Assignment 1 - Carriage & Car Issue

My take on whether the controversy involving horses is not clear cut. I believe that there should be some type of compromise. While the carriage industry may not bring very large profits on its own, I believe they're still vital to the tourism in cities. It goes without saying that there are also issues involving the safety of the people and horses involved in the carriage industry. I would propose that activity involving the use of horses be confined to mostly park type settings. Keep in mind these animals have been utilized by police forces in cities all over the world. The horses are to be taken care properly or the owner shouldn't be allowed to care for one at all. If the animal is found to be poor condition or not taken care of properly, heavy fines should be levied immediately.

I've taken into account that PETA really does want to protect animals, but they are extremely biased when it comes to issues such as this. They are not looking at it from the economic side of people, who drive carriages to earn a living. I find it imperative that there be logical thought, when it comes to a "tricky" matter such as this, instead of immediately taking the position of an organization on either side of the issue.

I scoured around on Google and typed in "Horse-Carriage Industry" purposely to find a mix of news and commentary about the subject in different cities. I came across an article from the local Memphis, Tennessee negotiation website wmctv.com You get both points of view in this article addressing the good upkeep assurances of the carriage operators, and the concern of the treatment of these horses. One particular portion of the article struck me, as an argument to counter those who believe this industry are in its "dying days". In the article it is stated that the "horse-drawn carriage industry is thriving in downtown Memphis". Also noted, is the city of Memphis saying that the few complaints that have been filed were from tourists who then left town. Sounds more like city residents complaining about their inability to speed up and down the streets as they wish, which is becoming more of a trend in this increasingly fast paced society. It's not my opinion that all residents rationalize this way, but I wouldn't be reluctant to say that there are those that think this way.

Simply stated some who advocate a ban on these carriage, come off as if they're experts on animal welfare. Before drastic solutions are proposed look at involved human and horse. With many movies projecting horses to be the great animals that they are, I fail to believe that humans are so cold hearted to abuse these animals blatantly, and don't believe it. I'm sure there are operators that care for there horses as if they were part of there family, like the common family pets including cats or dogs. I really like animals and care about there well-being, but I can't ignore a good hearted person's need to make a living. There is a compromise here and hopefully each group will come out of their "corner" to meet in the middle.


Top Image provided courtesy of New York Led
Bottom Image provided courtesy of wwp.greenwichmeantime.com

Assignment 2 - Juxaposition

Alright I'll admit that I had no idea what the word "Juxaposition" meant until about a few weeks ago. Mostly everyday since, I've been a student here (transfer) I've awaken to this cool apartment with high ceilings and a lot of space. It will probably be a while, before I live somewhere this nice again, even after I graduate. What do the people and families living just one block north of me wake up to?

Once you cross 10th and Berks everything becomes a lot different. On one side of the street you have a well known university that rakes in millions, and on the other side you have homes many of us would rather not live in. The economic contrast between the two sides of Berks St. In this area couldn't be more apparent. I am in no way trying to pass judgment on anyone, who lives on either of this particular street. My only point is: that looks different when you're on the side of the street without Temple banners flapping on flagpoles.

The structural disparities between the Public Housing Development and Kardon-Atlantic Terminal are very different. It would seem as if you could fit one of the houses entirely into the smallest apartment in Kardon. I have never been inside one of the homes, but I'm atonished at certain portions of my apartment.

Before I even got the apartment I remember the leasing agent saying, that someone had fit an entire small couch into their bathroom. Who knows if that thought could even be entertain in one of the homes on the other side of Berks Street. Overall my point would be: if I thought about these differences, surely those that live in the homes adjacent to Kardon have though about the same thing. What do we think of one another, because of our living circumstances. Are we spoiled students that expected every thing to be handed to us, and people to clean up after us? Are they people who take no pride in their surroundings, thus upkeeping it is no real issue. Keep in mind these are just thoughts, not facts or judgements on my part.

Althought I must point out that this Housing Authority Development hasn't undergone the rehaul that many other neighborhoods have. I'm talking about the suburban styled seperated homes that you can now find in other parts of Philadelphia. I have no idea if the development has even been proposed to undergo this change. I had one question that I have to ask though: If the homes underwent such a change into Suburban like housing, would they fail to exist as a Juxaposition then? Photos are of left and right sides of street at 10th and Berks Sts.

Image provided by: Labaron Palmer

Assignment 3 - Community Map

This map is a picture of my neighborhood at Temple. I live in the Kardon-Atlantic Terminal, and this is the place I've come to know as home. Everyday when I look out of the window I see Temple's campus, this is what I'm use to seeing at least twice everyday. Many of my friends live here, University Village, or somewhere close by, which is cool. You see many of the people you are friends with or have class with. In short this is my community.

What defines a community is completely up to interpretation. It could be two blocks, three blocks, a quarter mile, a half of mile etc. Nevertheless you are surrounded by many of the things you will need. Whether it be the library, the Tech Center, the SAC, your dorm/apartment, your friends, and classmates; most are close by. As a Geography and Urban Studies major I have learned that there are key characteristics to what many but, not all geographers link to the term "community". These characteristics include close proximity of people to social, educational, recreational, and commercial institutions as well as adequate transportation.

I'll try to compare my community to the "geography version" of community to see how well it does. Lets start with the educational portion, this is very clear because, I practically live on my college campus. Access to transportation is easy. I lived just one block from the regional rail station, and just a few blocks away from the subway station. There's is a gym inside my apartment building, as well as others found around campus. Large fields and facilities available on campus to accommodate recreational activities. I'm guessing commercial institutions would include the numerous food stands and stores on Temple's campus, like the ones in Liacorous Walk. You could say that the university as a whole is a commercial institution, since it employs thousands of people.

Social institutions would include our dorms, apartments, the SAC; any social gathering place that the school accommodates. I believe socialization is probably one of the most important elements of a community. Besides visiting home, I typically leave the campus boundaries when going out with friends. So it would appear that my community has everything it needs.

I did want to mention that the areas listed as "Non-Campus Homes", are in fact the homes I allude to in my Juxaposition post. As you can see the areas near these homes are pretty much surrounded by Temple. To get a better look at my argument, you could take the time to stand on each side of 10th and Berks for a minute each and look. Hopefully then you'd get why I consider this area a Juxaposition.




Community map located above was created by Labaron Palmer
Picture below of Kardon-Atlantic Terminal is courtesy of Rent.com