Posts by admin | The Black Urbanist – Page 2
This morning I saw not just one, but two articles on the food desert issue. Both articles talked about previously hashed arguments on food deserts, as well as new research that suggested that the accepted solution of more supermarkets in poor areas does not work as planned.
I think it’s more than the presence of food, but how we eat. This goes for people who eat everything in sight, as well as people who nearly starve themselves or only eat a certain type of food.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have healthy diets. In fact, that’s exactly what I am saying. But we should stop policing only those who are poor who often eat what’s in front of them, just like we do.
Plus, who really wants to admit they are poor. Eating for some people may be a form of upward mobility. It may be because stuff just tastes better. It may be emotional. It may be cultural. Not all these reasons have to do with the fact that there is or isn’t a Whole Foods around the corner.
Side note of the day: I may be getting fat off of Spinach Artichoke Hummus and Sweet Potato Biscuits, but that’s just me
Still,just as I did above, I can admit that sometimes I eat or drink too much. If that stat that was sited in both articles about poor people eating better than rich in the 1950′s, maybe it’s more than the location and even the cheapness of food. As a whole, despite all our healthy living efforts, we still prioritize and celebrate eating what we want, as much as we want, whenever we want.
If people are wanting to be rich and they see how “rich people” act and that is stuffing their faces, then they will stuff their faces. They will go to Whole Foods with EBT cards. As they have already done, they will lobby and get farmers markets in their communities.
Instead of saying that healthy eating is good, maybe tell everyone that it’s bad. Or, use whole grain cookies or something else that’s delicious and healthy as bait. Maybe we could go back to tilling fields or walking blocks or between cul-de-sacs, depending on which tradition you grew up in.
Ultimately, I think the time of blaming only poor people for their food choices is over. Unless we are doing it all right all the time, let’s just make sure we all go to the doctor, get in our 8 glasses of water and mix in some fruit today.
The photo above is of an establishment that has finally decided to make itself known in Greensboro. I repeat again, this place can also make you fat(and broke) if you aren’t careful. Keep up with me on Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram, where the lovely image above originated.
Posted in Food, Greensboro, Issues and Ideas
I’ve been fortunate in the past three weeks to obtain full time employment. What that means is that I finally get to put into practice a lot of the things I preach on this blog and retweet out to others on the social sites. You will also notice a few minor site changes(better tags, better pictures) and hopefully more real stories of what it’s like to live a more urban lifestyle in a suburbanesque locale. In this post I will discuss my apartment search.
Let’s start simple. The top five things I want in an apartment are as follows:
1. Doors to private areas 2. Balcony 3. Second floor 4. Closet space
5. Low energy bills
That would be inside the apartment. On the exterior, these are my top five:
1. Proximity to places I need to go on a daily basis 2. Fitness Center 3. Bike facilities 4. Camaraderie of neighbors and management staff
5. Proximity to fun activities, walking distance preferred, no more than 3 mile drive away from fun stuff unless it’s truly spectacular(other cities, cultural events, opportunities to speak and network with others)
Going into this, I knew the best option for my wishlist was downtown in a new development called CityView. I’d visited the apartments before, but considering a roommate. Now, I was visiting for myself only and I wanted to make sure things were still cool. Also, I’d heard that there were solid concrete floors in the apartments. I was not a fan of this idea and I needed to investigate that problem as well.
Side rant: If you are putting a feature in just to be “urban” and it’s not practical. STOP. You look stupid and even I as an urbanist don’t buy it.
Yet, in touring the “studio”, I was told that there is carpet in the bedrooms and some laminate wood in the living room on the second and third floors. There are also doors to the bedroom. Two in fact. I was sold.
Or so I thought. I got home and I thought about how dark the place seemed. When I lived in Durham, I had light surrounding my place. Even in my childhood bedroom, and throughout my mom’s house there is abundant light. I needed to look at a couple of other places. I am adding light to both of my lists above.
I won’t name the other three complexes, but it’s not because they are evil. They are in great locations(two are walking distance to a lot of big box and even some college style retail, the other is a little closer to what will be my office downtown). Their staff was super nice and didn’t look at me like I had horns when I wanted to tour their complexes. I learned valuable information from all three on general apartment maintenance and money-saving tips.
It was a 15 minute walk on a stressful day that helped me make my decision. From the time I ran track as a high school student, to migrating across campus for a student government meeting or a movie at the campus cinema (or class, I did a lot of that, but they were closer to my dorm), I found solace in walking or running. I knew that if I chose CityView, it would make no sense for me to drive most days of the week to work. I tend to play downtown as well and all of my playhouses would be on the way to my house. I would be able to blow off pressure from work. I could squeeze in a midday walk home. If I wanted to cut time, I could get my bike back and actually ride it this time.
Then the staff was really, really nice, offering discounts and an opportunity to waitlist until the perfect unit (one that actually does face the city, as some don’t) came available. I kept finding out acquaintances of mine that I think highly of would be neighbors. I toured the sample apartment again and someone was just moving in. I saw that all my furniture (which is very few pieces) would fit and that light would in fact come into the apartment, if it weren’t for facing another one of the buildings in the complex. All the pieces of my vision were coming together. (Including the closet space. One closet is just shelves, the other is hangers. If you know me well, you know that this is the perfect balance).
So in July, I will officially be standing in my front yard, as I am in the picture above. I will be a true urban dweller. And this idea of being a black urbanist will no longer be a total illusion. Plus, I get to tell more stories of what it’s like to live, work and play in the CBD of a smaller, more suburban city.
Photo credit above by the lovely Stephanie Eaton. Please check out her work. If you are in the Greensboro area, she would love to make you look as good as she has me. Also, don’t forget Twitter and Facebook where I keep the peeps informed.
Posted in apartment living, Greensboro, tips for urbanist living
Streets like my own are becoming more desirable for Black Americans and others looking for better deals down South
This weekend( April 20-21, 2012) I have the honor of being on a panel at the UNC Global South Symposium on the “reverse migration” of African Americans. In honor of this, I’m re-posting my original thoughts on this subject. If you are near Chapel Hill this weekend, feel free to come by tomorrow afternoon. The entire symposium is FREE with registration by clicking here. My panel begins at approximately 1:45 PM and runs to 3:45 PM.
According to an article last Wednesday in the New York Times, a reverse great migration of African-Americans from the North to the South is occurring. Reasons cited are lack of jobs for young Black graduates, ability to purchase property and retire in comfort for elders and a flip-flopped racial climate. Also, many of the elders have the ancestral draw back to the South. Also, the Washington Post highlighted Section 8 voucher holders, some African-American, who are drawn to the South for it’s abundant suburban housing for affordable prices.
As a young Black woman with family members who have made the move and some considering a move back, I think the New York Times is spot on in its revelations about the retirees and their ancestral ties. I have aunts, uncles and cousins who have bought homes and began to prepare them for retirement. In the meantime, other family members have made homes out of them and they are good auxiliary gathering places for our family. Plus, my family members up North enjoy coming to visit the rural areas and find the pace of life relaxing. I have a set of neighbors originally from New York and another set from Florida who have decided to retire here, for a better pace of life. In other words, urban life is dead for them.
I’m not so sure that the claims of racial profiling and lack of jobs are a function of just New York though. I think all Black youth across the nation are struggling with this phenomenon. However, Atlanta and Charlotte have emerged as areas that honor and respect black culture, as well as provide a variety of nightlife options that appeal to young Black professionals. In addition, despite more young professionals of cultures outside of African-Americans converging on Washington DC, there’s still a core of young Black professionals who flock there in search of finding people with similar cultural roots. Lastly, many young Black college students and professionals have grown up with diverse cultures and welcome places that offer opportunities to experience other cultures. Racial profiling also seems to be a function of all police departments, however, I don’t doubt that some forces handle this better than others.
So what does this mean for urbanism? For the retirement age folks, it means that we need to work on spreading tactics such as agrarian urbanism. This way, people can have some semblance of a small town life, without giving up the idea of retiring to a farm and mobility if they can’t drive anymore or never learned to drive. For young people, it means to continue to advocate for places to go. Speaking for my friends and me, we love having the city parks, free concerts and also lounge style places to have a drink, maybe dance and have great conversations with each other.
Practitioners should make sure that community organizations and neighborhood groups can express concerns and even participate in the design of retrofitted and new(in reason) developments. I think these new migrants would welcome bike lanes, increased bus and train service, and community gathering spots that are community and not corporate owned. The key is to make sure it’s presented in language that they understand. Many of these people are coming South to take more control of their lives. Let’s make sure we help them in that ownership and move them to something that will produce the greater wealth and well-being they desire.
Posted in Issues and Ideas