getting neighbors to cooperate with students, getting students to follow the marching orders of the community and achieving what all the neightbors want to achieve for their community.