urban dialogues

5x5 is the urban dialogues on-line forum for discussions of any kind related to neighborhoods, communities, urbanism and the built environment.

Five by five is a term used in broadcasting and in the military that refers to the strength and clarity of a signal on a scale from one to five. Five by five therefore means a signal which has excellent strength and perfect clarity—the most understandable signal possible. In popular culture, five by five has come to mean, “I understand you perfectly.”

Urban Dialogues acknowledges that open discussions may operate at a variety of signals less than the perfect clarity of five by five. This is reflected in our graphic logo. We do not pretend that all who use this forum will understand each other five by five all of the time. We do aim for an openness of mind to the variability of the clarity and strength of the dialogues as we attempt to promote not a singular vision but multiple understandings of any given issue.

What is William McDonough's critique of the industrial revolution? How did industrilization design the world we currently have (and/or the Simpson's world)? What is the difference between cradle-to-grave design versus cradle-to-cradle? How does Springfield evidence either?

James Howard Kunstler paints a fairly dire picture of how our current practices will lead to "the long emergency." How does he intertwine resource depletion, environmental practice and how we've made place? Which parts of the Simpson's world are contributing to the long emergency? Which parts (if any) are more sustainable?

Raymond Williams' article makes the case for culture to be defined through lived experiences. How does this challenge traditional definitions of culture? If Williams were writing about Springfield USA, what observations might he make? Is Lisa a figure he might personally relate to...or perhaps another character?

Erving Goffman's article is revealing about unconscious behaviors that we all have as our front stage and back stage. How have our front and back actions become codified in the way we make, shape and live in space? And is there also a middle space where we can peer into the back from the front and/or where we do back actions in a technically front space? Can you identify front and back spaces in your own lives...in Springfield USA?

Robert Putnam introduces several key concepts to his study of civic disengagement. The terms “bridging” and “bonding” are described as important functions of social and civic groups. Bridging allows us to move outside of our groups to accomplish particular goals meant to include others in the group’s ideologies, while bonding occurs when a groups goals and intentions are reinforced within its own confines.

Do you believe that the bridging and bonding that occurs in civic groups (whether these are environmental leagues, or student design associations), spur a more civic minded person and allow bridging across differences? Are there some examples from your own activities that offer us a glimpse of bonding and bridging? Can you think of some examples in Springfield, USA?

Stuart Hall asks the question how to recover and/or rescue the experiences of postwar black British immigrants without representing them as victims or as problems. How does he suggest this might be accomplished? How does this reading inform your understanding of how Springfield USA does or does not address the issue of race? If Hall were to write an episode, what stories/scenarios might be put forth?

Ernest Pascucci makes an argument that the public realm and associations between people happen not just in physical space? Do you believe his argument? Can you find examples that either support or negate his assertions? How is his argument related to the making of and representation of Springfield?

Walter Hood proposes a design metholodogy for revitalizing the mini parks in Oakland. What does his method suggest both about how we understand and define the public realm as well as the people who occupy this realm? Do you agree or disagree with his assertions? What kind of publics (both space and people) are portrayed in Springfield? What kind of urban diary could you keep for Springfield...what would it show/contain?

Use this thread to talk about where when and how you would like to do the project to find a potential partner. Remember the format should have a strong visual component (e.g. postcard set, cover art, web site, photograph essay, visual journal, graphic novella, cartoon strip, ad campaign, urban posters, flip books, billboards, etc.).

Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full : The setting is Atlanta, Georgia—a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a late-middle-aged Atlanta conglomerate king whose outsize ego has at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 29,000-acre quail-shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife—and a half-empty office complex with a staggering load of debt.

Meanwhile, Conrad Hensley, idealistic young father of two, is laid off from his job at the Croker Global Foods warehouse near Oakland and finds himself spiraling into the lower depths of the American legal system. And back in Atlanta, when star Georgia Tech running back Fareek "the Cannon" Fanon, a homegrown product of the city's slums, is accused of date-raping the daughter of a pillar of the white establishment, upscale black lawyer Roger White II is asked to represent Fanon and help keep the city's delicate racial balance from blowing sky-high.

Networks of illegal Asian immigrants crisscrossing the continent, daily life behind bars, shady real estate syndicates, the cast-off first wives of the corporate elite—Wolfe shows us contemporary America.

Consider the relationship between the socio-cultural and physical place as you read. Also compare and contrast this world to Springfield.

Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full : The setting is Atlanta, Georgia—a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a late-middle-aged Atlanta conglomerate king whose outsize ego has at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 29,000-acre quail-shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife—and a half-empty office complex with a staggering load of debt.

Meanwhile, Conrad Hensley, idealistic young father of two, is laid off from his job at the Croker Global Foods warehouse near Oakland and finds himself spiraling into the lower depths of the American legal system. And back in Atlanta, when star Georgia Tech running back Fareek "the Cannon" Fanon, a homegrown product of the city's slums, is accused of date-raping the daughter of a pillar of the white establishment, upscale black lawyer Roger White II is asked to represent Fanon and help keep the city's delicate racial balance from blowing sky-high.

Networks of illegal Asian immigrants crisscrossing the continent, daily life behind bars, shady real estate syndicates, the cast-off first wives of the corporate elite—Wolfe shows us contemporary America.

Consider the relationship between the socio-cultural and physical place as you read. Also compare and contrast this world to Springfield.

Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full : The setting is Atlanta, Georgia—a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a late-middle-aged Atlanta conglomerate king whose outsize ego has at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 29,000-acre quail-shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife—and a half-empty office complex with a staggering load of debt.

Meanwhile, Conrad Hensley, idealistic young father of two, is laid off from his job at the Croker Global Foods warehouse near Oakland and finds himself spiraling into the lower depths of the American legal system. And back in Atlanta, when star Georgia Tech running back Fareek "the Cannon" Fanon, a homegrown product of the city's slums, is accused of date-raping the daughter of a pillar of the white establishment, upscale black lawyer Roger White II is asked to represent Fanon and help keep the city's delicate racial balance from blowing sky-high.

Networks of illegal Asian immigrants crisscrossing the continent, daily life behind bars, shady real estate syndicates, the cast-off first wives of the corporate elite—Wolfe shows us contemporary America.

Consider the relationship between the socio-cultural and physical place as you read. Also compare and contrast this world to Springfield.

Even though this article by Catherine Bisher focuses on historic preservation I think it can be applied to anyone claiming professional status. She reminds us that while we have expertise in our fields we do not necessarily have it about how specific people live in a specific place. Some would argue that putting the local before the professional runs the risk of an unplanned, undesigned chaotic environment....do you agree with Bisher or her critics? Are there flaws in her argument? Do we see in Springfielders within her definitions?

George McDaniel tells a story of good intentions gone awry. How do issues of class and race factor in? Are they a major component or a minor addition to a different issue? Can you think of how this might apply to other real life examples and/or to the Simpsons?

Robert Venturi relates his struggle of building something new in a place that it steeped in history? What are the issues at the heart of this struggle? How has Springfield (or other places you know) grappled with the tension between change and tradition in the built environment?

Randall Mason's article gets at the heart of how historic preservation has been defined in America in the 20th century: significance? What points does he make regarding how significance has been and might be defined? Can yo uthink of alternate ways to determine signficance or should another metric be used in assess value altogether? What do you think the Springfielders might claim as significant to their town/suburb/city and why would they think so?

D.W. Meinig published the essay in 1979. Do the three symbolic landscapes that he proposes as being central to an undertanding of American identity still stand up? Are there new ones that take their place? Which of these are reinforced in Springfield?

Rina Swentzell's discussion of the contrast between Native American and Western perceptions of the built environment drives home the point that we often use words like public and private as if they are value free when in fact the notion of what is public space and what is private space are culturally constructed. How does this change your understanding of "public and prviate" spaces that you know? That appear in Springfield USA?

James Rojas asserts that analyzing place based solely on form and space (aka the physical environment) is not enough; one must look at how people behavior in order to get a thicker description of place. Are form and space equal partners with culture in assessing place or is there a hierarchical relationship between them? Personal memory and myth also seem to be part of his reading of cultural landscape. What is (or what should be) the role between past, present and future in the analysis of place? Any Springfield examples?

Here's Twain's post (your fearless thread leader)

The Enacted Environment

In “The Enacted Environment”, James Rojas vividly describes the vibrant East Los Angeles setting. Rather than retreating to the solitude of their homes, the primarily Mexican American inhabitants construct an environment of intense social interaction. Everyone knows everyone. Street vendors and their customers populate the packed streets. Home owners sit out on their porches and actively interact with the other inhabitants of their environment. Rojas describes their front yards as extensions of their homes—outdoor rooms.

In this article, Rojas describes a situation in which the people mold their environment into a more social setting; he suggests that we should observe the interactions of these people and generate an environment that encourages this behavior. Should we? Does the general public want this environment or is it a purely Mexican American phenomenon? The population in this article created their own social environment against the layout of the living situation. Will a socially invoking living situation alter the behaviors of the general population or will they too go against the structure of their environment and maintain the cold separation of private and public that exists today? Should we respect the current boundaries that separate the public and the private or will our ideas of public and private evolve?

J.B. Jackson sees the Stranger and the Path as being mutually beneficial. Who do you believe is more likely to assess the Path correctly: the stranger, as described by Jackson, or the long-term resident of another part of the town? (Keep in mind he is describing modestly sizes towns). What do you believe is the Path in today’s towns? Can you read Springfield USA using Jackson's model? If so, how...any examples?

Michael Pollen's first chapter, "Desire: Sweetness" tries to unpack the mythologies behind Johnny Appleseed. What are the techniques that he employs in trying to get at the story behind the myth? How else might he have gone about re-constructing the tale of Johnny appleseed?

Welcome to our brief journey into Springfield, USA.
Introduce yourself by way of talking about what drew you to this class and what kind of project you think you'd like to do.