First One Up on Saturday

It's Halloween morning at Georgia Tech, and everyone is still in bed. You try to go back to sleep but you just can't seem to keep your eyes closed. You decide to get out of bed and do something but what?

While most students at Ga Tech are not familiar with this situation, it happens to me quite a bit. I'm always the first one to wake up in my room but I don't I don't want to do anything to disturb my roommates. I didn't have anything to do, so I went for a run to Centennial Olympic Park and I am so happy I did.

The park was almost completely empty which was pretty unusual. It was as if I had the whole place to myself and I could do whatever I wanted. I ran all around and through the park, past the open fields, the gigantic Fountain of Rings, the Reflecting Pool, and the Water Gardens. It was so amazing and peaceful there which was i big surprise to me because I didn't expect to find a place this calm and relaxing in a big and busy city like Atlanta. It was really interesting to be there by myself because I could take the time to notice every little thing the park had to offer. Also, I knew I was running where some of the most athlectically talented individuals had once been which was very cool to think about as I went through. I highly recommend to anyone who has not yet been to Centennial Olympic Park to go as soon as possible. It is definitely something you have to see and experience for yourself.

--Michael Saunders

Grant Park: In with the new yet still historic

Grant Park... home to Zoo Atlanta and a variety of other activities offers a great place to visit.
When I went to Grant Park, I discovered that it harbors an environment for various age groups and different groups of people. Grant Park is a traditional neighborhood filled with little restaurants and stores to fill the main street. In the past, the property values had not been very high, and Grant Park's history was going to waste which was a shame considering a historic place is an amazing place to live.

However, I just read an article that was printed in the AJC about Grant Park as neighborhood of the week discussing a variety of renovations taking place in Grant Park and how they are changing it for the better. They are building new buildings, but they are not doing so in a way that will destroy the historic feel of the neighborhood. The new buildings were designed to complement the historic buildings and look like they belong with the rest of the neighborhood. In fact, in some situations, they are redoing old buildings and turning them into something else with more modern luxuries while still keeping the main frame of the buildings. Because of this process, Grant Park's real estate values are shooting up. Even with all the new renovations, Grant Park still presents a small-town feeling and a very close knit community. This community is determined to continue to make their home better and better through neighborhood associations to discuss ideas. They really care about what their neighborhood is like.

I think the commitment of its inhabitants along with the new renovations by creative architects will continue to bring Grant Park up to excellence. More people will want to move there and enjoy the close community of a traditional neighborhood along with the historic feel of all the buildings. Plus, the zoo is always an attraction for young kids and would be exciting to live near.

Molly Waller

Sprawl: the urban setting waiting to happen

Monday's edition of the Georgia Tech Daily Digest made mention of the recent Ecohome magazine article about the book Retrofitting Suburbia. It was mentioned because it was authored by Georgia Tech professor Ellen Dunham-Jones (left) and so it was just an odd coincidence that I happened across it, but I'm glad I did. Apparently Retrofitting Suburbia, as the title suggests, discusses the idea of building traditional neighborhoods around suburbia instead of over top of suburbia's debris. I realize that this is probably not a new idea, but my experience with sprawl being limited mostly to the realm of Suburban Nation, I had never considered it. Suburban Nation mostly discusses the problems with suburbia without acknowledging what is to be done about it.

The article went on to discuss the topic not as an idea, but as a proven fact. The article spoke about the transformation of the Dadeland mall into a pedestrian friendly mixed use neighborhood. The original Dadeland mall (below) was prized for its sheer size, and it kept

increasing as new sections were added on. This continuous growth caused a growth in consumer enjoyment, but also in parking space. As can be seen above, the Dadeland parking lot is more than twice the size of its mall and which it surrounds like a huge moat as if the intention were to scare off its customers. Dadeland became the perfect example of the horror of sprawl and suburbia. But then a public transit system was installed and because of the easy access it provided, Dadeland became the target of a traditionalization experiment. The builders, none other than our good friends Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, are working toward making it a fairly large town complete with housing and work and public space adjacently oriented.

Before reading this article, I saw the fight against suburbia as a fairly bleak ordeal, but now I see how much hope there is. If suburbia can simply be transformed into traditional-esque "hybrid" neighborhoods, its end could be in the near future. I use the word "simply" lightly because according to Dunham-Jones, transforming sprawl into urbanity is not a simple task, but that does nothing to harm the hope that I now have for the traditional neighborhood.

Escapes from Sprawl

I recently read an article by Kunstler for English, and one of the topics discussed was Disney World. It offered a different perspective for the Magical Kingdom. It discussed how Disney World is an escape from the monotony of sprawl. At Disney World, its visitors leave their cars in the parking lot and enter a city with no traffic which is definitely an escape from the congestion that so often accompanies sprawl.

However, according to Kunstler, the visitors do not know what they are getting into. Once the Florida sun comes out, and the long lines that are well hidden inside pavilions are discovered, the parents of the crying kid starts to wonder why they came. Also, he finds that Disney World’s preoccupation with boozing pirates and gun show cowboys is very interesting considering that these are the entertainment acts chosen for all the children that visit.

Although, Kunstler makes good points within his analysis of Disney World, I think he was too critical of Disney World. He ignores the fact that kids actually do have a fun time at Disney world. When somebody is young, waiting in a long line is worth the amazing ride, and isn’t quality time with family always a good thing? This article expresses how sprawl is bad like many of the other articles I have read in class, but in a new light, it discussed how escaping sprawl is not always a good thing either. His take is we should keep more traditional neighborhoods in real life because an escape from it all s not all it’s cracked up to be.

This reminded me of my visit to Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park. Although the zoo and Disney World definitely are not the same thing, there are similarities. Parents leave their cars in a big parking lot to take their kids on a fun adventure. The kids feet might get tired, and they might ne hot, but in the end, it was worth it for me to go to the zoo. There are places of escape everywhere to get out of the everyday routine and traffic, but I think these places are necessary, and unforgettable memories are made at these places as well.

Molly Waller

Atlanta's Rep

When I arrived at Ga Tech mid-August this past summer, I'll admit I was overwhelmed. The city was so big and built up, I was a little intimidated. I had been told by my dad to "stay on campus, tech students have been getting robbed" but I couldn't resist my curiosity to see what made this city come to be known as Hot-lanta. Right from the start of my walk, I was amazed and i could definitely see then what Dr. Peterson was talking about in his letter.

The first thing I had to do was go to the Varsity which i had heared so much about before I made my trip to Atlanta. The first thing ever mentioned in any conversation about Atlanta was always the Varsity so that seemed like a logical starting point. When I first walked in, it was amazing how fast they took your order and how impatient some people get when you try to read a menu. The food was good, but after a greasy meal like that I has to continue my journey on foot.

Centinnial Park was my next destination because i had heared how big and beautiful it was; and I was not disappointed. As far as one could see, families were enjoying time together and the sound of laughter filled the air. The open green fields and the Olympic scenery made the park incredible. The park had an indescriable feeling that made it impossible to not smile no matter how hard you try.

It was almost impossible to leave this magical park but I was determined to make it to the CNN Center by the end of the day. And it was definitely worth the trip. The Center was so big and diverse and it completly caught me off guard. For instance, the Cartoon Network area was unexpected and was a nice little trip down "Memory Lane," as I was reminded of Saturday morning cartoons as a child. In addition, the Atlanta Braves' store was like heaven on earth to a baseball fan like me.

After getting off campus then reading Dr. Peterson's letter, I completely agree that everyone should get off campus and explore the city. This city is so new and diverse, its no wonder that rappers want to talk about it and people alwaya talk about wanting to come here.

--Michael Saunders

Sprawl as defined by Suburban Nation

Over fall break, I went back to Virginia Beach to see some friends and family that I haven’t seen since I started here at GA Tech. At first I thought I was definitely against sprawl because of how terrible the book made it sound, but when I saw the book mention my hometown as an example of sprawl, I started taking the material with a grain of salt. When I was back in Virginia Beach, I looked around to see what was so bad with my town and I really didn’t see what the big problem was. I understand that the book was written in 2000 and was published in 2001 so my hometown may have changed in eight to nine years, but the changes would have been too drastic. Maybe it’s the connection I have to the city that makes me not want to see any faults with it. All of my closest friends live there and since I hadn’t seen them for a long time, maybe I was confusing my joy for being in a familiar area with my overall feel for the city. But if sprawl is so bad, how could I have enjoyed my time in a sprawling area so much?

While I was there, I was able to drive through the streets without too much of a problem with traffic and the stores weren’t too far apart to be an inconvenience for me. Also, as one approaches the boardwalk, near the ocean front, the city starts to look more like a traditional neighborhood than sprawl, but that is where there is the most traffic. Because there are so many little streets that are narrow, all of the traffic is funneled into the two lanes and so it becomes congested. I understand that sprawl may be bad but I feel like Virginia Beach was a bad example and because it is my hometown, I’m not always receptive of the information that the book presents.

-Michael Saunders

Countryside and Sprawl

For fall break, I visited my roommate’s lake house at Lake Horton and greatly enjoyed my experience. I chowed down on frog legs, rode fore wheelers, and went skeet shooting. I loved how vast and green everything was and how animals can be seen running around everywhere. All the room I had to run around in was very liberating. Breathing in the fresh air of the rural countryside and seeing how everyone interacted were definitely rewarding as well. The whole culture there was different than in the city since people make their livings so differently and spend their free time doing different things.

During class, we mainly discuss suburban sprawl and traditional neighborhood, but we rarely discuss the more rural areas until this past Wednesday. The video in class demonstrated how sprawl destroys areas that could be left rural. Although the video was mainly just visual with music, the words written and pictures definitely portrayed that replacing rural areas with sprawl is another negative aspect of sprawl. Instead of fitting everything into walking distance like a traditional neighborhood does, sprawl spreads everything out destroying more land than necessary. After this weekend, I appreciate rural landscape even more and I would love it if it were better preserved.
Molly Waller

"All Roads Lead to DeKalb" exhibit is back
Dekalb is a fairly local county in regards to Atlanta and it is bringing back an exhibit of the county's history. In this exhibit, over 300 maps will be available forpurchase, each one depicting a different view of DeKalb as the county has been built up oveer the years.
I thought this seemed pretty interesting for people who feel a connection between themselves and their hometown because they saw some of this construction happening. Also, seeing how your town use to look compared to how it looks today seems like it wouldbe a very interesting topic to me. The maps available for purchase show the entire history of the city from when it was a typical little city with "Mom and Pop" stores on the corner, to its present present condition that has been modernized.
This article is multimodal in the sense that it uses visual aids to show the developement of the city over time, it is presented in a written text form and it is distributed via the internet. All three of these modes work to envoke the feeling of connection that a local citizen might share for the city. Once the reader feels that connection, they are persuaded to go and most likely purchase a map of the city. This whole article is really a big advertisement using persuasive techniques to get one to spend money at this exhibit. But to cover the fact that this is just an ad,the article is written in a way to make the reader feel like they would be interested in the history of their town, when most likely they will buy a poster they will never look at after the first week of it being purchased.

Michael Saunders

Carpooling in Atlanta

In Atlanta, pollution fills the air in the form of gross yellow smog, and I know I can smell the difference between Atlanta and cleaner areas. Worry fills the minds of many about the pollution problem, so these people have started forming groups to help with the environment and air quality. One such group is the Clean Air Campaign which comes up with various ways to help. One thing that they do is form carpools to decrease the number of cars on the roads. They have a blog called Ridesmart Ridin' posted to tell one of their stories when they were driving in their carpool. One day, when one of their groups was carpooling, they heard a rap song blasting from another car, and they made a joke that a rap could be made about anything. Then, they decided to write one about about the Clean Air Campaign, and post it on a blog. The video was entertaining and funny, and it was actually informational about their cause.
The blog is very multimodal which helps engage its readers. The blog had a story to read in the beginning and a video to watch, but the video was not only images, but sounds also, and not just sounds but a song. With all these different ways to learn about the Clean Air Campaign, it is hard not to get something out of reading, watching, and listening to it. Blogs are more successful in catching my attention when they have more than one way to get across their information, so I think it is a very effective way of getting their message across.
Molly

James Howard Kunstler's The suburban project and Ralph Kramden's apartment is, as the article that we read by him recently, a little over the top. It addresses the issue of blame in the matter of the rise of suburbia. Interestingly, despite all of Kunstler's radical opinions, he doesn't seem to blame anyone in particular in his blog and in fact contributes the rise to a combination of certain aspects of American culture after World War II. The blog implies that Kunstler supports the traditional neighborhood and, in particular, urban neighborhoods, but he never really takes an obvious position in the short paragraph presented here.



As far as multimodality goes, Kunstler's overexaggeration about the general public's opinion about the city is well supported by the picture he provides. He appeals to a part of American culture to which many can relate, the show the Honeymooners, and through doing so invokes a sense of comfort. The reference gives a somewhat comedic take on his serious topic and the picture, which is of the show's laughter inducing main character, further catalyzes this aspect of his blog. Kunstler's use of comedy helps to get his point across by dulling the heat of his strong opinions and makes his blog more comfortable. At the same time, the reference gives his blog a form of credibility due to the time period in which the show took place: post World War II. The picture taken in Ralph Kramden's cramped kitchen gives credibility as well by enhancing his image of a typical WWII home in the eyes of popular opinion.



Kunstler does a good job in his blog, despite its short length, of reaching the reader through its balance of light-heartedness and firey scorn and of multiple modes of relaying information.

-Andy Van Deventer