Home Improvement

The articles that I read for our second reading assignment had to do with improving the area surrounding some of our U.S. cities. More specifically, the articles focus on the downfall of living in Detroit during the mid 1900’s and the efforts to improve a suburban neighborhood in Atlanta called Mableton. Rebecca Solnit chose to write about the past, present, and future living conditions that Detroit has to offer, and what seen and unseen forces are the reason behind many physical changes. She examines the past image of Detroit, going back to the English settlers fighting wars against the native people of the land. She helps us to examine what Detroit would look like if the coarse of history was different. On the other hand, Glenn Ruffenach wrote an article that used a suburb of Atlanta as his example to prove that small cities and suburbs are all facing similar problems today that have to deal with the living conditions of senior citizens. He states that areas in the united states, especially down south like Georgia, need to improve the living conditions of urbanism to make people stay and live longer. His main focus is based on the happiness and satisfaction of the people, because one of his main points indicate a need for creating a “lifelong community.” In my response I plan to extricate the views and ideals of these two writers and include my personal opinion on the matter. The evidence and support that is the base of Solnits argument is very creditable. She has been to Detroit numerous times in the past, with each time discovering a new factor that influences the way she views the city and its neoclassical form. She also uses historical evidence, such as the time when the Model T was producing 9,000 cars per day and Detroit made a name for itself through the auto industry. She mentions a great fact in her paper when she says that back in 1925, Detroit accounted for 1 and every 10 cars produced in America. Now the same exact place where the model T was born is just a broken down warehouse in shambles. Glenn Ruffenach, though, does not use empirical evidence and concrete facts to support his view of creating a “lifelong community.” Instead, he uses models and theories that have the capability to improve the areas in and around U.S. cities. For example, he mentions how new street grids in Fayetteville, Georgia could turn it into a walking town, which in turn would help senior citizens exercise and have a nice, long place to live. If the two got together for coffee, I am sure that they would agree on many points that can be taken into effect when speaking about improving a city. They both emphasize the need for better community living for older people. They would agree on the fact that older people create an influence for the young and new to come in and make a living, instead of always running in and out of various cities. My view on the situation is the exact same as Ruffenach’s, because I believe that creating a livable urban area must be focused around efforts in transportation, and most importantly, living conditions within small communities.