Reflection on Knox

DC is not typical of the large American metropolitan areas. This is due to the mere fact that relative abundance of manufacturing activity and extreme importance to the structure of the economic structure is so apparent in this little city. Yet, DC has not exhibited the full expansion of advanced capitalist urban development. We see this in the extreme congestion and fragmented urbanization of the postmodern metropolis, according to Knox. “The district, despite its relatively low overall levels of spending power contains a disproportionately high incidence of “money and brains” and “bohemian mix” neighborhoods, both distinctive in marketing terms for their indulgence in relatively upscale consumption” (Weiss 1988). I found this quote to be remarkably important due to the fact that it is the first article that i’ve read that addresses the remarkable distinction between two main groups within the district that may look completely different yet, both are consumers to relatively upscale resources. 

Retail space in the district has increased at a steady rate. For example, for every square-foot of office space constructed in DC there has been two addition square footage added to merchandise space. DC is full of examples of postmodern architecture. There is the old downtown area mixed with the newly renovated and constructed areas. 

In the Knox article he argues that a series of distinctive new urban landscapes is emerging from a socio-spatial dialectic dominated by the effects of the reconfiguration of economic and cultural life in the DC area. He discusses that new urban landscapes provides conceptual and empirical issues in regards to social and cultural geography. Knox has an apparent problem with his examination of the urban landscapes in Washington because of the radically different form of ecology from that of the classic American city. The spacial patterns associated with the landscape elements described do not fit comfortably within designated sectors, zones and mosaic patterns. 

Lastly Knox argues that fragmentation, multinodality, fluidity, plurality and diffusion prove DC to be a new breed of complex urbanism which is specialized by social districts, that have taken the place of the idea of the synoptic pattern. 

This article made me reflect back on the teaching of urban societies by Jane Jacobs. Her view and strong critique on urban renewal policies are not quite disregarded, but pushed aside as DC is growing rapidly in infrastructure but not in people friendly areas. She would have said that DC contractors are destroying communities and are creating isolation amongst the people due to unnatural urban spaces. The one aspect that Jacobs would concur with would be the mixed-use of neighborhoods as we see much of that in the district. 

The solution to Knox’s argument in my opinion is to reduce focus on building up and rather build across and accommodate the community in mix friendly habitat. DC is growing so rapidly it is so apparent that contractors must take a step back and reevaluate what is going to sustain the neighborhoods, not make it financially richer. 

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY On H Street

   H street was the home to the Make Poverty History (MPH) campaign. This global movement that took place in order to present pressures to international institutions to eradicate global poverty. The policies posed would cancel the debts owed by heavily in-debt countries. They would also jump start the aid to these countries in order to make them participants in the global economy. 

       

   The campaign gained a lot of attention not just in the district but on the international scale as well. Through protests, celebrity endorsements and large out-door concerts all aided in the mass media attention during the time of the campaign. Trademark bracelets were made and handed out during the upstart of the campaign and became a link between people across the world that believed in this caused. 

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty Coalition creators of the MPH are said to involve around 30 million participants from more than 200 countries.  In other areas such as Canada, MPH focuses on ending child poverty in Canada. 

Here We Go Again

Gentrification: the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.

H Street saw a significant shift during the time of “white flight”. Before 1960 this neighborhood was predominantly black at notable 94%. Yet after this reversal began the district, H Street especially saw a huge decline in african american residents in what was once an area known as theirs. In 2010 the census tract found that now just over half of the population down H Street is black at 63.

The process of this gentrification led to huge tensions with previous residents, who felt that they were now unwelcome due to the act of being priced out. 

The median sales price of modest houses on H Street as of September 2009 was 417,000. A price almost only obtainable but working upper middle class.

History is showing to repeat itself again as young white people are moving in waves to the H Street area due to its property and location value. Like we saw during white flight, longtime residents are quickly being priced out. Through research I found it interesting that the District does not have a predominantly white working class neighborhood thus, when looking for affordable housing, the white upper middle class workers often choose to live in a neighborhood that has long been majority black.

The H Street neighborhood, is currently going through a renewal and transformation. Many new restaurants, shops and banks have made their home in the this area making it a prime location and the real estate label of, desirable. Thus H Street is once again gentrifying just has it had during the first renewal of the District. 

H STREET: A GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD

H Street, a commercial district: The neighborhood of H Street NE is considered to be one of DC’s earliest and busiest commercial districts. A commercial district is known for their land uses that primarily revolve around commercial activities such as, shops, theaters, banks and most notably their restaurants. Commercial districts can best be contrasted to that of an industrial zone which, consists mostly of the production of goods rather than the distribution of them. As a result of H Street’s label as a commercial district, authorities use zoning laws based around the commercial businesses to define boundaries within and without of the district. The aspects that make H Street a global neighborhood are best defined by the commercial aspects of the community. 

A little bit of back history: So, H Street went through a dramatic decline after WWII where businesses in this specific corridor were damaged as a result of the 1968 riots. The street did not in fact recover until the 21st century as we have seen throughout the regrowth of global economic participation in such things as banking. The cause of this regrowth came from the H Street NE Strategic Development Plan. This plan centralized importance in the Arts and Entertainment District between 12th and 15th Street NE as well as the Central Retail district, between 7th and 12th Street. 

The Entertainment District & global participation: In the mid 2000’s the Art and Entertainment District began the revitalization of The Atlas Theatre. This theatre has been around since the riots in 68 and was in much need of revamping. The place was rebuilt from the ground up and was refurbished and made new and is now the anchor of H Street and what is now known as the “Atlas District”. This theatre brings in a draw to international visitors because of its mere reputation, history and acts that all come from the Atlas. With the implementation of the arts on H Street, many other businesses have been put in to coincide with the facility. 

The sweet aroma of international foods: Restaurants are a huge aspect in the making of H Street as a global neighborhood. The Atlas Room is a very popular rest by not only locals, but international visitors as well. The Chef of The Atlas Room is known for using global flavors while also utilizing local ingredience. The classic cooking of French and Italian food presents another indication of global influences on H Street. Just down the street from The Atlas Room is The Ethiopic's. Ethiopian food is full of spices and flavors uncommon to Americans yet with the prime location and great reviews people flock to try this new out of the ordinary food. The Ethiopic is located at 401 H St NE 
Washington DC 20002. Lastly is the Toki Underground. From most young adults that I had the pleasure of talking to I have been told this is a must eat spot for Taiwanese and Japanese food. This restaurant is so out of the ordinary with graffiti all over the walls and the unexpected sounds of the Wu-Tang Clan coming through the speakers. Toki Underground is known for their soups, pulled pork shoulder and egg and duck wings. The Toki Underground is located at 1234 H Street, NE Washington, DC 20002.With Restaurants such as these three, all in walking proximity, give H Street a certain special global appeal. The smells are what I took notice to when walking down my corridor. Such rich spicy aroma filled my neighborhood with unfamiliar, yet pleasing smells. 

The World Bank: Not as appealing as the food and theatrics of H Street but just as of if not more important in the global aspect of H Street comes from The World Bank located in H Street NE. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs benefiting the US economy. The official and stated goal of TWB is the reduction of poverty in the global spectrum. As discussed on their website, TWB was put in place to promote global public goods such as delivering vaccines to several parts of the world for diseases such as malaria and AIDS. 

With these HUGE components of global influence and global participation, H Street is most definitely in the category of a global neighborhood! Whether its the smells of global spices or the international draw to the Entertainment District H Street, in my opinion, is an actor in the world of global interaction. 

US Census Data For H Street SW

Average Household Income:

1990:$ 40,180

2000:$ 56,572

2010:$ 73,208

Population                         

Male:

1990: 49.7%

2000: 48.4%

2010: 48.3%

Female

1990: 50.3%

2000: 51.6%

2010: 51.7%

Population by Race

White Alone: 

1990: 20.5%

2000: 22.4%

2010: 47.7%
Black or African American Alone

1990: 76.6%

2000: 73.0%

2010: 45.2%

American Indian or Alaska Native Alone 

1990: 0.2%

2000: 0.2%

2010: 0.4%

Asian Alone

1990: 0.7%

2000: 1.2%

2010: 2.5%
Pacific Islander Alone

1990: 0.0%

2000: 0.0%

2010: 0.1%
Other Race

1990: 0.7%

2000: 1.1%

2010: 1.3%
Two or More Races

1990: 1.3%

2000: 2.0%

2010: 2.8%

H Street Stands for "H"ipster

I have chosen H Street as my urban society focus region . This area jumped out at me due to the newly claimed title that Forbes Magazine gave to H Street as on of America's hippest "hipster" neighborhood. Out of all of the cities in the US H Street came in 6th. 

An excerpt from the Forbes article, "Politico" hipsters flock to this DC hood, separated from the rest of the city by the H. Street Bridge. Revitalization efforts ramped up in the area, also known as the Atlas District, in the mid 2000s and today the enclave is known for nightlife that includes dance clubs, rock venues, burlesque shows and restaurants like Sticky Rice that offer patrons a game speed bingo alongside their meals. The H. Street Festival and the nearby food truck extravaganza Truckeroo Festival help add to the hipness". This definition of H. Street made me not just giggle but it also perked my ears towards this new subculture of hipsters that are taking over H. Street. 

Now the means in which Forbes went about rating H. Street's "hipness" was, walkability, coffee shops per capita, availability of food trucks, farmers' markets, locally owned bars and restaurants, the size of the artistic community, and how often the words associated with hipness come up when speaking of the neighborhood.

I cannot wait to dive into this area and engulf myself in the subculture that is the H. Street Hipster. 

SW DC Tour

DC's southwest region is a prime example of urban renewal and city planning trends. This neighborhood fell prey to the 1960s urban renewal philosophy that resulted in monolithic blocks devoid of any human activity.

Now a-days, the concept of small-scale urban regions is back in fashion leading developers to RE-renovate this area. While not many of the area's residents welcome the changes, many newer arrivals embrace the plans that ultimately promise to remake the urban landscape in the new 5 years. 

While on my visit to SW I underwent this feeling that I was in an isolated part of town...well at least to the northern region. The SW Freeway acts a barrier from the Mall and the surrounding federal buildings. Only in South Capitol Street does the neighborhood connect to the rest of the city.

This method of blocking off this region wasn't always this way. About 100 years ago, the area was a crowded enclave...meaning it was the first stop for immigrants from Europe, as well as the freed slaves from the South. Though this was a poor area, it was a scene of rows of houses with busy stoops and bustling street activity centralized in what is now 4th Street SW. 

After doing some research on this area I learned that in the 1920s a decline began to occur and extended through the 1950s. Concerns about the existence of these "poor folk" lead contractors to experiment in what is now known as "urban-renewal".  Small shops and basic house holds were replaced by massive office building and high-rise apartment buildings. The interesting bit of knowledge that I found was that although all of this space was added, human activity was basically removed from sight. 

These changes were not all negative, however. The separation from the rest of the city  gives it a relatively peaceful and remote feeling. This area as I observed, was much greener and spacious than other neighborhoods that I walked through in DC. 

According to a listing price guide on DC homes, SW is one of the cheapest places to buy a condo or co-op unit in the city. 

Aside from the housing, SW has a surprising diverse population. Many Federal employees moved to this area after it was redeveloped yet, some residents are commonly younger with families. 

SW Waterfront area is also home to a number of public housing projects that lie towards the East and to add to the mix many residents (several hundred) live on boats in the Washington Marina. The Washington Marina is one of the largest "live-aboard" communities in the country.