Project Update Three

I have great news!
Over the weekend I was able to interview Charlie Duff and his Director Linda Harrington. It was really nice hearing from people who knew so much about the history of Station North. It was really cool to hear their thoughts about the changes that have occurred over so many years. Charlie was a really nice guy, and I'm really glad he agreed to doing the interview.  Not only did he share his opinions and comments, but he shared a story. I think in hearing some of the things that he said, readers will feel more motivated to come to Station North. I also like that he has a radio voice. It's almost like he was made for this project. I was so glad that he asked Linda to come down and contribute what she could to the project. Even though they work together and know the same things, their experiences were different.
We are really making progress with our interviews. So I think on tomorrow, our group will have a lot to say about what happened over this weekend!

adventure Blog two

Sofis Crepes
On the day of our field trip, me and a few others stopped at Sofis. As soon as the door opens you smell all the sweet treats they are making. I really like how they cook it right in front of you. I really like watching my food being cooked in front of me. I watched as the steam rose upon their faces. They add flavor and heart to every meal they make. I also watched how the staff interacted with each other. It was like a big family. I saw this at SNAC too. They communicate well, and really enjoy each other's company. I watched as my classmates and enjoyed their meals. It was a cool spot to socialize and connect with them. I also like that there were diverse customers coming and going. There were women and men, young and old, and a mixture of ethnicities. It makes you wonder why you never stumbled upon it before. Next time I will order something, and hope to bring a friend with me!

adventure blog

SNAC adventure Blog
On Friday, I went to interview Charlie Duff. Since I was in the area, I decided to go get something to eat from SNAC. I came in and it looked more like a house. I then opened the white door to a nice cafe. The set up was very inviting and open. One of the first things I noticed was the picture of Jay Z on the wall. I really like Jay Z so it was cool seeing a piece of art I can relate to.

As I walked to the back of the cafe, I was welcomed by the chef, and his staff. They were really nice, and made me feel comfortable. Because I was my my first time being there, they blew the welcome whistle for me. The longer I sat and waited for my food, the more I was able to admire the art that was in the shop. I decided to order the Belgium Waffle Meal. I got applewood bacon and scrambled eggs on the side. My food was so delicious. I also noticed that they had daily specials. Its nice to see him trying different meals other than the ones people order daily. I will definitely be going back. The food and customer service was excellent.

Project Update Two

OMG! Excitement of station north!

Currently I am sending out our ask to potential people we could interview. Finishing the ask and reaching out to people is helping us get the ball rolling. I might have an interview thursday. Reading the articles made me even more excited about doing the project. Seeing the history , and then reading the opinions of station north makes me want to hear the stories of those in the community. We read a lot of articles, but never talk directly to people and hear the raw truth.
I also want to start thinking about where we can hold an event for people to come out and listen to what we have, and to let them hear themselves on the piece. right now I think that we are making progress, but we do have to move a little bit faster because our deadline is quickly approaching.

Project Update One

project update!
I am apart of the voices of Station North Group. We have done really well working as a team. Over spring break we were able to chat through groupme. In that discussion, we came up with our theme as well as our ask. Even though it was spring break, we still got stuff done. Our next step was to make our own list of people to contact. A lot of business owners and artist are on the list. But as far as people in the community, we are going to have to actually go out and find them, unless they respond to our ask. My goal is to contact someone a developer. I want to understand what they believe is good for the community, and why they think that certain changes are better. Hopefully during this week, we will be able to finalize more things in our project.
I did not link this blog to my blog site. I shared it with you but don't know if you saw it. So this blog is from the end of march

Station North Discussion

 

Image link : http://wtmd.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/station-north-21-255x182.jpg

The more I learn about Station North, the more I realize that it is not a recent issue. The podcast and the readings show, that there have been ongoing issues in Station North for at 11 years. I also find it funny that the article says "can station north save the city?"At the end of the podcast I believe Kate said that station north needs to focus on saving station north. I like that she said this because there are way too many issues to focus on, then worrying about the whole city. 

I like that in the beginning of the podcast they talked about having black developers. I never thought about who would be creating these ideas and making these changes. We have a predominantly black community, but have white developers saying what needs to happen in their community. Even they do have some black, it is something to look at.

Ben talked about how they have gone years without displacement. When asked about how they will make sure this continues, he really didn't have a plan. I would like to know how will they ensure the security of those residents who fear they will be displaced. A few of the persons on the air talked about tax credits, land trust, etc, but I would like to know about a plan that will be enforced so that residents understand that they don't need to worry. In Jensen"s article he says, "Gentrification without displacement' is the term we've been using," he says. "Gentrification is not per se a bad thing, if you define it as trying to improve an area and draw more people in. It can be a bad thing if it means displacing current residents who've lived in an area their whole lives and want to stay. We want to be able to balance the two." (Jensen)In reading the articles, I am happy that they are focused more on revitalizing, then gentrification. I know Kate talked about having a leveled process. But we have to see what would make those landlords who own buildings or those who are living there to sell or  move. I know that there are some places where prices can't increase for 50 years. I believe that was in the article by Baynard Woods. I would ask Ben what are the push and pull factors that would come during this time of revitalizing. 

A lot of the conversation focused on how they would get the residents involved and how they would make sure that this is a participatory development.  Even though they want to reach the people with murals, poetry, and other forms of art;What happens once you reach them? I would ask Ben Stone, now that they are informed what happens now? In the podcast, they talk about how it is more about the residents communicating with each other. The community needs to communicate with those in the business, developers, and those investing in these projects.

 -Shamara Owens

Community and gentrification

I think that one of the issues with communities, is this sense of belonging. A lot of the times there is a community in place, but if you get nothing from it, it won’t feel like you are apart of it. We talked about how commuters don’t feel like they are apart of the UMBC community. I am a commuter and I do feel like I’m not apart of the UMBC community. In a community there needs to be some sense of togetherness. Maybe if communities reached out more to the people that engage, live, or participate in them people would feel more involved. When you asked us what community we were apart of, everyone had to stop and think. That says a lot right there.

I actually don’t have a problem with gentrification. I love seeing new developments and stores that make the neighborhoods look good. I know that this situation is hard on those who don’t want to adjust or can’t afford to adjust, but it still is a positive thing. I think sometimes people let their neighborhoods go. They throw trash in the street, and stop keeping up with home improvement. I think that it’s cool that someone comes up with a vision to make a neighborhood look better. we might be hesitant to all the changes that come with it, but in the end it was the better decision. 

Right now, I don’t have a project idea for station north. And I feel that could give me an idea. Being from Baltimore and just learning about station North is a problem. Maybe in some way our project can bring more awareness to the area. Maybe in addition to the product, we could start a campaign that encourages people to get more involved in the events that are happening in station north. This could help be a wake up call for our Baltimore community; to see a side of Baltimore they haven’t before and also learn the history behind it.