Amanda YoungNovember 10, 2012 10:09 PM
I think this post is really insightful. I never really gave a second thought as to why Bel Air neighborhoods have no sidewalks. The lack of a space for pedestrians blocks social access to this area for a lot of people. Having a gated "entrance" to Bel Air right across the street from the UCLA dorms blocks social access to all the students that go for a run around the area. Furthermore, having no sidewalks implies that the people who are socially welcomed there have to own a car (which means they also have to be able to afford the lifestyle that comes with owning a car).
Also, I like how you applied Park's statement to houses in a community. It makes me think of the street I grew up on and how my friends and I would walk down the street (on the sidewalk) to each other's houses, ride our bikes in the street, and other things like that. There's no way that a community like Bel Air is welcoming to that kind of activity. It's interesting how something as simple as sidewalks can play such a large role in having a sense of community in a neighborhood. I wonder if that was an outcome that the people who first started building in Bel Air considered? Maybe privacy is a reason that people choose to live there?
I like the way you connected Bel Air with Orange County as well. I took the Metropolitan LA class in Spring and there we discussed how and why Orange County developed. Originally, it was sort of an extension to Los Angeles. A lot of business moved down there, and slowly suburbs began to emerge from there. The highway system that connects the city of Los Angeles with the rest of the metropolitan area reinforces the impact and even necessity of the automobile on Southern California life.
Also, I like how you applied Park's statement to houses in a community. It makes me think of the street I grew up on and how my friends and I would walk down the street (on the sidewalk) to each other's houses, ride our bikes in the street, and other things like that. There's no way that a community like Bel Air is welcoming to that kind of activity. It's interesting how something as simple as sidewalks can play such a large role in having a sense of community in a neighborhood. I wonder if that was an outcome that the people who first started building in Bel Air considered? Maybe privacy is a reason that people choose to live there?
I like the way you connected Bel Air with Orange County as well. I took the Metropolitan LA class in Spring and there we discussed how and why Orange County developed. Originally, it was sort of an extension to Los Angeles. A lot of business moved down there, and slowly suburbs began to emerge from there. The highway system that connects the city of Los Angeles with the rest of the metropolitan area reinforces the impact and even necessity of the automobile on Southern California life.
Michelle's blog: http://perpetualmotionmichelle.blogspot.com/2012/10/blogging-social-difference-in-la-week-3.html?showComment=1352614189408#c6135729163943965823
