Broken Window Theory

The concept of the Broken Window Theory is basically the more a neighborhood is taken care of (trash pick up, positive use of public space), the less blight an area will attract. This idea seems simple enough in its context, yet there are still several neighborhoods in the Philadelphia region which have mounds of trash where play grounds and gardens used to be. The play grounds provide to children a safe place to play, while gardens like the one above can provide food for the people of the community. Also with less blight it will provide a more positive feel for the people of the communities. Specifically in North Philadelphia where I live there are several forms of public art which are used in areas where abandon buildings and areas of neglect have attracted several forms of blight. Along Girard Ave. in particular as you walk over the bridges to West Philadelphia you will find they have several murals and recycled mosaics along them.  This area of Girard is used heavily by people using public transportation, which makes me feel that these forms of public art have and will continue to contribute to a more positive environment.  I can firmly say that because across from the intersection in the above picture I have personally worked on the land there cleaning up trash and planting trees during my internship with Fairmount Park this summer. Months later I have noticed there is not as much trash as there once was. Although it is not a true form of public art, planting trees and trash pick up can encourage others to do the same. 

What a busy couple weeks its been, and what better way to start a new week then with some snow.  As I was walking to class today since I couldn't ride my bike. The homes closer to campus had trash pickup this morning. But because of the snow it wasn't picked up right away, as I passed by the majority of the homes there had bags full of cans and other recyclables. It always makes me wonder why are people still not recycling? I know people personally (my Dad) who i yell at about not recycling. The benefits out weigh the effort that is put towards separating recyclables. There are numerous items that can be made from recycled items, everything from insulation with blue jeans to counter types from glass.  R-E-C-Y-C-L-E !!

end/rant

In these past few weeks there has been major discussions from Obama about how America will prevail and with that we will have a stronger economy. The back-bone to this is the idea of sustainable living. More and more green jobs are being created. The Northeast will maintain the manufacturing end of green jobs, the sun belt will focus on solar and the Mid-West will have wind. Having the Unites State shift its focus on this concept of sustainable living is a good thing and gives hope that years from now we will be able to forget about the trouble we once were in.

As for my personal focus with parks and public incorporating recycled art, I have gotten the okay to do a survey with a group of high school students in an after-school mural program. I will also have interviews and photographs of various forms of recycled public art through out Philadelphia once the snow clears. I will also use this to show case other images from around the city.

The Art of Green

The idea of sustainable living has been used more and more in the past decade. This concept I feel is still in a fragile state because of the high consumer society we live in today. At this point though it looks like the battle could go either way with President Obama signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today in Denver, Colorado. Signing the Act in this area was purposely done to encourage people to start thinking green, Denver is one of the leading green friendly cities in the U.S. Within all the green cities you will find some common ground; the city and park planning. Architecture is taking on a whole new form with city planning. My main focus though is the urban parts of cities where city planning has taken a drastic downfall.

As I walk from Temple Campus to my house on 29th and Poplar it is not uncommon to see mounds of trash in empty lots where kids used to play. I think to myself why not take that trash and lot and make something better from it. There are many forms of Recycled art all through out Philadelphia, and I will present these to you as time continues to move on.