tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076194598401912062024-03-05T02:44:25.169-08:00GRG 337: The Modern American City (2013)“GRG 337: The Modern American City” at The University of Texas at Austin. Presented here are students' “maps” of the cultural, social, and economic processes that are shaping a particular place in Austin, TX. The students chose sites based on contemporary urban issues facing Austin and their own genuine curiosity about the place. Their findings are represented in a collage, as well as in the form of an essay that describes the transformation and/or texture of place.Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-4050941873551629952013-07-13T17:00:00.000-07:002013-07-13T19:59:03.659-07:00Plaza Saltillo: Place, Practice, and Growth by Emily Mixon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Since the 19<sup>th</sup>
century, individuals such as Frederick Law Olmstead have imbued the American
psyche with a mental attachment to environmental determinism, or the idea that the
function of a place will follow the form. This philosophy, long attractive to
upper and middle class citizens hopeful of “reforming”, “improving” and
“controlling” races and classes perceived as blighted, has arguably fallen
short time and again as public parks and carefully constructed neighborhoods
across the nation have developed their own characters and cultural practices.
In short, it is arguably far more common in the modern and post-modern American
city to find cultural practices and performances taking place in spaces that
architecturally reflect a different original intent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Austin,
Texas, one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, is no exception to this dichotomous
relationship between design and use. In the following paper I argue that the
cultural practices and performances suggested by both the physical architecture
and the transportation infrastructure at Saltillo Plaza in East Austin, do not match
the realities of its use, and that furthermore, the real use of the space is a
representative of a wider demographic and cultural shifts happening in East
Austin as the city undergoes an upswing in development. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the introduction to her piece ‘Whose Culture? Whose City?” Sharon Zukin writes,
“Building a city depends on how people combine the traditional economic factors
of land, labor, and capital. But it also depends on how they manipulate
symbolic languages of exclusion and entitlement” and “the look and feel of
cities reflect…uses of aesthetic power.” (Zukin, 7). Plaza Saltillo, located on
East 5<sup>th</sup> street between Comal and Onion, reflects three collections
of cultural intentions and practices: that of its namesake, Saltillo, those of
the East Austin residents who facilitated its creation, and those of the new
wave of residents following Austin’s growth and re-growth across I-35 from
downtown. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Saltillo
Plaza was commissioned and opened by the City of Austin in 1998. The
architecture of the plaza is based on influences from Spain and Mexico, and the
ornate benches, as well as the bronze bust of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Vito Alessio Robles, were given
to the City by the City of Saltillo in Coahuila Mexico as part of the Sister
Cities International program. The program, founded by President Eisenhower,
serves to facilitate people to people interaction, as well as economic growth,
between participating cities. An Austin 360 interview with former Austin Mayor
Gus Garcia revealed that this project was a result of the political
consciousness of East Austin that was shaped by the Economy Furniture Company
Strike in 1968, and the following two decades of elected officials such as Richard
Moya, as well as the work of council members like Betty Dunkerley. A radio
interview with Kathy Vazquez, one of the East Austin members of Ole Mexico, a
group of East Austin restaurateurs instrumental in the Plaza’s construction,
spoke of the builders’ intent, saying that “if the city invested money to bring
more people to the area and invest in safety, that tourists and people from
west Austin would come and eat at the restaurants in the area.” With this
background in mind, it seems natural to view the wrought iron work, the central
bandstand, the vendors’ counters, the revolutionary bust, and the central
fountain of the plaza as a symbol of East Austin cultural and political
enfranchisement. However, the mind’s eye-view of a bustling central plaza is
far from realized on an average weekday. Men do not play cards or dominoes in
the shade as they do in Mexico. Children are not playing, and the counters are
empty of goods. Fifth Street itself seems empty too except for cars parked in
the side street angle parking—old warehouse structures dominate the landscape,
and the bustle of the restaurants that Ole Mexico campaigned for, doesn’t seem
to be visible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The census data for the tract containing
Saltillo Plaza reveal that the population for the tract is 81% minority, with
African Americans outnumbering Hispanics. The tract population’s median income
for 2010 was </span>$30,316, and 41% of its residents fall below the poverty
line. Housing-wise, the median house age is 59 years, and about half of the
residents rent their housing units. About a block northeast of the Plaza is
Chalmers Court, one of Austin’s Housing Authority apartment blocks. The
surrounding area is filled out with small houses, most with fenced in yards,
including a few vacant lots with tall grass and a bit of scattered litter.
Corrugated metal fences between the Plaza and Chalmers features graffiti that
urban geographers like Zukin have referred to as “gritty.” On the north side of
5<sup>th</sup> street from the plaza there is a district in transition as old
large structures (some industrial) are renovated into higher-end establishments
like Progress Coffee shop on 5<sup>th</sup> and San Antonio. “Old Downtown”
style parking here is still plentiful—garages haven’t sprung up as they have in
the 2<sup>nd</sup> street district. The connection to the rest of the city
seems to operate primarily through auto and bus traffic, as the MetroRail
station stands mostly empty, and the train stops for short periods of time
infrequently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
renovated structures are indicative of the true hustle and bustle of the plaza,
and of the neighborhood at large—energy and cultural use comes not from the
residents of Chalmers Court, or the surrounding houses, but from outsiders,
flowing in each weekend for specially planned and choreographed cultural events;
most notably the HOPE Farmer’s Market. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">HOPE is the longest operating market in East Austin and was voted
“Best Farmer’s Market” by the Austin Chronicle in 2012. This, plus the
demographic of mostly young, white individuals and families in the crowd on a
given Sunday, and the fact that only 8 out of the nearly 50 vendors listed on
their website actually sell produce, clearly illustrates that the market was
non-local to the neighborhood, and gentrified in a lot of ways. That said, HOPE
does appear to make a genuine effort at incorporating the community—they accept
SNAP/EBT and WIC benefits, and the HOPE Farm Stand serves as a place for local
gardeners to sell their small harvests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Additionally, some vendors are cultural and racial leaders, such as Salud
de Paloma Olive Oil; the only Latina owned olive oil enterprise in the state.
The market and the rail station are both “succeeding” in some sense that they
provide life to the otherwise empty plaza. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The intended purpose of economic and cultural growth and
centrality that the Ole Mexico advocates had in mind is arguably now being
fulfilled, but it is notably now out of the control of the community leaders
who envisioned its construction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
farmer’s market, as well as seasonal events like the annual </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Dia de los
Muertos parade, both arguably seek to re-create a neighborhood ideal that is
slipping away as developers look East from the “revitalized” downtown area.
However, with the events dominated in attendance and production by outsiders
and non-minorities, I believe Zukin and others would agree with me that though
positive in nature, the very liveliness of the Plaza exhibits a loss in and of
itself. As Austin grows in symbolic cultural products from markets to music,
and condos like the nearby 262 units development dubbed “Corazon” loom in the
distance, the Plaza, and the city, are no longer so closely tied to
neighborhood advocates, but to a larger image of economic growth. The culture
that built Plaza Saltillo may not disappear from the city, but as it becomes
increasingly shadowed beneath cultural representations of itself and with an
influx of non-neighborhood consumers, practices will continue to occur separate
from, if not in opposition to, the design and intent of the spaces where they
take place. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Sources/Appendix</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">1. Zukin, Sharon. “Whose Culture? Whose City” 1996. The Cultures of
Cities. 1<sup>st</sup> ed. Blackwell Publishers. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">2. Census tables (www.uscensus.gov) </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Demographics </span></div>
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<td style="border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tract Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 75.15pt;" width="75"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">5413</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 212.85pt;" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tract Minority Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">4405</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tract Minority %</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 75.15pt;" width="75"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">81.38</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">American Indian Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">14</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Number of Families</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">1000</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">45</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Number of Households</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 75.15pt;" width="75"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">1733</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 212.85pt;" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Black Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">393</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Non-Hispanic White Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 75.15pt;" width="75"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">1008</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 212.85pt;" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hispanic Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">3902</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 75.15pt;" width="75"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 212.85pt;" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Other/Two or More Races Population</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.6pt;" width="68"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">51</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Income </span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.2in;" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tract Income Level</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 68.75pt;" width="69"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Low</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.75pt;" width="125"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tract Median Family Income %</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 72.1pt;" width="72"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">42.33</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.2in;" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2010 MSA/MD/statewide non-MSA/MD Median Family Income</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 68.75pt;" width="69"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">$71,602</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.75pt;" width="125"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2010 Tract Median Family Income</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 72.1pt;" width="72"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">$30,316</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.2in;" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2012 FFIEC Estimated MSA/MD/non-MSA/MD Median Family Income</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 68.75pt;" width="69"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">$75,900</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.75pt;" width="125"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2012 Estimated Tract Median Family Income</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 72.1pt;" width="72"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">$32,128</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.2in;" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">% below Poverty Line</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 68.75pt;" width="69"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">41.48</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 124.75pt;" width="125"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2010 Tract Median Household Income</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 72.1pt;" width="72"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">$31,662</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Housing </span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 2.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Total Housing Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.25pt;" width="76"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">1870</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 220.75pt;" width="221"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Owner-Occupied Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.6pt;" width="59"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">851</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1- to 4- Family Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.25pt;" width="76"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">1542</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 220.75pt;" width="221"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Renter Occupied Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.6pt;" width="59"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">882</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.95in;" width="140"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Median House Age (Years)</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.25pt;" width="76"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">59</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 220.75pt;" width="221"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Vacant Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.6pt;" width="59"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Inside Principal City?</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.25pt;" width="76"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">---</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 220.75pt;" width="221"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Owner Occupied 1- to 4- Family Units</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #6D6D6D 1.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 58.6pt;" width="59"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: right; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">782</span></div>
</td>
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</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">3. Austin parks website</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">(http://www.austinparks.org/our-parks.html?parkid=313)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">4. Corazon
Housing Development Cypress Real Estate Advisors:</span> (<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">http://www.lakeshoreaustin.com/location/)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">5. Austin 360
History of Saltillo Plaza </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(http://www.austin360.com/news/entertainment/arts-theater/a-plaza-apart-take-a-walk-through-the-short-hist-2/nRxGH/)
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">6. Sister
Cities International </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(http://www.sister-cities.org)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">7. Hope
Farmer’s Market Website<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(http://hopefarmersmarket.org)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">8. Austin
Housing Authority Website </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(http://www.hacanet.org)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">9. When in
Austin Radio</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(http://www.wheninaustin.net/wia-shows/2013/3/2/weekly-show-plaza-saltillo-and-pogue-mahone-pickles)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.com0Plaza Saltillo Station, Austin, TX 78702, USA30.262242 -97.72757828.5087175 -100.309365 32.0157665 -95.145790999999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-90912469562106751522013-07-13T14:54:00.002-07:002013-07-13T14:54:28.979-07:002nd Street Investigation: A of Downtown Austin by Charlotte Friedley <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Camouflaged
in designer-labeled apparel, a neatly groomed appearance, and a properly
concealed, potentially-taboo tattoo, I could be assured at least in appearance
of acceptance into 2<sup>nd</sup> Street culture. Those that enter the realm of
2<sup>nd</sup> Street’s streetscape and business cannot do so lightly. Although
you know that you are geographically located as assuaged by your Iphone GPS at
the intersection of 2nd Street and Guadalupe, the fact remains you could easily
be in any Revitalizing Downtown Corridor, USA. You may no longer be in the
suburbs, but the mentality has not disappeared. As Starbucks latte-handed,
lycra-clad women with designer dogs and suited men engorged in Bluetooth
conversations about an upcoming merger walk by, the inexplicable suburban
notion of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Keeping Up With the
Joneses” seems to be continually played out in the safety of demographically
homogenous 2<sup>nd</sup> Street bubble. Endlessly repetitive, tree-lined
streetscape and the mundanely repetitious city-issued bench become “visually
seductive” mechanisms to create a “representation of an urban life” (Zukin 3).
These kitschy elements of the New Urbanism movement herald a new era of
aesthetic in a comfortable, Disnified rendition of a “Downtown” (Lemon, July
2013). Once at the helm of railroad related trade and culture, 2<sup>nd</sup>
Street now has become an urban playground for those fulfilling demographic,
racial, and social prerequisites. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
summer afternoon, I took up residence on the securely fenced “sidewalk patio”
of Jo’s and dared to converse with several “socially-acceptable” subjects as
well as observe the espoused vivacious street life. Marketed and applauded for
its wonderfully innovative streetscape measures through City of Austin’s Great
Streets program and revered “emergence of a truly ”mixed-use,” “Live | Shop |
Dine” development, the reality could not venture further from a the espoused
urban re-envisioned urban arterial. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Areas
of social interactivity, moments for Jane Jacob “intricate sidewalk ballets”
are deterred, as outdoor dining areas are fenced (Jacobs 276). These areas tend
to make the proclamation “this is my private space” consequently enforcing a
strict unspoken guideline of who is an “acceptable” consumer. No longer does
the dialogue between the activity of the people of street and the consumers,
but instead the language is that of alienation and a deeply embedded sense of
socioeconomic superiority. During my brief occupation, I witnessed a homeless
man perched along a planter outside the Austin City Hall. A space that is a
seemingly public space soon became questionable. As public domain assumes a
“liminal public space culture,” the notion of “privatized and militarized
public space” became visually apparent (Zubin 39). This gentleman after 15
minutes was approached by a policeman and asked to leave. In an area considered
loosely as a democratic forum, a modern “polis,” this incident exemplifies an
“us-them” mentality as law enforcement reiterates who is acceptable within the
confines of 2<sup>nd</sup> Street (Lemon, June 2013). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Located
in Block Group 1, Census Track 11 of Travis County, the 2<sup>nd</sup> Street
district contains 5,265 people per square mile. The racial composition of 2<sup>nd</sup>
Street racial is predominately white at 69.5% of the population while only 9.2%
are Black or African American and 14.2% Hispanic or Latino. While the racial
conglomeration relays one picture, the realistic diversity remains invisible,
as the more reliable metric of relative “diversity” is one’s make and year of
luxury vehicle. These “minority” statistics pale demographically in comparison
to their adjacent block groups east of I-35 with 19-32% of their populations
being Black or African American and 32-57% being Hispanics or Latino (see MAPS
A & B). However, the racial disparity geographically stems from a
historical effort of relocation of minority populations. Federal Interstate
Highway Act of 1956 and notions of slum clearance forced the relocation of
working class minorities out of the city center to the “other side of the
tracks” per say to East Austin (Lemon, June 2013). Consequently, African
American or black and Hispanic concentrations at first to historical conditions
and later to increased property values are minimal and visually non-apparent in
the resident population of 2<sup>nd</sup> Street.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
2<sup>nd</sup> Street population marital pattern reveals an overwhelming number
single, childless folks. The districts boasts 55.9% population as single while
21.5% are divorced and another 17.7% are married. Additionally, only 4.7% of
the districts residents have children less than 18 years of age. With the
median male age at 36 years old and females at 32 years old, the demographics
begin the depict the region as the young professional, “yuppie” population
looking for an “authenticity” in an urban Austin experience. However, the
experience that these mix-used mongering, “Live | Work | Play” loving
professional are propelling a manufactured downtown that lacks the original
“grit and grime” and historically urban diversity of the original 2<sup>nd</sup>
Street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Transportation
and 2<sup>nd</sup> Street has been a long-standing relationship. Beginning in
1920s with the injection of the railroad into the Austin grid, the railroad
changed the once sleepy dwelling-dominated and small service industry into the
center of railroad activity (Sandborn 1920). Whether for warehouse and storage
capabilities for the arriving and/or departing products or rooms and service
for railroad workers and laborers, 2<sup>nd</sup> Street was an industrial era
“polis” with industry at the heart of urban development. The advent and
subsequent explosion of automobile consumption changed the nature of 2<sup>nd</sup>
Street. By 1935, 2<sup>nd</sup> Street responded to the consumer’s salacious
appetite for the automobile as car centric service businesses and gas stations
began to take over the areas once dominated by industrial culture. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
modern day Austin, this contention with means of transportation persists. With
46.3% of the area’s population commuting less than 29 minutes, only 9.5%
population uses public transportation and 11.0% walking to get to work.
However, the highly regarded freedom and individuality associated with the
American automobile culture it is not alarming that 60. 3% of the residents use
cars to get to their place of business. During my occupation of 2<sup>nd</sup>
Street, I inquired whether these urban natives if they knew where the nearest
bus stop was located. Sadly a large number of the populous whether they didn’t
want to speak with me or not had no clue the location of the nearest stop. The
closet stop was only three blocks west. Consequently, the ideologies and
behaviors of suburban culture linger as those residents of the district
struggle facing suburban culture into an urban context hail from (see Image A).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
13.3% of owner occupied housing units valued at over $1,000,000, the housing
market, the 2<sup>nd</sup> Street housing market can be summed up in one word
as these complexes plaster throughout their advertising: LUXURY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three big residential complexes,
AMELI on 2<sup>nd</sup>, AMELI Downtown, and the W Residences, promote not just
housing but the “2SD” lifestyle. Deemed as “Vibrant. Welcoming” and all the
more relevant “Exclusive,” the housing mirrors the character of this “downtown”
enclave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2ndstreetdistrict.com</i> espouses itself as “Where Texas Warmth Meets
Austin Cool” through its mixed-used, Disnified version of a downtown with
high-end retail and restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The notion of an acceptable appearance transcends that of the street
people to the 2<sup>nd</sup> street lifestyle itself with the slogan “We 2<sup>nd</sup>
That. ” This branding mechanism is stamped on posters for events, retail,
restaurants, and loft as a means of promoting a decorous and frankly
pretentious 2nd Street lifestyle (see Image B).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2<sup>nd</sup> Street Pinterest page alone informs
residents and codify the space through categorizations of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“2<sup>nd</sup> Street Style,”
“District Design,” and “District Dos” (see Image C). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Originally,
2<sup>nd</sup> Street was known as Live Oak Street. Like all east/west streets
in downtown Austin, the street was named according to trees found natively in
Texas. Rooted in as the name implies and the original image of the city in the
natural, 2<sup>nd</sup> Street has undergone growing pains from prairie capital
into a metropolis of “cooldom” and thriving hipster appeal. As society moves
toward returning the image of the “downtown,” 2<sup>nd</sup> Street has
responded with an unfortunately inauthentic response. 2<sup>nd</sup> Street no
longer relays the lively chaos and “messiness” of an interactive urbanscape but
emerges as Austin’s newest environmentally deterministic, manufactured
spectacle known as “Downtown.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">WORK CITED</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“2<sup>nd</sup> Street:
Home Page.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2<sup>nd</sup> Street, </i>n.d.
Web. 2 July 2013</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">http://www.2ndstreetdistrict.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“2<sup>nd</sup> Street
District.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Facebook</i>, n.d. Web. 2 July
2013 https://www.facebook.com/2NDStDistrict?fref=ts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Austin Census Data.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Social Explorer</i>, n.d. Web. 2 July 2013
http://www.socialexplorer.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/89AACD3A4F1E4E1/explore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Austin Historical Maps
of Downtown.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sandborn Maps</i>, n.d.
Web. 2 July 2013 http://sanborn.umi.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/splash.html</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">“How
Brooklyn Became Cool” from Zukin, Sharon. 2011. Naked City: The Death and Life
of Authentic Urban Places. Reprint. Oxford University Press, USA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lemon, Robert. </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Introductions & Course Overview: The Evolution of
the City</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">” Modern American City.” CLA
1.104, Austin. 6 June 2013. Lecture.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lemon, Robert. </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“Whose City? III: Disneyfication & Gentrification</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">” Modern American City.” CLA 1.104, Austin. 1
July 2013. Lecture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lemon, Robert. </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/3oukxq0ov2o0xry/Lecture%209.%20Political%20Landscape%20II-%20Land-values%2C%20Land-use%2C%20Population%20Density%20and%20Transportation%20Systems%20-%20Notes.docx"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">June 18: Political Landscape II:
Land-values, Land-use, Density and Urban Growth</span></a>.” CLA 1.104, Austin.
18 June 2013. Lecture.</span></div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comEast 2nd Street, Austin, TX, USA30.2594221 -97.72824930.231991599999997 -97.7685895 30.2868526 -97.6879085tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-60247484632992159492013-07-13T14:42:00.003-07:002013-07-13T14:42:31.695-07:00The Triangle – Public vs. Private space by Christina Kaeini<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From
its initial stages of development, the Triangle has been marked by the controversy
of an ongoing war between developers and citizens. This once grassy knoll, affectionately
known by neighboring residents as “Triangle Park,” began its initial
transformations in late 2003. This area would no longer be home to an open,
public space and instead would be replaced by a development of upscale retail
and residences. Above the notion of progress over preservation, of greater
concern is the idea of accessibility of space and the ever-decreasing amount of
it that is available within the city. Over time, this location has changed to
represent different notions of progress over loss under the presiding argument
that it is promoting economic growth. However, an obvious negative externality
of this development is the accessibility of place and how through the essential
elements of its design, the Triangle has successfully promoted an environment
accessible to a specific demographic and for everyone else, a private space to
which they are not privy to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
texture of the built environment at the Triangle is one of a complex intricacy
of lower level retail shops and bars with an upper level of residential and
office spaces. Interwoven between these features are clear, built indicators of
the visitor’s access to each respective space. The Triangle uses both explicit
and subtle strategies to indicate which spaces are permissible to occupy and
which are not. It is not surprising that a mixed-use development would have a
motive to compartmentalize different areas. However, what makes the experience
unsettling is how orchestrated and unauthentic the space feels. It is a
deliberate move to “recreate urban life as a civilized ideal” only this time,
it will be highly controlled and under the watchful eyes of the development (Zukin
142). Although many spaces within the Triangle feel public, they have been
privatized and marketed to serve a specific demographic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
controlled experience at the Triangle is intrinsically connected to the
features of the built environment that direct the visitor around the space. The
commercial and retail districts send a welcoming message and invite traffic from
off the sidewalk or street and into the shade and confines of the
establishment. For example, where the Flying Saucer bar area begins, and the
pedestrian sidewalk ends, there is a permeable wrought iron fence (Image 1). It
is small in scale and entirely permeable. In contrast, once venturing beyond
these areas and into the more enclosed, residential parts, it is increasingly
apparent that the fences within this environment are specifically designed to
deter non-residents. Instead of permeable, mesh-like fencing delineating
porches from pedestrian walkways, the designers have opted for solid brick
walls (Image 2). This is a clear example of how the aesthetics of the built
environment interact with the visitors who use the space. These design elements
are meant to determine the behavior of visitors— but what is the demographic of
these visitors and how does the Triangle target a specific audience? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Triangle is centered on a consumer culture that offers upscale retail stores
and restaurants that cater to an audience who is able to afford their services.
At this point, this analysis has centered primarily on the lower level of the
Triangle, however, the other half of the development is devoted to residential
units. Once browsing the Triangle website, it is clear the direction they wish
the development to go and are careful to create an image that will effectively
lead it there. Combining chic lifestyles for a young demographic all whilst
maintaining Austin’s “eclectic vibe,” the Triangle boasts that this development
is not another typical Austin development, the Triangle is “life as its meant
to be” (The Triangle Austin). Boasting of its interior park, which is
frequented by visitors attracted by either farmers markets or live music, the
Triangle insists it maintains one of Austin’s most prized ambitions, to appeal
to the “whimsical and energetic in us all” (The Triangle Austin). However,
maintaining the initial criticism of this development as one that values
private space over public space, it begs the questions, who exactly are these
“urban dwellers” and do they really have “something for everyone?” (The Triangle
Austin). What about affordable pricing? Due to the very notion that this
development is home to higher scale retail outlets and upscale eateries, it is
necessary to recognize that it is catering to a very specific demographic, and
in this case, it is not an inclusive one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Furthermore,
based on initial observations of the space, there is an obvious demographic
using the space, and contrary to what the Triangle boasts, it is not an
inclusive one. From the initial documentations of the site, the demographic
characteristics were recorded by observing the type of cars parked in the
development. The lots are filled with German engineered vehicles, and on a rare
occasion, sprinkled with a Honda or Toyota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The evidence of a higher ratio of expensive vehicles to more
affordable ones shows that this development is predominantly meant to serve an
upper class. Not only are the cars an indication of who is using the space, but
also the type of retail shops available can easily identify the income level of
shoppers. The restaurants, bars, and shops have few affordable options. Even a
simple grilled cheese has gone gourmet at “Chedds.” The affordability of the
area lends itself to describe the democratic nature of the space. The Triangle
does not cater to a diverse demographic, it is clearly targeted to wealthier
visitors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
concept of a democratic space is one inherently more public than private. It is
interesting to notice the Triangle’s relationship and connectivity to other
areas of the city. In doing so, its exclusivity becomes increasingly clear. One
way of determining accessibility is by examining the design in terms of
pedestrian and car oriented access. However, these are not mutually exclusive,
and as is evident in the Triangle, there can be a blurred boundary between the
two. The presence of dedicated bike-lanes is a key indicator for bike-ability
and can be assessed in terms of access to the development. The Triangle has
multiple transportation options; it has a dedicated park-and-ride facility
within the development (The Triangle Austin). In addition, it has bike racks
and sidewalks at 100% of its stops. However, it lacks bike lanes that connect
transit stops and it also has no stops within the development. For each element
of pedestrian and bike friendly design aspects it lacks, it makes up for in its
abundance of parking garages and surface lots. It is far easier to access the
development from the comfort of your air-conditioned car. In this sense, it is
a car-oriented development. If the development meant to attract a variety of
people, and in fact “have something for everyone” then wouldn’t it ensure equal
access for all modes of transportation? Its connectivity to other areas around
it affects its inclusion and in effect creates an exclusive environment. The
exclusivity and private aspects of the Triangle is in stark contrast to what
once existed on the site. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Echoing
earlier parts of this research, after conducting informal interviews with
visitors and residents, the history of the Triangle has changed over the past
10 years, and according to popular opinion, not in a positive way. In fact,
some residents will argue that the developers were successful in eliminating an
inclusive space in Austin in favor of a center to stimulate the economy through
consumerism. This has become an increasingly important issue in the discussion
privatization of public space. It is understood that the Triangle will produce revenue
for the city, but what is not readily apparent, is how it is selective in
bringing a specific demographic to the area. It is not a public space in which
one can visit without being a customer; it is a private space to which only
patrons feel welcome. This is aided by accessibility and the textures of the
built environment. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In summary, through interviews and observational research, a
more holistic understanding of this site began to describe an exclusive area.
Not only is this development constructed on the site of a once public park, but
also the design of the Triangle lends itself to describe an exclusive
environment filled with private areas to which only an upper class demographic
has access. It is selective in terms of which demographic it serves, offering
only upscale restaurants and residential units. Not only is this selective
environment evident in the demographic is serves, but also through the built
environment. The texture and materiality of fencing proves to dictate which
spaces are accessible and aids to strictly orchestrate the movement of
visitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Works Cited</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Austin Townhomes and Apartments." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Triangle Austin</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.triangleaustin.com/>.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zukin, Sharon. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Naked City:
The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places</i>. USA: Oxford University Press,
2011. Print.</span></div>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comThe Triangle, 4700 West Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78751, USA30.31425329999999 -97.733013430.312539799999989 -97.7355349 30.315966799999991 -97.7304919tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-86297404569803798792013-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:002013-07-13T14:38:27.781-07:00The Iron Bear: A Refulgent Magnet for the Central Texas Gay Bear Subculture by Alekcander “Sasha” Zhdanov<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjemqkJqf6XZGeAkn1jqbp-WUs0bDA5cC16A34B_L-XzGNCClu_YJculVz5F4k5M06keU1whkvcpRd-LA8al0opf581eGAM9qmCP9ybdAcnFm6aKuCmIwlDzzslJ5ec7poFfnkSVFBHA/s1600/bear4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjemqkJqf6XZGeAkn1jqbp-WUs0bDA5cC16A34B_L-XzGNCClu_YJculVz5F4k5M06keU1whkvcpRd-LA8al0opf581eGAM9qmCP9ybdAcnFm6aKuCmIwlDzzslJ5ec7poFfnkSVFBHA/s400/bear4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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A landscape is
described by Paul Groth, a University of California-Berkeley professor of
geography and architecture, as “the interaction of people and place:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a social group and its spaces,
particularly the spaces to which the group belongs and from which its members
derive some part of their shared identity and meaning.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This definition clearly illustrates the
dynamic cultural structure of “The Iron Bear, a bar <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for</i> Bears <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by</i> Bears,”
located at the corner of 8<sup>th</sup> and Colorado streets in downtown
Austin, Texas.</div>
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“[The]<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>goal for starting this bar was to
provide a place where all Bears can come together in friendship and
brotherhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have drama,
please, leave it at the door.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sagacious mindset of the owners of
the bar has helped to solidify the Bear community as a salient subculture
within the greater LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) communities
of Austin and Central Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
the definition of the word, “Bear,” in the gay nomenclature has many
characteristics and is self-determined, a sizable majority would affirm that it
describes hyper-masculine qualities, girth, and hirsuteness, with facial and
body hair being quite prevalent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the first part of this assignment, I photographed countless numbers
of men in the bar with facial hair, without a single refusal!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So obviously, axiomatic descriptors of
“friendly and cuddly” should also be included for Bears!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been told, and fully attest,
that facial hair is as natural to the Bear as breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To remove the fur from the animal, it
shivers and dies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also heard
rumors that Bears really like their bellies rubbed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But use your own judgment and proceed accordingly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of paramount importance, though, from
the interviews with the locals, I found that with the enmity of intra-community
discrimination and societal judgment, the present-day ubiquitous attitude has
emerged towards an unwavering acceptance of all who choose to ally with the Bear
community, away from a strict, physical definition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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One
of the more genuine stories I have about the Iron Bear was during one of my
visits, when I noticed that it didn’t carry my favorite brand of vodka, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;">Русский</span><span lang="RU"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;">Стандарт</span>”</i>,
or “Russian Standard.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not a
“gay” brand, it affirms my Russian heritage by being potent, strong, and virile
without the after bite of so many of the usual brands of vodka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I “hinted” that it would be more than a
good idea for the bar to carry it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surprisingly, upon my next visit to the Iron Bear, my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;">Русский</span><span lang="RU"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;">Стандарт</span>”</i>
was waiting for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made my
Russian heart soar, and I almost started to belt out the first few lines of my
Russian national anthem, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Россия –
священная наша держав</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;">а</span> (Russia – our sacred homeland)!” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there just might be some “Russian”
Bear in the Iron Bear!</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The demographics of the Iron Bear’s patrons are
chiefly consubstantial, to the degree that most ascribe to a sexual
minority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But again, not to
belabor the point, all non-judgmental, respectful clientele are welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accordingly, only 25-34% of the LGBT population classify
themselves as a “bear” or “muscle bear,” yet classifications of cub, otter,
polar bear, panda bear, chaser, cub, wolf, and even ursula (from the Latin, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ursa<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>, </i>meaning lady
or she-bear), can all find a congenial home atmosphere at the Iron Bear.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[3]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unequivocally, the establishment
succeeds in achieving its desired goal of a “drama-free” zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it still falls prey to the
masculinization of the space, as denoted by Angel Kwolek-Follen, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Engendering Business</i>, by the mere
placement of the female restrooms in the most remote location of the bar, exemplifying
a differentiation in gender status.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[4]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But frankly, I’ve seen plenty of women
in the bar, and from the ones with which I’ve spoken, lesbian or straight, they
have never felt ostracized or objectified by their ursine brethren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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While
the City of Austin has experienced a 6.6% population increase since 2010 to
approximately 842,000,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[5]</span></span></a>
the city has also seen a recent substantial 69% rise in the number of same-sex
couple households to 1.25% of the population, which is more than twice the
statewide average in percentage.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn6" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[6]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bar serves as a magnet of
“realness” for the entire Central Texas area, and pulls from every socio-economic
and racial demographic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless
of the physical location of the Bear’s domestic den in the metro area, the
patrons insist on loyal assemblage with the like-minded ursine community,
although are simultaneously quite confident to venture out to other
hetero-normative spaces when needed or required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The behemoth barrier of I-35 doesn’t occlude the gathering
of the sleuth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Status concerning
income level, employment, education, race, and any other superfluous
classification is left at the entrance, along with the drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bear community prides itself on
breaking down the physical and emotional barriers of class, allowing access to
all in a community of brotherly spirit, regardless of academic critique to the
contrary.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The area immediately surrounding the Iron
Bear’s location, to a radius of one mile, is predominantly white (78%), male
(60%), and harbors the largest age demographic between 20 and 34.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn7" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[7]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The neighborhood, with a 4.05%
population growth, also adequately reflects the overall growth of the city, with
only an 8.86% vacancy rate in rental properties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2012, the neighborhood revealed a per capita income level
of $60,358, which is almost double that of the entire city of Austin at
$31,200, but even more distant from the State of Texas at $25,600 and the US at
$27,900.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This obviously reflects higher
education rates of 44.5% with a bachelor’s degree or higher in the immediate
neighborhood area, compared to Texas at 26.1% and the US at 28.2%.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thankfully, the overall LGBT-friendly
atmosphere in the city of Austin negates the necessity for establishing the
traditional gay enclaves, such as Greenwich Village and Harlem in the early 1900s,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn8" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[8]</span></span></a>
and later, the Castro in San Francisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather than being a haven of escape from the enviable white,
heterosexual, rich world,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn9" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[9]</span></span></a>
the Iron Bear stands firmly as an independent symbol of strength and total
self-acceptance for the Bear subculture and the entire LGBT communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as so many disaffected youth
flocked to the urban gay ghettos of the past to escape conservative pressures
to conform,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn10" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[10]</span></span></a>
the Iron Bear axiomatically represents a community where all who enter are
welcomed and protected, yet simultaneously challenged to conquer the demon of
self-doubt and destructive internalized homophobia placed upon them by society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Prior
to the opening of the Iron Bear, the Amsterdam Café was located on the premises.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn11" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[11]</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a charming eatery and bar which
is so reflective of the flavor of Austin, it is easy to understand the many
facets for which a business must choose to permanently close its doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I am not privy to the actual
reason(s) for the transfer of ownership, it would be reasonable to assume that
the ever increasing property values and taxes assessed accordingly would have a
significant impact on any such decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just in the last three months, the price per square foot for the area
has risen 2.1%, to $212, which significantly exceeds the rates of Travis County
at $199/ft<sup>2</sup>, the entire metro area at $175/ft<sup>2</sup>, and the
State of Texas at $120/ft<sup>2</sup>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn12" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[12]</span></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While the City of Austin has successfully, yet
hypocritically, marketed itself on the “weird” factor, the LGBT community can
find non-judgmental acceptance and gratitude for their patronage throughout a
vast plethora of establishments in the city, removing the need for such
demographically specific oases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, regardless of this phantasmal perception of reality, this
centrally located hub of brotherhood, with easily accessible arterial parkways
from every part of the city, will continue to be a nexus between fun, family,
friendship, and frolic for all who choose to enter its atmosphere of security
and salubrious environs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, who is welcome at the Iron Bear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ALL are welcome, physical features, be damned!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But heed my warning:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if you are a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Faux</i> News follower and like to spew its venom, this is not the
place for you! Thus, it might be wise to consider alternative spaces to
assemble!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be a tragedy,
indeed, if you were mauled by a “mighty” IRON BEAR!</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></a>
Jessica Sewell, “Gender, Imagination, and Experience in Early-Twentieth Century
American Downtown,” in Everyday America:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cultural Landscape Studies after J. B. Jackson, ed. Paul Groth et al.
(University of California Press, 2003), pp. 237-254.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></a>
www.theironbear.com</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[3]</span></span></a>
http://www.studiomoh.com/fun/census/results.php#Muscle_Bears_details</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[4]</span></span></a>
Sewell, pp. 242-243.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[5]</span></span></a>
http://www.loopnet.com/Property-Record/121-W-8th-Street-Austin-TX-78701/P6w5pj39w/Maps/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[6]</span></span></a>
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/numbers-of-same-sex-couples-rise-in-central-texa-1/nRd7s/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[7]</span></span></a>
http://www.loopnet.com/Property-Record/121-W-8th-Street-Austin-TX-78701/P6w5pj39w/Maps/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[8]</span></span></a>
George Chauncey, “Building Gay Neighborhood Enclaves:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Village and Harlem,” in The Blackwell City Reader, ed.
Gary Bridge et al. (Malden, MA:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2010), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pp. 243-249.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[9]</span></span></a>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paris is Burning</i>, directed by Jennie
Livingston (1990: NYC: Miramax Films: 1991.), Film.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[10]</span></span></a>
Chauncey, p. 247. </div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[11]</span></span></a>
http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2008-08-08/658145/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[12]</span></span></a>
http://www.loopnet.com/Property-Record/121-W-8th-Street-Austin-TX-78701/P6w5pj39w/Stats-Trends/</div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comIron Bear39.6387226 -75.751879139.6112941 -75.7922196 39.6661511 -75.7115386tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-72959331869526209442013-07-13T14:34:00.001-07:002013-07-13T14:34:10.152-07:00Barton Creek Mall: Public vs. Private Space by Lauren Fedele<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in the United States there is a wide
array of shopping malls and the population has grown accustom to them, even
though there are many variations. Some malls have multiple stories while some
are one level. Some have movie theatres, skating rinks, and other attractions
while some simply have stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many
are enclosed spaces while others are more open and engaged with the outdoor
environment. The list can go on. But, what defines a mall comes down to two
things, how it looks aesthetically and its usage. These two elements reveal how
the mall attempts to classify itself as a public or private space, which at
times is an ongoing battle. As time has progressed, more people want a public space
that resembles European street shops, which is apparent in many buildings
architectural references. That is why new malls tend to be open and interact
with the outside environment, giving the space a park like feel while still
being controlled. We can see this in Austin at the Domain or in San Antonio at
La Cantera mall. Barton Creek Mall, however, resembles the traditional shopping
mall but projects itself as much more private than a typical mall. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barton
Creek Mall is located on the Barton Creek Watershed and next to the Barton
Creek Greenbelt on top of a hill, which makes it fairly elevated. It is primarily
accessible by car and there is only one bus that stops at the mall making
access to it limited. Additionally, very tall trees surround the edifice
blurring the building. Once you have passed the foliage and the circles of
parking lots, you can finally see the structure, however, the buildings lack of
character and defining form make it feel like it is still trying to hide. Therefore,
the exterior aesthetic with its buried location, lack of accessibility, and
minimal character portrays the image of a protective, secluded, private
building much like a castle or fort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you enter the mall, it suddenly
becomes more open and brighter making the space feel more public and free form.
However, when you enter into an individual store you get the impression that
you are entering a private space. The way the clothes racks and displays are
arranged combined with the lighting and music, it controls how you move in the space
and they are provoking a mood and ambiance that will hopefully promote the consumption
of their products. When you leave a store, the atriums and hallways feel more
open, free, and communal. It feels more like a public space such as a plaza or
park. However, the placement of Kiosks and vendors in the middle of the
hallways selling you T-mobile phones or perfumes are obstructing these “public
spaces.” They are trying to further promote consumption but are also preventing
demonstrations, protests, and performances from occurring in the space. Additionally,
the fact that each individual store is separated by doors and that you
consistently have to travel though separate spaces adds to the privatization of
the individual stores in the mall. In the film, <br />
“Blade Runner,” the city is designed in this similar controlling, enclosed,
private form. The entire form of Barton Creek Mall is designed to portray a
private space and conveys that it is intended to be used in a specific manner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Barton Creek Mall’s aesthetic and
form portrays the mall as a private space, the people who come to the mall have
slowly altered the use of it. The mall has become more of a park in multiple
ways. For example, if you go to the mall during mid-day around noon on a
weekday you will see three main groups of people are at the mall primarily to
get out of their house. The first are families or stay at home mothers with
their little kids. The second are teenagers, which can be found in groups or
pairs typically walking around and talking. The third and last group is the elderly
and they can be seen walking around, sitting, reading, or simply observing
society. The mall is a relatively cheap form of entertainment and an easy
social and gathering place. Taking into consideration that it is now the summer
and too hot to be outside, this air-conditioned mall has been converted into a
park. The benches and couches in the hallways and atriums of the mall are
placed like they would in a park. People sit in them while talking to their
friends, watching their kids play, reading their novels, or simply while waiting
for their spouse to finish their shopping. You can see kids playing on the
railings, on the fountains, and running around the atriums. Some people even
come to the mall to exercise because it has air conditioning and it allows them
to see and interact with people rather than at their enclosed gym or house. The
reasons why people come to the mall are changing and the way the people at the
mall are using the space is transforming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mall is becoming a communal center, a
place to interact with others and socialize. Although Barton Creek Mall is
located in an area that is primarily middle to upper class and white, the mall
attracts a wide range of people. You can see Hispanics, African Americans and
Asians at the mall in addition to Caucasians. The stores located in the mall
are mainly for middle class people. There are not many high-end or luxury stores
like Dolce and Gabbana or Lactose. As you walk around, you can sometimes also
hear other languages being spoken like Spanish. Even its lack of accessibility
hasn’t stopped people from coming. One time when I was leaving the mall, I
observed a lady and her two sons come out of a taxi that brought them to the
mall. Barton Creek Mall is adapting to these changes also. They are playing
more current music that speaks to the younger population. They have also added
a kiosk that does currency exchange. I have never seen a currency exchange in a
mall before but Barton Creek mall is trying to accommodate all its customers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no doubt that Barton Creek
portrays itself as a privately owned space. The aesthetic of the building, its
buried and fortified location, its lack of accessibility and controlling form
indicate that. However, although it promotes consumption inside its walls with
the use of banners, advertisements, and never ending string of vendors and
stores which is the original and economic purpose of the building, it is
transforming into a public communal center; into an indoor park. People of
various ethnicities and economic class come to the mall as a form of
entertainment and to socialize. Barton Creek is a prime example of the thin
line between public and private space that malls hover. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sources</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Census</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1</span></div>
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<u><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Capital Metro</span></u></div>
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<span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.capmetro.org/schedulemap.aspx?f1=030&s=1&d=1</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">American planning Association</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/spaces/characteristics.htm</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simon Malls</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.simon.com/about</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Samo Pederson: The Shopping Mall as a
Public Space</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.samoclub.com/pdf/shop.pdf</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blade Runner</span></u></div>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comBarton Creek Mall (Sears), Barton Creek Square Mall, Austin, TX 78746, USA30.256415 -97.8093099999999824.7343805 -139.11790399999998 55.7784495 -56.500715999999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-37541553360659706162013-07-13T14:24:00.001-07:002013-07-13T14:24:40.179-07:00The Ever Changing South Congress by Cole McGarrahan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">South Congress Exterior Walls and Bumper Sticker
Collage</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">From
my multiple observational visits to South Congress, and previous visits over
the years I was able to find lots of examples of the varying types of people
that visit the area. People that I talked to were mostly very open and willing
to have a conversation. I talked to a middle-aged couple that was from Oregon
visiting friends. They really liked the South Congress “vibe,” and they were
hoping to go see the bats. Another older couple that I spoke to was from
Detroit, and were visiting their daughter who stayed in Austin after graduating
from UT. They were on South Congress to go to a fish restaurant called
“Wahoo’s” for fish tacos, and to get Amy’s Ice Cream, after their daughter had
recommended the place to them. They thought that Austin was laid back and aside
from the traffic and extreme heat, very peaceful and friendly. One thing that
stood out to me was the line of people each time I walked by Jo’s Coffee, not
people buying coffee, but people taking pictures in front of the side of their
wall with the iconic spray painted line “i love you so much” (redone because of
tagging). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>South
Congress Avenue is a five-lane road, with free side reverse-angle parking
available, and bike lanes on both sides. There is usually traffic, due to
multiple reasons including street parking, tourist sight seeing, business, and
regular transportation. Behind some stores and restaurants there is extra
parking and some parking garages; but there is not enough parking for the
amount of people that visit on a busy day. A lot of people park in the
residential neighborhoods around South Congress Avenue, in front of houses.
Some neighborhood streets have no parking signs, some have nothing and others
have hand written signs saying, “Please do not take my parking spot.” These
interactions between public and private spaces are ones to look out for in the
future. This new reverse-angle parking is a result in complaints of little
available parking on the street, and from complaints of residents. The streets
with tow away zones have cars with parking permits for the residents. It is
pretty rare to see residents out in front of their yards; however there are
lots of green lawns and many plotted plants. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
addition to street parking along South Congress Avenue, there are pedestrian
sidewalks and freshly paved corners with new bus benches. Light poles and other
freestanding objects around sidewalks often have stickers of all kinds, from
advertisements to political stances, pop culture images, and local and popular
band emblems. This type of interaction with the environment is common on South
Congress. People often times feel the need to express themselves and their
beliefs publicly, and often times they do this by what some would call
obstructing property. Most, if not all buildings on South Congress have been
tagged with graffiti. Most businesses clean up or paint over the graffiti, and
others have done a type of graffiti of their own, which can be seen on
buildings like Lucy In Disguise. There are lots of old buildings still being
used for businesses and stores today; lots of these buildings have interesting
paint jobs, murals and artwork on the sides of them. Newer buildings seem to
have sides made up of large glass windows, where everything is open and
visible. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also talked to people who stood out to me;
I noticed a lot of people with tattoos and ear gauges. I remember talking to a
‘hipster’-looking group that was upset about South Congress changing, mainly
talking about the removal of the food trailers and small retail tents. They say
that these trailers are a major part of the spirit of Austin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I attended Travis High School, which is
not too far from South Congress, I have been familiar with the area my whole
life and I have witnessed many changes, a lot of which have occurred recently.
I’ve had friends that used to live in the neighborhood, but were forced to move
because of increasing tax prices. There have been many new developments,
remodeling and new modern box houses put in. As far as I can remember in my
life, South Congress has been a cool place with good food choices. One of my
favorite places, Fran’s Hamburgers is now closed. The food trailers, which were
around for about seven years, are almost all gone, and there is a vacant lot
that will soon be turned into hotels. To me the new change is sad because I
liked how unique it all felt. However, the trailers were always expected to be
a temporary thing. South Congress is constantly changing its identity, and many
people today feel like the removal of these trailers will completely change, or
already have changed the identity of South Congress. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I ate at a few of the restaurants
throughout my visiting. I went to Hopdoddy Burger Bar, which has a big menu of
burgers, and burgers made out of lamb, beef, bison, turkey, sushi and black
bean-corn. This restaurant gives off a modern, all-natural, upper-class feel.
The hipster looking waitress was nice and my Buffalo Bill burger was pretty
delicious. Another day I ate at Home Slice, which has always been one of my
favorite places on South Congress. It is almost always packed at Home Slice,
which is why there is a “More” section of Home Slice now that serves mainly
people who want single slices and the late night crowd. I’ve gone a few times
after partying downtown to get a slice around 2 am. Home Slice has much better
pizza than the pizza made on Sixth Street in my opinion. Another late night
option that I love is Magnolia Café, which is full of characters at all
different times. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also visited Prima Dora, which has a
variety of ‘Austin things’ for tourists, and gift givers. They also sell
Tempurpedic mattresses, which seems pretty weird or random to me. I didn’t
visit this store solely for the purpose of this project. Two of my friends
Merylin and Julie work there. They both claim to like working there, but think
that the products that they sell are way over priced and they can’t believe
half of the things that people spend their money on. They also love testing out
the beds. Julie also says that most of their business comes from tourists and
“artsy” women. I didn’t buy anything at their store. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The recent success in the past twenty
years has definitely changed both the image of South Congress and the
demographics of the area. The new ‘Disneyfication’ of the area, along with
success in the City of Austin, has brought in an influx of new homeowners
interested in living near downtown, and near cool and edgy ‘SoCo.’ The
gentrification of the neighborhoods around South Congress can be seen from the
new large houses, some modern and some re-modeled. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Census data for this area of South
Congress show that over half of the population is white, with the rest mainly
Hispanic, with a median average income level around 40,000 to 50,000 dollars.
Most residents are in their thirties, but ages range highly. The two main
neighborhoods are Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">From its construction in the 1830’s, the
farthest South Congress reached was Colorado Street, until it’s growth in the
1850’s. By 1890, there were only eight buildings on South Congress. St. Edwards
College was built in 1887, bringing in some people, but it wasn’t until it was
re-chartered as a university in 1925 until it grew. The South Congress area was
initially pretty empty, but growth of small houses turned into neighborhoods. After
the construction of the South Congress Bridge in 1910, people had a more
reliable way to get to South Congress. South Congress started developing stores
and hotels in the 1920’s and 1930’s as part of the South Congress Preservation
Plan (McGraw). Automobiles made businesses possible in the late 1920s, and
South Congress grew more. The neighborhoods grew when Mexicans were displaced
from downtown, even though most moved to East Austin, others moved into the
South Congress area. After being paved in 1931, South Congress Avenue was
thought of as a corridor of the Capital. In the 1930’s as neighborhoods grew,
they brought in businesses like grocery stores, barbershops, tourist shops, gas
stations and restaurants. In the 1950’s South Congress had many hotels, burger
stands and one of Austin’s first shopping strips. In the 1960’s and 1970’s
South Congress became the home to artists and musicians. The 1980’s and 1990’s
saw a decline in the area, and a subsequent rise in crime with a marked
increase in prostitution and thefts in the hotel and motel businesses. The
2000’s saw a kind of renaissance, and reimplementation of retail shops and
tourist attractions after ‘cleaning up the streets.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being from Austin, I personally have
witnessed changes in South Congress, some good and some bad. I believe that it
will remain a center for businesses and consumerism for a long time, even with
the loss of its soul, because Austin is growing inwardly at such a fast pace. I
hope that South Congress remains a “cool” place to visit and hang out. It will
be interesting to watch what effect the continuing growth will do the area.</span></div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comSouth Congress Avenue, Austin, TX, USA30.2165599 -97.767951130.1067884 -97.9293126 30.3263314 -97.6065896tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-51175979383660950282013-07-13T14:18:00.001-07:002013-07-13T14:18:09.961-07:00Barton Creek Mall, Public or Private Space by Agueda Matano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Barton Creek Square Mall is one of the largest shopping malls in the Austin
area. In North America, a mall refers to a large shopping area composed of one
or more buildings forming a complex of shops, usually “anchored” by one or more
department stores with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily
walk from one unit to another, and surrounded by a parking lot. In a simple
sentence; a shopping mall is an indoor version of the traditional market place.
Shopping malls are public good as they serve as a single location for shopping
location that not only save money and time to its visitors, but also help fuel
the local economy and provide jobs for its citizens. Shopping mall institutions
promote themselves as new town squares or public spaces in which people should
come and be friends, and get familiar with the community, and entertain while
having the shopping experience. However they are promoted, shopping malls are
privately owned establishments, which raise a big a controversy about public
versus private space; the Barton Creek Mall is not an exception to this rule.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Margaret
Kohn in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brave New Neighborhoods</i> says:
“today the only place that many Americans encounter strangers is in the
shopping mall; the most important public place (page 254).” However she
continues saying that this public place is now private and probably not by
accident… so it is difficult to determine what exactly constitutes a public
space. We define a public space as a place where all peoples are welcome
independently of their race, social class, or gender… an area in which members
of the public who are strangers to each other might congregate for the same
purpose, and where ideas can be freely shared (almost like in the Greek polis).
In this sense, the Barton creek Mall is a public space. Everyone is welcome; I
personally saw people of all ethnicities at the site. Nonetheless, we also
consider a public space an area for recreation and entertainment subject to
usage by the public. In this manner, I guess that the mall fails as a public
entity. At the Barton Creek just like any other mall, I believe that
individuals perform learned behaviors based upon personal private interests which
are consider appropriate civil behavior within the boundaries of their
businesses. So, although the mall resembles the traditional market place in
many ways, the shopping mall is more a quasi-public space. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Barton Creek mall, is owned and operated by the Simon Group Property Inc.,
which is ranked as the number one real-estate investment trust and of course
their main goal is to make a profit. So the mall was specifically designed with
the purpose of movement and consumption, which in my understanding
automatically limits the uses of the site. Likewise, activities in the mall are
within a certain space limited to those that promote shopping or another
particular agenda that sweeten the interest of the corporate owners. Even the
aesthetics of the mall is somehow “limiting” or else exclusive, as the mall was
designed for its higher income trade area; something that can clearly be seen from
the type of cars in the parking lot, to the watches, and handbags of the
visitors. Although you see all kinds of people in the site, visitors are mainly
middle-to upper middle class white persons; in this way the mall matches the
demographics of its surrounding areas and although indirectly, excludes the
less privileged which cannot afford to shop there. I guess this should not be
the case of public spaces. So I find it hard to answer the question of whether
the place is democratic. According to the Merriam Webster definition the world
democracy means “rule by the people,” then with the Barton Creek mall being
privately owned, I assume that the owners have the power to decide what can and
what cannot take place… Although there is not any constitutional prohibition
against legislation protecting political speech in places where citizens were normally
allowed to be (including public areas of private malls), citizens need to
remember that civil rights and commercial interest do not always mix, and when
this is the case, certain liberties are surely lost. Like Margaret Kohn states
“ the privatization of public spaces, leaves public sidewalks and streets practically
as the only remaining available sites for unscripted political activities (page
254)”… The idea of a public space includes the gathering of people with the
absence of coercive powers as well, as quasi-public destination being designed
around the concept of security. At the Barton Creek shopping Mall for instance,
there are security guards who are well uniformed and patrol the mall corridors
and the outside area by car. There are also security cameras throughout the
mall, and despite not seeing any particular sign dictating what behaviors are
appropriate inside the mall, the fact that the mall is patrolled on a regular
basis detracts a little from the concept of the public space that shopping
malls try to convey. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Barton Creek Mall, like other malls, is really a façade of a public space.
Economic circumstances define the accessibility of the site and which level of
income one must have in order to participate. You cannot simply approach people
and speak to them; something that I know from my personal experience on the
first part of the assignment. People would not even listen to what I had to say
just because I was not carrying any shopping bags… I felt a lot like an intruder
that did not belong there, or do anything in the mall space because you will be
asked to leave. Nevertheless, the mall is becoming not only a multi-use
facility, but a completely self contained homotopia of suburban life… the
shopping mall is so attractive because it combines the pleasures of public life
with the safety and familiarity of the private realm. And this is exactly what
poses a number of conceptual challenges upon which public policy makers must
act: the problem of privatization of public spaces. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The
Mauling of Public Space” From Kohn, Margaret. Brave New Neighborhoods: The
Privatization of Public Space. Routledge, 2004.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comBarton Creek Mall (Sears), Barton Creek Square Mall, Austin, TX 78746, USA30.256415 -97.80930999999998223.413022 -108.13645849999997 37.099808 -87.482161499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-88485617580782557212013-07-13T13:59:00.001-07:002013-07-13T13:59:06.054-07:00The Gentrification of Rainey Street by Leena R. Vazirani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sBGWapL58tbfFk9hWJlDARvoGjR9vjDqLstWR1GYld4AT_nE1YHxdk_JlIk3XWDKztjtmLNhULUgxcQs-V1lwU3wnLSCJh_BrWcVBnbLgjP2rf4Yegizg7bMm_WBorZqLUbz5A27pnM/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sBGWapL58tbfFk9hWJlDARvoGjR9vjDqLstWR1GYld4AT_nE1YHxdk_JlIk3XWDKztjtmLNhULUgxcQs-V1lwU3wnLSCJh_BrWcVBnbLgjP2rf4Yegizg7bMm_WBorZqLUbz5A27pnM/s400/Untitled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gentrification,
or the urban renewal of lower income neighborhoods, is the process of restoring
run down areas by a wealthier class, resulting in the displacement of long time
low-income residents. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a born
and raised Austinite, I’ve seen this phenomenon occurring throughout my
hometown, and this is exactly what is happening at The Rainey Street Historical
District in Austin, Texas. The Victorian style homes and bungalows on Rainey
Street were originally developed in 1884 for middle class white families. As
suburbanization moved them out of the downtown area to new suburbs, Mexican
American families moved in for the desirable lower rents. The area remained a
single-family residential area until it was rezoned as a Central Business
District in 2004. This was the beginning of the redevelopment and
gentrification of Rainey Street.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gone are
most of the low-income families who couldn’t afford to keep up with the over
inflated property taxes and rapidly rising rents. Property taxes are directly
proportionate to property value. Given that property values skyrocketed as
homes sold for around $400,000 each, many low-income earners couldn’t afford
their property taxes and were displaced to other parts of town. From 2000 to
2010, the population in the area more than doubled from 2,386 to 5,512
residents even as old residents left.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Present
day Rainey Street is a mixed-use landscape. It is a small strip of bungalow-turned-bars,
high-rise condos, food trailers and the remaining single-family residences
situated on a two way residential street. As of March 2013, the city set up 31
“Pay to Park” meters on either side of the street and surrounding areas to improve
mobility on the street and reduce congestion.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[3]</span></span></a>
There are nearby parking lots as well as a resident who charges $5.00 to park
in his backyard. The street is designed for walkability as most residential
areas are. With their vintage style chairs, unique fencing, and even the choice
of outdoor lighting, each bar on Rainey Street adds its own unique touch to the
Austin feel. On a given summer night it is common to see people of differing
ethnicities and ages socializing together in a very laid back setting and most
importantly, having fun. Whether patrons are socializing outdoors, hula hooping
at Lustre Pearl, playing a friendly game of ping pong, swinging in a hammock at
Lucile’s, playing a friendly match of bean bag toss at Bungalow, or picking up
food from one of the many food trailers, there is always positive activity and
movement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the many times I have
visited Rainey Street, I have never heard a single argument nor witnessed a
fight. Instead, everyone maintains the easygoing vibe, which is unique in
itself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Typical patrons
range in age from mid-twenties to mid-thirties, which is similar to the
demographic of those living in the immediate area. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According
to American Fact Finder, 18.3% of the 78701 zip code is composed of residents
in the 25-29 year age group. The next largest group is composed of residents in
the 30-34 year age range, which accounts for 14.9% of the zip code. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This isn’t to say that Rainey is
limited to a certain age group. Everyone is welcome on Rainey. For example, while
visiting Craft Pride on a Sunday afternoon, I saw a little girl dancing to a
local country rock band and drinking juice from her bottle on the back patio.
Her grandfather supervised her from his chair as nearby patrons sipped on their
beer and ate chicken bacon waffles. Anything and everything goes. Rainey is a
very “come as you are” type of place. This is consistent with the Austin vibe. There
is no specified dress code. Most tend to dress very casually in summer attire:
t-shirts, jeans, cargo pants, summer dresses, tennis shoes and flip-flops.
Dressy attire is acceptable as well, but considering that most people socialize
outdoors and the area isn’t upscale in design, it is perfectly appropriate to
come casual. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People
who frequently visit and live on Rainey Street are typically Austenites, both
local and Californian transplants, as well as tourists. One man I spoke with relocated
from San Diego a year ago. In this short amount of time, he already refers to
himself as an Austenite and calls Austin home. In speaking with him, I learned
that he worked in the investment field of finance for a few years, but decided
to relocate to Austin, as many do, for the cheaper cost of living. For what he
was paying in rent and gas to live in California, he was able to move to
downtown Austin and still live comfortably. He is now a regular to the Rainey
Street area and is very content with his lifestyle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All of
these factors make the area more appealing and marketable, especially to young
professionals in California. The urban luxury lifestyle of nearby high rises
are marketed with the “live here, play here” appeal to this demographic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people hear about the existence of Rainey
Street by someone they know. In fact, each tourist I spoke with came to Rainey
because a friend recommended it. This truly is the best form of marketing and
it appears to be working. The cool factor of Rainey Street is the perfect
setting for hungry real estate. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though this
has been a local hot spot and tourist attraction for the past few years, many
developers and investors have other plans for this downtown prime real estate.
The owner of Lustre Pearl, the first bar on Rainey, has chosen to sell her land
and relocate. The building is going to be demolished as part of a plan to build
another high-rise apartment complex.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[4]</span></span></a>
This will be the third high-rise in the Historic District. These high rises
will only further fuel the gentrification process as the remaining residents on
the street are expected to have trouble keeping up with the inflated property
taxes and rapidly rising rents. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With this
trend occurring on Rainey Street, it’s uncertain to me how long it will remain
a social venue for the local community. The appearance of Rainey Street has
changed dramatically over the past 10 years. The neighborhood was a
single-family residential area for over 100 years. In the past 7 years we can
see the gentrification take place. High rises, bars, food trailers and parking
meters have been added to its landscape. Foot traffic increased tremendously as
businesses opened in the area. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many families who have been there for years have left. The
demographic changed from middle class white families, to low income working
class Mexican Americans, to finally all ethnicities who can afford the
lifestyle. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With
these changes occurring so rapidly in such a short period of time, I think it
would be foolish to assume that Rainey Street will remain as we see it today. Even
more so, I find it very interesting that it has only been a short 28 years that
the Rainey Street has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
yet so much of its history is already gone.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[5]</span></span></a>
What Rainey Street will look like in the next 10 years is anyone’s guess. Time
will tell if it remains a historic district. My guess is that the area will
continue to cash in on its cool factor for a while longer. It will re-gentrify
again as businesses leave and real estate developers take over the land. The
most important part is that somewhere in Austin, another hot spot will emerge for
those of us who miss the vibe of the good old days when we used to hang out on
Rainey Street.</span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></a> http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2012-05-25/the-ghost-of-developers-past/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></a> http://downtownaustinblog.org/2011/04/12/downtown-austin-census-data-in-perspective/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[3]</span></span></a> http://impactnews.com/austin-metro/central-austin/paid-parking-begins-in-rainey-street-district/</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[4]</span></span></a> http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/more-changes-for-rainey-street-district</div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ftnref" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[5]</span></span></a> http://www.austintexas.gov/department/national-register-historic-districts</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comRainey Street, Austin, TX 78701, USA30.2578555 -97.739117930.250998000000003 -97.7492029 30.264713 -97.729032899999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-33570835955066083032013-07-13T13:51:00.001-07:002013-07-13T13:51:47.213-07:00The Inviolable Personal Bubble by Giacomo Yaquinto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
Austin neighborhoods have experienced incredible change over the last twelve
and a half years. Whether one considers demographics, property values, or
simply total population, Austin today is not the same place it was in 2000. Of
course, change can be positive or negative or something in between. That being
said, it’s important to consider how change is affecting the city’s culture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shoal
Creek Boulevard can be divided into five sections between 38<sup>th</sup>
Street and Foster Lane. Visually speaking, the sections are easily recognized
by the shifts in lot size and architectural style. The same stretch can also be
divided by US Census Tract. It falls into Census Tracts 2.04, 2.06, and 15.01. I
will focus on the section of Shoal Creek Blvd. between 45<sup>th</sup> St. and
Allandale Rd. My focus area is located within Tract 2.06. It makes up the
southern end of the relatively affluent Allandale neighborhood. Based on my
observations, the area is going through a period of renewal. While the area
doesn’t seem to have ever entered a period of decline, it seems to be
attracting new residents who are apt to make substantial changes to the
existing properties. A surprising number of these new homeowners has embraced a
desire to physically barricade their front yards from the public sidewalks and
bike lanes that run parallel to their property.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
distinction needs to be made between a traditional picket fence and what’s
being built in my focus area. It’s important to recognize that private property
is private. Putting a fence in the front yard isn’t a new idea. Arguably, the
picket fence is an archetypal feature of the classic American home. However,
traditional picket fences are short and have an almost equal balance of filled
and empty space. They separate private space from public space, but they allow interaction.
Although they often block access to the walk leading to the front door, the
message they convey feels negotiable and somewhat informal. The structures
being built in my focus area are different. Typically, they are built of stone
or concrete. Often, they are taller than a picket fence would be. In the
instances they’ve been designed to limit access to the home’s front door, their
message is absolute and intransigent. Rather than simply demarcating the
boundary between private and public, their purpose is the “policing of social
boundaries” (Davis 193).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Don
Mitchell has written extensively about the privatization of public space. His
notion of the “personal bubble of inviolable private property” is especially
relevant to understanding the likely cause behind the desire to build physical barriers
that is developing in my focus area (Mitchell 211). Specifically, it is the
“right to be left alone” (Mitchell 216) that grew out of the right to an
inviolable personal bubble that is particularly important. These ideas have sprouted
from recently enacted laws that were designed to not only limit how people physically
interact in public, but also to limit how people communicate in public.
Arguably, the barriers being constructed on Shoal Creek Blvd. represent an
embodiment of limiting public interaction. In this case, it’s the homeowner
who’s defined the size of the inviolable bubble. The barriers ensure maximum
individual space while simultaneously restricting to the public sidewalk space
the possibility for community interaction. The barriers discourage anyone from
approaching the property so that the homeowner can be left alone. In contrast
to community models in which:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>[p]eople
are dealing with each other, willing to express themselves, rather than storing
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>up
their grievances in private, where the character of their enemies and
themselves <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>becomes
black-and-white clear. Multiple points of contact with different elements in a <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>city
diffuse hostility to the point where an individual will despair of defining
some safe, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>secure
attributes of his own identity and social space, (Sennett 155-56)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
what’s happening on Shoal Creek Blvd. looks to be the nascent stages of
what Soja refers to as “carceral archipelagos” (376). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
trend is striking because it seems to run against the community values that one
might expect to find in a neighborhood like my section of Allandale. The
estimated median home value in 2011 (the most current data available) was
$334,800 +/- $34,508 (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American FactFinder</i>).
Based on my observations, residents seem to enjoy spending time outside, and
they take advantage of the sidewalks and bike lanes. Local realtors focus on
the fact that people who move to Allandale stay there (Reilly). With that in
mind, perhaps my focus area is a self-contained anomaly. The trend hasn’t
caught on with residents who live south of 45<sup>th</sup> St. or north of Allandale
Rd. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
trend is also striking because my section of Allandale’s minority population
shrank between 2000 and 2010. According to US Census data, in 2000, the white,
one race only population was 84.3%. As of 2010, the white, one race only
population was 89.3%. I should note that the comparison isn’t perfect. In 2000,
my focus area was part of US Census Tract 2.01. In 2010, US Census Tract 2.01
became Tract 2.05 and 2.06. However, even if one combines the data from Tract
2.05 and 2.06 there was still a visible contraction in the number of minority
residents between 2000 – 2010. In 2000 Tract 2.01 had 218 Black or African
American Residents. By 2010, Tracts 2.05 and 2.06 had a combined population of
only 196 Black or African American Residents, a roughly 10% decrease. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>According
to the Austin Police Department’s statistics, the incidence of crime in my
focus area has been dropping. The department has published the number of
incidents of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle
theft, and arson for the years 2003 – 2011 by zip code. On average 1,270
offenses were committed per year in my focus area between 2003 – 2011. However,
in 2011, there were only 1,164 combined incidents, lower than any other year
for which data is available, and nearly 9% below the 9-year average. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
might argue that, contrary to a need to construct an impenetrable bubble, the
people constructing these barriers have done so because they find them
architecturally pleasing, they want to keep dogs off the lawn, or for some
other benign reason. Based on my observations, I would argue against a benign
motivation for two reasons. First, as I’ve suggested, building materials and
techniques convey specific messages. At some point, the homeowners who’ve constructed
these barriers decided to build a structure with a specific presence to convey
a clear message. Second, based on my observations, the people who’ve constructed
these barriers seem to have done so through their own initiative. As I’ve
pointed out, between 2000 – 2011, not only did property values increase
dramatically in my focus area, but the area also got less diverse and the crime
rate went down. Generally speaking, these trends should’ve motivated residents
to remove barriers from their yards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Again,
I must concede that my focus area may represent an anomalous trend. Based on
the numbers, it’s occurred without residents taking into consideration property
value, racial and ethnic demographics, or changes in the incidence of crime. There
is something odd about the development of semi-walled proto-compounds within a
neighborhood that still seems to be community oriented. Unfortunately, the very
nature of the barriers made it difficult to contact residents directly to ask
them about the intent of their barriers. After multiple visits to the area, I
never once saw a property owner who lived in one of the houses with a front
yard barrier. Whatever the motivation, the rise of built barriers is in line
with both Davis’ and Mitchell’s observations of life in the postmodern city. The
affluent have created impenetrable spaces to ensure maximum private freedom
while simultaneously limiting any potential public discomfort.</div>
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Works Cited</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American FactFinder</i>. United
States Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. Web. 7 Jul. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2013.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Austin Police Department. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crime
Stats Listed by Zip Code.</i> City of Austin. Web. 7 Jul. 2013.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Davis, Mike. “Excavating the Future in Los Angeles.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blackwell City Reader</i>. Eds. Bridge, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gary
and Sophie Watson. 2<sup>nd</sup> ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
193-200. Print. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Mitchell, Don. “The S.U.V. Model of Citizenship: Floating Bubbles, Buffer
Zones, and the Rise of <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the
‘Purely Atomic’ Individual”. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blackwell
City Reader</i>. Eds. Bridge, Gary and Sophie <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Watson.
2<sup>nd</sup> ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 211-20. Print. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Reilly, Michael. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allandale Homes
For Sale</i>. Reilly Realtors, 2013. Web. 7 Jul. 2013</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sennett, Richard. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Uses of
Disorder: Personal Identity and City Life</i>. New York: Alfred A. Knopf </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Inc.,
1970. Print.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Soja, Edward W. “Six Discourses on the Postmetropolis.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blackwell City Reader</i>. Eds. Bridge, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gary
and Sophie Watson. 2<sup>nd</sup> ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
374-81. Print.</div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comShoal Creek, Austin, TX, USA30.33935949999999 -97.74411550000002130.284542999999989 -97.824796500000019 30.394175999999991 -97.663434500000022tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-78534341881105579522013-07-13T13:44:00.001-07:002013-07-13T13:44:22.422-07:00The Mueller Development: An Examination of Gentrification and Disneyfication in East Austin by Garrett Rogerson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Mueller New Urbanism Development is one of the hottest new areas in Austin.
Located in East Austin on the site of the old Mueller Airport, the development
has been hailed as a shining example of progress for turning a vacant, decrepit
site into a modern, progressive community. However, the redevelopment of this
site is, like many things in urban affairs, a double-edged sword. Mueller is
envisioned and marketed as a diverse, livable community where residents can
live, work, and play all in one place. However, in my observations, I have
found that the ideal vision of Mueller is more the exception than the rule.
Instead, Mueller has developed into a community of predominantly wealthy, white
residents in a traditionally minority controlled space who have - intentionally
or not - settled down in their own protected enclave and served as trailblazers
for the gentrification of the surrounding East Austin neighborhoods. </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
discussing the positive and negative aspects of the development and its effects
on its surroundings, it is first necessary to give some background information
and a brief history of the site. Mueller is constructed on the former site of
the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, which was Austin's primary airport until
it was replaced by Bergstrom International Airport in 1999. The site remained
vacant for years, and in 2004 the Austin City Council reached an agreement with
real estate giant Catellus for the development of the site (Catellus website).
Ground broke on the development in 2007, and though construction is still very
much ongoing, the development has started to take shape. Mueller is designed to
be a prototypical example of New Urbanism, which according to Catellus is meant
to eliminate traffic and sprawl through walkability and livability, be on the
forefront of sustainability, foster a sense of community & diversity, and “closely
resemble the small town of pre-war America” (Catellus website). The development
contains apartment complexes, retail stores, restaurants, and offices in rather
close proximity to one another, sometimes in the same structures, as well as an
area of single-family housing. As we will discuss, the utopian ideal has not
completely translated into reality. </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Though
not quite to the extreme level embodied by Celebration, FL (lecture), Mueller
is a textbook example of the phenomenon known as Disneyfication. The community
is a utopia, with the unwritten caveat that one must meet a certain, rather mid
to high-income threshold in order to enjoy its benefits. The large, pristine
houses in the development sit on tree-lined streets and have well maintained
front gardens (the typical lawn has been eliminated under the tenants of New
Urbanism). The single family housing development in Mueller also enjoys access
to multiple parks, a community swimming pool, and the many acres of green space
that has been built into the Mueller development. Also, while considering it
“walkable” might be a stretch, the local HEB, retail establishments and planned
"town center" (which is to contain restaurants, a cinema, and a
hotel) are certainly close by. These houses, aside from being designed in a
different architectural manner, are hardly different from houses in the
prototypical American bedroom community, allowing its residents to stay within
their bubble of fantasy and completely isolate themselves from most of the
world. On a larger scale, the entire development is isolated at least to some
extent. Though one of Catellus' "Principles of New Urbanism" is ease
of access to transit (Catellus website), bus service is sporadic, and there is
no rail. The western end of the development does border IH-35 and Airport
Boulevard, but is constructed so that there is a barrier - either in the form
of the backs of large retail buildings or through green space - between the
development and the rest of the city. All things considered, Mueller is a great
example of Disneyfication thanks to the emasculate nature, exclusivity, and
self containment of its space. </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Through
my observations, Mueller also seems to be contributing substantially to
gentrification. Though few, if any people have been displaced by the physical
construction of the site, that doesn't mean Mueller doesn't have a gentrifying
effect. The development has raised property values in the surrounding areas,
forcing some residents to leave their homes because they could not afford
rising property taxes. Sadly, many of these homeowners were ones who had
already invested enough time and money into their property to have it
completely paid off. This is a theme throughout the city of Austin which
Mueller has unfortunately been a part of (Scott, KXAN). Also, another tenant of
New Urbanism is diversity in housing options and community makeup (Catellus
website). This is the single biggest point of contention I have with the
Catellus plan. The developer promises that at least 25% of housing in the
Mueller development will be affordable to those making 80% or less, and in some
cases 60% or less of Austin's median family income (Catellus website). Additionally,
there is currently a lottery system to get into any houses that are deemed “affordable.”
After multiple visits to the area and examination of census data, it is clear
that this is not even close to reality. The most recent census figures show the
area being overwhelmingly white (US Census Bureau), and my personal observations
confirm that the residents are not only white, but also mostly affluent, which
can be ascertained through data like rent and home prices (Catellus website)
and also the types of cars lining the street. As the development continues to
grow, it seems that it is headed in a direction of being a major spearhead in
the incursion of well off whites into traditional low and middle income
minority spaces in East Austin. </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Does
Mueller live up to its promise as a model of New Urbanism? Undoubtedly, there
are some tenants of New Urbanism that Mueller has fully embodied. It is argued
by the New Urbanists that all of the development has used the most modern,
sustainable construction techniques, and there are acres upon acres of green
space that give the area high marks in terms of environmental friendliness.
Catellus touts the "Adaptive reuse of the former airport site," and
it is true that there is much economic good to be had by transforming Mueller
from a run down, vacant airport to an economic hub, almost a mini edge city.
However, some of the vision of what Mueller would look like has been
compromised, or even ignored. The development was supposed to be an employment
hub, where residents could live just a short walk from work. There are many
jobs, some of them middle and upper income even (Dell Children's Hospital, UT
Pediatric Research, etc.), but the vast majority of employment in Mueller is
low end service industries, paying nowhere near enough to live in the
development. Also, the scale of the development means that it may be difficult
for those few residents that do both live and work there to actually walk to
work. As mentioned before, whether intentional or not, the mission of having a
diverse community has fallen flat on its face. Mueller is predominantly white
and overwhelmingly affluent, and that doesn't look to change any time soon. </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This account is not meant to be a value judgment
on the Mueller development. As I have outlined, the transformation of a vacant
airport into the Mueller of today has significant benefits to the economy of
the city, but ignore the negative externalities it has had on nearby residents
or to hold it up as a model to be replicated in the future is foolish. Mueller
should be looked back on in the future; not to be emulated, but because it is
clear that Mueller has become a textbook example of both gentrification and
Disneyfication. Neither one of these is inherently good or bad - or at least we
haven't judged them as such as a society at large - but it is clear that they
are unintended consequences. Continuing to follow the growth and progress of
the Mueller development, both for what is right and what is wrong, is a
worthwhile endeavor for planners, geographers, and anyone with even a casual
interest in creating an economically and socially robust city in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Class Lectures</span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mueller Development Website
(Run by Developer Catellus). <a href="http://www.muelleraustin.com/">http://www.muelleraustin.com</a></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">US Census Beuaru. 2010
Census Interactive Population Map. http://</span> <span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/">http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/</a></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Higher Cost of Living
Squeezing Many Out of Their Homes”. David Scott. 28 June 2013. KXAN News –
Austin. <a href="http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/higher-cost-of-living-squeezing-many-out-of-thier-homes">http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/higher-cost-of-living-squeezing-many-out-of-thier-homes</a>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comMueller, Austin, TX, USA30.298415299999991 -97.70094159999996530.270995799999991 -97.741282099999964 30.325834799999992 -97.660601099999965tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-79092635897408407992013-07-13T13:24:00.003-07:002013-07-13T13:24:38.732-07:00The New North Loop by Shannon Lemex<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Collage: The Epoch Coffee House is a unique place in north campus, it attracts an
eclectic group of people. The cafe features art pieces by local
artists, they serve simple coffee, related drinks, and foodstuffs. The
crowd encompasses everything from grungy, aging artists to yuppies and
youthful, new-age hippies. In my collage I feature two things, the decor
chosen by the operators of Epoch, and the hair styling chosen by the
patrons of Epoch.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are two main groups of people to be found at Epoch, those who are there to work
and those who are they to socialize or relax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two groups have one thing in common – a desire for
caffeine. Everyone has some sort of caffeinated beverage in front of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The space has been designed to
accommodate both types of patrons. Indoors, there are plenty of tables, some
tucked away in corners and others in the middle of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also comfy loveseats and
armchairs for those who wish to recline in a less formal way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One initially odd aspect of the space that
struck me are the many extension cords running along the ceiling and dangling
all over the café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owners of
Epoch have learned to cater to their working crowd; they ensure that every
industrious customer has access to an electrical outlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outdoors is an assortment of tables and
chairs, as well as stools standing at long counter-like tops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The type and arrangement of seating
outdoors caters to those who come in pairs or groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the basics of seating and arrangement, one can
look at the décor and clearly see it was chosen to appeal to the demographic
found in the North Loop neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The walls are decorated with pieces by local artists, mostly
paintings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These painting features
rock icons, bizarre portraits, and others are abstracts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of them are the sort of art you
would expect to see in a high end restaurant or small museum, it’s ‘real people
art’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from paintings are odd
little knick-knacks, like a Starbuck’s logo that’s had some letters
strategically blacked out to spell a vulgar way to tell someone to go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people who frequent Epoch are
younger, typically aren’t that well established, and seem to seek out a place
that reflects what their chosen lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They come for a place that’s unpretentious, that’s got a
taste of something local, not a fancy modern café or a traditional European
style bistro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, of course, they
come to satiate their addiction to caffeine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Look
around the place and you can tell the people in charge have made a distinct
effort to present the space in such a way that it appeals to the locals and
local culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current local
culture of the area is somewhat contrived; the area has recently become one
more of many places in Austin to undergo gentrification, and it continues to do
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as apparent in North
Loop, but many homes and small apartment complexes are being renovated and
refurbished to attract students, young professionals, and the dreaded
hipster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vintage resale stores,
wanna-be dive bars, and bike shops are unavoidable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than possessing an authentic culture that has
developed over time and become ingrained in the place, North Loop has been
given a carefully thought out faux-culture to attract a particular resident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a way, it’s a sort of performance
put on with the cooperation of investors, developers, and local business
operators, rather than being a performance driven by current residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People buy into it and pay to be a part
of it because it’s desirable to be a part of the demographic represented, to be
a part of the young, educated, cultured, and rising generation that may very
well someday be part of the elite.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Epoch
itself is used by a relatively wide variety of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many are students of some sort, reading
books, typing away, or even spread out across a table drafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others are people looking for a quiet,
but somewhat lively, place to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some are older, obviously retired, and enjoying a coffee and a
pastry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a wider sense, North
Loop is populated mostly by young, educated, possibly employed white kids that
are currently renting from a lucky property owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the neighborhood at large, there really is very little
variety, as property and rent costs limit who can live there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing I love about Epoch is that
you can order a snack and a drink for under five dollars (try that at Starbucks
or even Medici).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this is
part of what attributes to their variety of patrons, you don’t need to spend
ten bucks to have a drink and a snack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, coffee refills for fifty cents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the sense that Epoch is affordable and accessible, it is
a democratic space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s welcoming
to all sorts of people and easily accessible by foot, bike, bus, or vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, North Loop itself is not as
democratic of a space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s quite
difficult to become a property owner in the area, and, to a certain extent,
even to rent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
thing that makes the North Loop area and Epoch in particular a more democratic
space is its accessibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
area is pedestrian friendly, cyclist friendly, and car friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bike lanes are abundant, sidewalks go
nearly everywhere (though they may not be in great shape), and North Loop
Boulevard itself is easy to find and easily navigable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boulevard extends between Airport
and Lamar, two sizable thoroughfares, making it easy to get to from many
surrounding areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, multiple
bus routes run through or around the neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The North Loop area is a smaller community, and maybe not a
very well known one in the greater Austin area, but to those willing to look
for it tend to find it a very desirable location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of its desirability it isn’t the most inclusive
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>North Loop Boulevard will
likely be the largest road through the area, keeping traffic to a certain lower
level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, the cost of living
there ensures that only a particular demographic can inhabit the
neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>North Loop seems to
be more accessible than many parts of the city, but is still somewhat hidden
away by living expense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>North
Loop wasn’t always so desirable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the past fourteen years the cost of housing and property taxes has
sky rocketed since the closure of the Mueller airport in 1999.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once, the neighborhood was avoided due to
low flying planes preparing to land just to the east of North Loop at the
municipal airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that Mueller
airport has been closed and the area is being converted into a new urban
development<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_edn1" name="_ednref" style="mso-endnote-id: edn;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[i]</span></span></a>,
North Loop has become the new ‘it’ spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Its central location and older suburban charm have drawn many from the
city and other cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
populated by smaller homes and bungalows built for returning GIs<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_edn2" name="_ednref" style="mso-endnote-id: edn;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[ii]</span></span></a>,
North Loop is now being transformed into a neighborhood of larger, multifamily
homes and apartment complexes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether or not you see the development of North Loop as a
form of progress or the loss of culture, history, and place depends on what you
value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Property taxes are rising
and bringing more money into the city, population density is increasing and
creating a demand for more services and infrastructure, and development is
rejuvenating and changing an area that was long ignored by the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time the small houses,
families, and tight knit communities are disappearing as the neighborhood
changes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are moving further
into the suburbs so they can rent out their property and turn a profit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long established small businesses are
being out competed or bought out by newer, cooler ones that appeal to the
changing demographic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new
culture and feel of North Loop has become a commodity, and a very profitable
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As this new commodity is
marketed and sold, what the neighborhood once was is very carefully being
replaced and forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Progress
comes at a price, and whether or not the cost is worth the loss is all reliant
upon what you value in a place.</span></div>
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="edn" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ednref" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[i]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Mueller Redevelopment. City of Austin.
<http://www.austintexas.gov/department/mueller-redevelopment></span></div>
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<h1>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=707619459840191206#_ednref" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[ii]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Meyer,
Stephanie (2012). North Loop is Latest Austin Neighborhood to Get a Face Lift. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Austin Post Beta. </i><http://www.austinpost.org/boom-town/north-loop-latest-austin-neighborhood-get-face-lift></span></h1>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comAustin, TX, USA30.267153 -97.74306079999996729.828484 -98.388507799999971 30.705822 -97.097613799999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-15052490979918595462013-07-13T13:11:00.001-07:002013-07-13T13:11:11.289-07:00Rainey Street: Gentrification and Changing Space by Chloe Sanchez<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A relaxed, casual environment that is primarily outdoor dominates the bars on Rainey Street. To represent the culture of the street, I have juxtaposed hats and seating. Hats appear to be part of the fashion on Rainey Streeet, as patrons relax with friends on picnic tables and walk throughout the streets during social outings in downtown Austin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the last few decades, the city of
Austin has grown from a small, alternative city to one with a global economy.
Still, Austin strives to maintain a reputation for being cool, unique, and
“weird” while balancing the growing pains associated with commercialization.
The city’s expansion has brought land use changes, which have resulted in
gentrification- a process where lower income residents in developing areas are
displaced due to urban renewal and rising property values. The Rainey Street
district, an area of downtown Austin now known for its bar scene, is one area
that has seen these changes. While the bars on Rainey Street have been
successful in creating a laid-back, friendly social atmosphere, the changes
have come at a price. Changes in zoning, rising property values, and an
evolving downtown scene have changed the Rainey Street district from a historic
residential area to a commercialized entertainment space. This alternative use
of residences as businesses also challenges the meaning of space. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
change in land use from residences to bars in the Rainey Street area came from
a 2004 decision to change the zoning from residential to Central Business
District. The purpose of this change was to attract the construction of a
convention center, and since this has yet to happen, business owners have
decided to use the space for entertainment purposes (Dunbar). The houses on
Rainey Street were constructed between 1900 and 1924, and the area has been
named a historic district (FindTheData). Although the intent of making the area
a historic district was to preserve the area as a residential space, it has
instead turned into an area for entertainment and tourism (Feit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Factors
about the Rainey Street district identified by the U.S. Census show why it is
an attractive and convenient place for young people with no children to hang
out. According to AmericanFactfinder by the U.S. Census, the tract that Rainey
Street is located in has a higher number of residents than immediately
surrounding areas, but a lower average number of people in each household. The
average household size in the Rainey Street census tract is similar to that of
other downtown areas, about 1.9 people, while the east and west side of the
city have higher average household sizes up to 2.9 people. Similarly, the
Rainey Street tract has a low child dependency ratio, similar to that of other
downtown areas, compared to the east and west sides of the city. The bars were
literally once used as houses, and the change in use of the space challenges
our ideas of what a public bar, should look like, and how it should be used. The
aesthetics and the built environment of the Rainey Street district affect the
type of socialization that occurs at these establishments. While the bars on
6th Street are like fortresses, with a single wall separating the private bar
from the street, the low fences and front yards of the Rainey Street bars give
a more public and welcoming feeling. The homey feel of the street makes patrons
feel relaxed, as if they are spending time at the home of a friend where both
the indoor and outdoor spaces are used as one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
usual boundary lines between public and private space are blurred because of the
social integration between the street, the yard, and inside the bars. While the
street feels free and fun, the area is heavily patrolled. Employees for each
bar stand at the edge of the property, checking identification of every person
that enters the business. In addition, these employees provide social control
of the space, making sure guests are not behaving in a way they feel is
inappropriate. Just like the private shopping malls discussed by Margaret Kohn
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mauling of Public Space</i>, the
Rainey Street district has become a sort of “entertainment mecca” or vacation
spot that “combines the pleasures of public life with the safety and
familiarity of the private realm.” Any form of demonstration could easily be
reported by bar owners as loitering, disturbing the peace, or harassing
customers, which takes from the democratic value usually associated with a
public street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The exclusivity of the Rainey Street
district is seen further by the fact that most people appear to arrive in cars,
unless they are residents of the high priced downtown living. I have observed
that the Rainey Street patrons seem to be relatively young, appear to be
affluent, and are mostly white. Although the population seems to be homogenous,
the area still feels like a welcoming and relaxed place, although there is no
denying that the area is gentrifying. As of now, the Rainey Street area has an
appealing “gritty authenticity” (Zukin) that seems to be brought by the
historical nature of the houses. Just like the city of Brooklyn, which Sharon Zukin
describes as evolving into a “cool” place because of its urban renewal, pop
culture, and trends, the Rainey Street district is clinging to its “cool
factor” as the city of Austin changes (Lemon). In the case of Austin, the
“coolness” associated with the alternative nature of the Rainey Street bars is what
Austinites proudly describe as something that helps to “Keep Austin Weird.” As
discussed by Joshua Long in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Weird City,</i>
it is the commercialization of the very term that is a sign of the changing
dynamic of the city, from a small “Creative city” to a top U.S. high-technology
city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
change in the use of the historical houses on Rainey Street seems to be just
another step in the process of Austin’s transformation and integration to the
global economy. It has been argued that Austin’s uniqueness cannot coexist with
the commercialization and growth going on in the city today. For now, the
Rainey Street district is both a popular spot for locals and tourists to visit,
and also still a unique, “weird” part of Austin that has used old residences in
a new way. At the same time, the future of Rainey Street and nearby residents
is uncertain. New construction and gentrification in the area has the
possibility of displacing those who have come to call the area home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">References</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dunbar, Wells. "City Hall Hustle:
The Lure of Rainey Street, What Happens When a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Neighborhood
Grows without Planning Forethought." Editorial. The Austin Chronicle 28 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jan.
2011: n. pag. Web. 02 July 2013. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feit, Rachel. "The Ghost of
Developers Past." Editorial. The Austin Chronicle 25 May 2012: n. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>pag.
Web. 02 July 2013.
<http://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2012-05-25/the-ghost-</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>of-developers-past/>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Find The Data: http://historical-places.findthedata.org/l/22340/Rainey-Street-Historic-District</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kohn, Margaret. Brave New
Neighborhoods: The Privatization of Public Space. New York: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Routledge,
2004. Print.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lemon, Robert: From class lecture on
his definition of the “geography and urban ‘cool factor.’”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Long, Joshua. Weird City: Sense of
Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas. Austin: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>University of Texas, 2010. Print.</span></div>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comRainey Street, Austin, TX 78701, USA30.2578555 -97.739117930.250998000000003 -97.7492029 30.264713 -97.729032899999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-59751907989563182072013-07-13T12:57:00.002-07:002013-07-13T12:59:10.033-07:00The Domain: Public vs. Private Space by Ellie Wren<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Malls have become an important part of
America’s culture over the past decades. The mall is an adaptation of the
historical marketplace – an area to gather, converse, and shop…however the
modern mall is on an entirely different level of marketing and urbanization.
Some malls are even much like an Edge City themselves. Today, “the mall has
become an entertainment mecca, a major employer, and a premier vacation
destination…the mall is also a workplace...[and] is becoming not only a genuine
multi-use facility, but a completely self-contained homotopia of suburban life”
(Kohn, 75.). Along with these changes to the American mall, comes the blurring
of the line between what used to be considered public space in the historical
market, and what is now private space owned and operated by mall corporations,
shops, and residents. The Domain is an excellent example of this blurred line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First off is the shopping mall’s built
environment. The Domain of Austin is a mixed-use space in North Austin, full of
outdoor shopping, restaurant, and residential spaces. As any Austinite who has
visited the shopping area over the past few years can tell, the mall has been
expanding in both shopping and residential space. The smaller stores are
anchored by department stores like Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and Dillard’s. What is
different about the Domain is that instead of the stores opening up to indoor
hallways of sorts, they open up to the outdoor street. There are many different
areas of congregation around the mall. The most prominent area I noticed was in
the original section of the mall, between Neiman and Macys. There is a good
sized children’s play area with animals to climb on and benches for mom and dad
to sit on while they watch their children. Right next door are the
Starbucks/Steeping Room restaurants, where the adults gather to eat and
socialize, or sit and work on their lunch break. Currently there are plans
already started to build a new Whole Foods, more stores, parks, and residential
areas. The mall appears to be turning into an “Edge City.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The opening of the shops into the
street poses the biggest issue of private vs. public space. Historically,
streets are considered public and free for all kinds of peoples to congregate,
converse, and perform various activities. Is it public because it is a public
mall, or is it private because the mall is owned by the Simon Property Group? Historically
speaking, one could congregate on the sidewalks and streets and exercise their
rights of public space. However, it is owned by a private entity, an entity
with their set of rules. What about the security guards that never fail to make
their appearance while you are shopping at the mall at any given point of the
day? What about the private residential living apartments above and around the
shops? This mall has taken both the private and the public and mixed them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Second point I would like to address, are
the cultural aspects of the shopping area that The Domain uses to market
itself. As Austinites know, the city is very much pro-environment and walking
and biking around town is valued. The Domain’s main webpage showcases their
mindset of “keeping with the Austin spirit, [with] pedestrian-friendly,
open-air lifestyle center” (The Domain). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also say that their shopping mall is “so attractive
because it combines the pleasures of public life with the safety and
familiarity of the private realm” (Kohn, 75). Which also brings us back to the
question of whether the mall is public or private?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Third: Is this space democratic? Is it
truly for the public --- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> the
public, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everybody</i>? These are tough
questions to answer. While people from all economic backgrounds are welcome to
use and enjoy the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">public</i> space, from
my observations, that does not exactly happen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">equally</i>, in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">democratic</i>
way. During my observations, I noticed that the mall is somewhat set up with an
upper-scale side and a lower-scale side. The upper-scale side consists of the
Neiman Marcus anchored end, with Burberry, Tiffany, Michael Kors, Louis
Vuitton, Juicy, and Coach, along with nice restaurants like McCormick &
Schmick’s and Flemings. The Macy’s anchored end consists of less expensive
stores like Forever21. That side of the mall continues with more affordable
stores like Charming Charlie and restaurants like Subway. I noticed that
towards the Neiman end, the demographics of the shoppers were more established
people in their 30s and upward, in professional attire (likely coming from work
on the weekday), and the women with designer handbags...or college girls with
their dad’s credit card. In the middle with the kids’ play area were the
families with smaller children, taking a break to play. Toward the Macy’s end
and beyond were more of the teenagers and others without the high-end designer
handbags. While there is a bit of diversity between the higher and lower ends
of the mall, there still seemed to be an economic “cap” on the shoppers there.
There were certainly no signs of the low-income families or homeless. While
there are less expensive stores like Forever21, some still cannot afford the
cheapest of the Domain. Being able to afford to physically get to the mall
could be difficult for some people as well, thus furthering their exclusion
from the area. It is not too accessible by walking from other areas, however
there are a couple of bus stops nearby. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All in all, what I have gathered is
that The Domain is a public (mall, restaurants, etc.) and private space
(residential) with private rules. Their goal was to create a public, outdoor,
urban space, but with the “comforts” of a private area…and they have succeeded.
Over the next years we will see expansions to the shopping area, both in public
and residential space. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Citation:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<a href="http://www.thedomainaustin.com/">http://www.thedomainaustin.com/</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kohn,
Margaret. “Brave New Neighborhoods.”</span></div>
</div>
Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.com0Domain Drive, Austin, TX 78758, USA30.3992051 -97.725440330.3855096 -97.7456103 30.4129006 -97.705270300000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707619459840191206.post-73812160496313145152013-07-13T12:30:00.002-07:002013-07-13T12:30:45.724-07:00The Hill Country Galleria by Emily Jabali <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnTX3NjvxEu2yYpZ6Pa7Ae4cElAOVpUpyfm_snVbjVO9CsUbzgmLviTHxwEeZqKu-Gsg9HB_7dnsYouSBcZn0pCtnJ3QMGwj_Vn0EiaYoUBRKosHJgPfArJX7szdHB0HLvqbXQDaUrdI/s1600/Untitled1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnTX3NjvxEu2yYpZ6Pa7Ae4cElAOVpUpyfm_snVbjVO9CsUbzgmLviTHxwEeZqKu-Gsg9HB_7dnsYouSBcZn0pCtnJ3QMGwj_Vn0EiaYoUBRKosHJgPfArJX7szdHB0HLvqbXQDaUrdI/s400/Untitled1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Hill Country Galleria, opened in
2008, has become a site of attraction for many of the people that inhabit the
Lakeway and Westlake area, two very similar suburbs of Austin. People from this
area tend to be pretty affluent and are able to have not only the spare time
but the cash in order to afford to shop, eat, and enjoy what the Galleria has
to offer. From department stores, local shops, a diverse array of eateries, a
grocery store, and a movie theatre, the Galleria really has it all. Not to
mention Bee Cave City Hall and a public library also sit on the mall grounds.
The Galleria blurs the line between a public space and a private one, as well
as demonstrates certain cultural practices that can only be found on this side
of town. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
different elements I decided to observe at the Galleria were the purses women
were carrying and the different ways the hill country rock and limestone were
used. I chose to ask 15 different random women what type of purse they had, how
much it cost, and if they purchased it for fashion or functionality. From the
data I collected, I found out that more than half of the purses were designer
brands, ranging between $700-$1,800 in price. The other half of the purses were
random brands from a variety of stores. Of these, the prices ranged from
$10-$120. From these observations, I have gathered that the women who shop here
without a doubt care more about fashion rather than function. They also do not
mind spending a significant amount of money on a purse. It is apparent that the
women from this area are in a different mind set than the women in other areas
of Austin. In regards to the hill country rock and limestone, it was utilized
in a multitude of different ways and is definitely the focal point of the mall
from an architectural standpoint. Not only is it used for the main construction
of the mall, but it is also used as a sidewalk, as potters for trees and
plants, as miniature monuments that sit on an open lawn within the mall, and in
a variety of other ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Hill Country Galleria is
the perfect example of a private space appearing to be a public space. The
Galleria is a non- government owned mall, which in reality is private, although
it appears like a public space because it is a common area. </span>Malls are
not public space. They are private spaces that are in modern society being
perceived as public spaces. There is a dilemma between the private ownership
policies and how one can use the space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are no fees to get into
the Galleria, and you don’t have to buy anything to enjoy what the space has to
offer. People just go to the Galleria to get outside and take a walk with their
family. As observed, there are many different seating areas made of the classic
hill country rock and limestone. These seating areas vary from benches to
chairs, some in the shade near landscaping and some not. Additionally, there is
a water fountain that shoots water from the ground where children can play,
especially on hot summer days. These different leisurely activities can be
enjoyed without having to use any other service the Galleria has to offer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As discussed in class, there are
different ways people are expected to behave in public and private spaces
throughout the United States. It is often understood that people are expected
to maintain their privacy while amongst others or while in a crowd. In both a
public and private space, there are explicit and implicit rules that must be
followed. For example, the law upholds rules banning drug use, drinking, and
indecent exposure. Another rule, specific to the Galleria, is that costumers of
the mall are not allowed to park in the parking garage intended for the
apartments located behind the mall. Perhaps it is best to describe the Hill Country
Galleria as a privately owned public space. This is a result of urban
redevelopment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Additionally,
the Galleria demonstrates certain cultural performances that one would only
find in this area of town. First of all, the times I was there, I mostly observed
the mall being used by Caucasians. It is almost impossible to encounter any
Hispanics or African Americans. What I gathered from my observations is that
the people that visit the mall are mostly white women and children. High school
and middle school students from the Eanes and Lakeway school districts have,
over the years, made the Galleria their “hang out.” It has become a place where
children can go off on their own and take part in certain activities while
parents can do the same, as well as supervise. With the galleria, parents are
now able to run errands while their children hang out with friends. It is, in a
way, a one-stop shop for many families. According to Margaret Kohn, “industry
watchers report that the average visit to a ‘leisure time destination’ (a mall
with sophisticated design elements, restaurants, and movie theaters) lasted
four hours as compared to just one hour at a conventional mall” (</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Kohn, Margaret:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
256). Another cultural practice that I observed is that, in addition to the parking
spots along the sidewalks of the mall, there is a large parking lot behind the
stores where people can park. In the hotter months, beginning in May and ending
in September, or when it is raining, the Galleria offers free rides, from your
car to the stores, on a large golf cart. This is a luxury that cannot be found
at other outdoor malls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would say that the Galleria is not a
completely democratic space. It is democratic in the sense that there are no
fees to get in, and no matter where in the city you come from, you can go to
the Galleria. However, other than benches and a water fountain, the mall has
nothing to offer someone from a lower income family. Most of the shops are
expensive, as well as the restaurants. The only neutral things that are sold
are movie tickets at the Cinemark. Furthermore, the Galleria is not a close
distance from central Austin, and it takes a lot of time and gas just to walk
around an outdoor mall. The location of the mall decreases its desirability for
lower income families because it is not realistic for people from other areas
of the city to ever frequent the Galleria. Even people from Davenport, a
neighborhood in Westlake, have to travel a pretty significant amount just to
get to the galleria. By being so far out, the mall, in a way, excludes people
of a different class or different area from ever visiting the Galleria. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In essence, the Hill Country Galleria is
a private space that appears as if it were a public space. The primary visitors
of the mall are from only two areas, Lakeway and Westlake. People from these
neighborhoods tend to be on the wealthier side, which permits them to be able
to shop at the higher end stores that are in the mall. If one were to look 10
years into the past, the Hill Country Galleria wouldn’t exist, nor would hardly
any of the developments in that area. The Galleria and its surroundings are
very new, which signifies that these suburbs of Austin have not only been
growing in size, but in appeal. More and more people want to live in nice
neighborhoods, put their kids in the best schools, and frequent the best
places. However, in reality, the majority of the population is not in the
financial position to do so. One thing is for certain, what one would mostly
encounter at the Hill Country Galleria is white, rich people.</span></div>
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Robert Lemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10763236542592642749noreply@blogger.comHill Country Galleria, Bee Cave, TX 78738, USA30.308535799999991 -97.93885660000000830.30168179999999 -97.948941600000012 30.315389799999991 -97.9287716