Short Pump Town Center is a very important public place in Short Pump, Virginia (the West End of Richmond) due to the retail success and abundance of shops, restaurants, department stores, and venues. The outdoor aspect of the town center adds a different aspect than most shopping malls by incorporating a more public feel. The outdoor aspect allows citizen to feel free to wander as they choose from different stores, restaurants, and shops. In the center of Short Pump Town Center, there is a green lawn that is home to many local concerts, petting zoos, seasonal activities, holiday activities, and local competitions. The town center is mostly used for retail and dining experiences but the center space is used for many local meetings and events as well. Not only is Short Pump Town Center a local space for Richmond citizens, but a well-known shopping center for citizens all over the state of Virginia. The center of the mall also features a water fountain and benches where citizens feel free to mingle and meet each other. The consumerism utilized at Short Pump Town Center is very comparable to the rest of Short Pump in general due to the high influence and importance that consumerism holds in the entire city.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Jalisa Hall Spaces
This is The James River in Richmond, VA. It is located in the middle of the city, allowing easy access. This space is used for multiple things. During the summer and spring months you will find many people having picnics on the rocks, families taking their children to the shallow parts of the waters, or teenagers making bon fires late at night. One of my favorite things about the river is the scenery and the positivity surrounding the area. It is one of my favorite places to go at home. It brings different people together and it is a calm and relaxing place to clear your mind or have alone time. I think that is one of the most unique parts of Richmond because it is set apart from the constant fast life of the city. It is a place where people go to have mild fun, to relax, or to enjoy the water. The river is a very family oriented place. People of all ages, races, and personalities have enjoyed their time spent here.
Madeline Garrettson's Madison Spaces for Dr. H
This is a picture of Fairfax Corner, it is located near my hometown in northern Virginia. It has a large open courtyard, similar to the "town square" concept of the Preston Lakes development. Although it seems like public space since it is completely open, Fairfax Corner is a privately owned shopping and housing development. There is always something going on at the square such as festivals and farmer's markets. It is a big gathering place in the community. Anytime I go there I always run into at least a few of my friends. Before Fairfax corner there was not really a feeling of closeness between towns, mostly because northern Virginia is so spread out. It is definitely sprawl instead of smart planning. However, Fairfax corner attracts people from all over because it is such a nice area. It has shops, a movie theater, the public square and a lot of restaurants. It is located off of Interstate 66 so it is convenient, and easy to reach. The picture above is showing an event held by the Farifax County Police department to encourage the use of helmets. The people in the photo are police officers and it was nice that they were being very down to earth and talking to people. It is events like these that help strengthen community because the police officers are an essential part and knowing them on a personal level makes Fairfax County seem less gigantic.
Catherine's Madison's Space for Dr.H
This is an image of White Hall, one of the many dorms on campus at James Madison University. This dorm in particular is at the top of the village and is somewhat in the "middle" of the campus. I picked this picture because not only is dorm life required for all freshman students, it is a very communal space for students to communicate, live, and interact with one another. People are forced into tight quarters usually allowing a flow of ideas and opinions about themselves and aspects around them. Many students, including freshman, begin their social web at a dorm. They make close friends and are then introduced to their friend's friends.
Not only do dorms facilitate the growing social life, they are also seen as a new urbanism community. Each individual has their own “personal” space, which is a part of a larger communal space with roommates, suitemates, and hall mates. They have all bare necessities inside of the building, including vending machine, for food and drink, beds, bathrooms, Internet, and laundry areas.
Though this seems like the best space on campus, conflicts can and will arise. Roommates may quarrel, and students can disagree with one another creating a tense environment. Even though this is also a closed off dorm to those who’s JAC card accesses them in, many friends and relatives of the outside world may enter. They are also exposed to the virtual world on their computers.
White Hall, and other dorms on campus create a very interactive space for students to flow ideas. It is a communal space with private interactions, but in turn a public entity to the university.
Christina Dean: Madison Space for Dr. H
This weekend I got the opportunity to see a memorial in downtown DC I had never seen before! I visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial seen in the picture. The memorial is located on the National Mall near the Tidal Basin which is a central location for tourists.
This memorial is significant because Dr. King is the first African-American honored with a memorial on the National Mall, and he is only the fourth non-President to be memorialized this way. The President of the memorial foundation, Harry E. Johnson, said "the memorial will be a public sanctuary where future generations of Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, can come to honor Dr. King." Seen through Harry Johnson's words, the memorial is a public space. Although it is a public space, it was privately funded. Because the memorial was privately funded, it took more than twenty years to fund and then ultimately build.
There are fourteen quotes from Dr. King's speeches, sermons, and writings inscribed on the Inscription Wall of the memorial. These quotes are important to any community because they focus on universal issues like justice, democracy, hope, and love. I think that the ultimate purpose of this memorial is to remember Dr. King's influence on the civil rights movement, and to honor his life. It is up to each person though to decide for themselves what they will take away from viewing the memorial.
Devon Moore spaces
Dr. Henigman
The picture I took was of downtown Columbus, Ohio which is where I was born and raised. While traveling home over this past weekend to spend the holiday with my family back home I went through downtown and I felt as if this was the perfect picture for this assignment. When coming to Columbus this is one of the first views that symbolize that you are officially in Columbus. As you can see in the picture there are several different businesses such as a Chase Bank and a Renaissance Hotel. Downtown is considered to be the busiest place in Columbus and it’s a very people friendly place due to all the businesses and community activities that occurs. Some people use downtown for everyday activities like going to the bank or just grabbing a bite to eat and for others it’s use as their workplace. Also some people may use it for shelter or to go to different festival like the rib fest or the Red, white and bloom. Over the years the appearance of downtown has changed. There has been some remodeling of the buildings and even some new ones was build. What was once a place filled with abandon and historical buildings is now up to date with more modern day foundations. This picture has a lot of meaning to it and is a great photograph to represent Columbus Ohio.
Devon Moore
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Taylor Huff's Madison Space for Dr. H
This past weekend I went home to Point Pleasant New Jersey. I live in a small beach town along the Jersey Shore. Here people can visit the arcade, aquarium, fun house, bar, candy shop, or just spend the day on the beach. The people that spend there time here can be broken into two very separate categories, locals, and bennies. Bennies are people from out of town or vacationers who are also sometimes referred to as shoebies. These people use this space as a pure form of entertainment and a way to escape. They vacation here and only spend a small portion of the warmer months here. The locals spend they’re entire year here even in the winter. We call this space home, not a vacation space. The importance of the boardwalk to the community is that with tourism it attracts a large amount of revenue. This in some ways is a lot like what we read about collage campuses. While the space is a social space like the JMU quad, they’re always people selling things or promoting things to raise or earn money. Both of these spaces have two or more purposes. Local business owners that own shops and businesses on the boardwalk make a large majority of they’re money from tourism during the summer. This space is “privately owned” because a person owns each shop while the entire boardwalk is also owned by someone. What makes this space unique is that in some states the beaches are public space. Here in New Jersey the beaches are privately owned and you have to pay admission to enter. Tourism and publicity has come some change to the image of this space. Through shows like “The Jersey Shore,” our space has gained a different kind of reputation than before. When I was younger the space was known for its relaxed beach goers and small town restaurants. Now the Jersey shore boardwalks are associated with the television show that portrays our space as a place with trashy nightclubs and tasteless behavior.
Caitlin Brusoski's space for Dr. H
This space is in the Short Pump Mall. This fountain is the central point of the mall with different wings coming off of it. To the left of the picture there is a partially visible green space. In this space there are occasionally concerts and different community activities like a local singing competition. To the right, on this particular day, there was a miniature petting zoo. In this space in the winter, there is a giant Christmas tree as tall as the second floor of the mall. This means no matter what time of the year it is, this space is a convenient and important meeting place and place for fun community activities. It gives it a feeling of democracy and choice because people feel free to meet each other or enjoy the music playing, however there are many restrictions on what you can do in this place. And also even though you may just be at the mall to see the concert, chances are the bombardment of advertising will suck you, especially children, in. For example, my mom and I went to the mall to take pictures for this blog post, while we were there she stopped herself from going into two stores (because we were had somewhere to be) and I had to stop myself from going into one. The space in the picture and the mall in general is very much symbolic of the surrounding Short Pump area where very few places are left to be uninfluenced by consumerism.
Natalie Kwon's Madison Space for Dr. H
The center of the Fairfax Corner located in Fairfax, Virginia offers various entertainment. From interactive fountain to seasonal concerts, various entertainments are included within the limited space located in the center of Fairfax Corner. Not fully a New Urbanism community but definitely a possible one, Fairfax Corner composes of a movie theater, various boutiques, restaurants, office spaces and condominiums. Fairfax Corner based its atmosphere on the basic idea of the New Urbanism including its idea of “live, work, dine, and shop.” Also the multiple, short streets that resemble the “Main Street” is similar to the idea of the New Urbanism as well as the buildings being close to the streets. However, the presence of the parking lots, and the fact that the community is based more on the outside visitors than the actual residents living in Fairfax Corner condominiums suggest that the area is not a New Urbanism community. The idea that the community is focused on the public can be found in the center area as well. A meeting place and a waiting area for the theater and restaurants, the center of Fairfax Corner provides a sense of public meeting place where people come together as one and enjoy their social lives in a miniature urban town. However, similar to the mall, the seemingly open, public place is in fact a private entity which prohibits individuals with its own rules.
Megan Dubs's Madison Space for Dr. H.
This is a picture of Canine Meadows at John Rudy Park. It’s an off-leash dog park in York Pennsylvania where people can take their dogs to run free and socialize. This park consists of three enclosed areas for small and large dogs. One area is for dogs 30 pounds and under, one is for dogs 30 pounds and over, and the other one is an extra for when one of the other two dog parks need cleaning or becomes too muddy. There are plenty of trees and shade for the owners and their dogs. In each fenced in area there are water fountains for the dogs that sit low to the ground and the owner steps on the handle to release the water. Also, waste disposal dispensers are located around the park to encourage everyone to clean up after their dogs and keep the park beautiful for other guests. On hot summer days the dog park becomes a chosen “meeting place” for many dogs and owners, it can become extremely crowded and a lot of people can be found playing catch or throwing a frisbee. Having a communal place to meet and relax is important, especially on the weekends when the weather is pleasant. This area is privately owned by the township, but is meant for public use. Since it is privately owned, it is a private space, so there are rules to abide by while using this area. The park rangers patrol this area and occasionally drive through to make sure everyone is following the rules. Owners who may not have a big yard for their dog or live in an apartment complex can bring their dog here to get some exercise and play with other dogs. One problem that seems to reoccur is when owners bring their aggressive dogs. Sometimes their dog isn’t used to being around other dogs and can be come very aggressive and territorial in the new surroundings. It is aggravating when people do this and you constantly have to watch out for the “mean dog” when really the rules say the owner should remove the dog immediately. This public space offers an opportunity for dogs and owners to come together and bond over this shared public space. A lot of people at Canine Meadows are huge dog lovers and this dog park is a symbolic place for these humans to go.
Kevin Johnson's Madison Space for Dr. H
This is the Swift Creek Reservoir in Midlothian, Virginia. This is the scene of an untouched landscape, renewed each day. It is a scene devoid of construction and heavy machinery. There are no buildings or corporations to cover this beautiful landscape. There is no sign pointing out a half of deal on a McDouble. No Burger Kings, no Arby’s, no Taco Bells. Rather, just a body of water where you can actually have it your way. It is the untamed body of water that constantly creates mystery. It provides the most aesthetic scenes from sunrise to sunset, and welcomes anyone who wishes to use it without discrimination. This body of water provides more than any computer or smart phone could ever generate. It is one application with endless options. Whether you are alone on a kayak or taking an outing on a pontoon with family and friends, this body of water is full of activities.On this reservoir, people are not brought together by friend requests or status, but by physical interaction and verbal communication. This large public space is the unowned, unchangeable body of water that is immune to branding. No matter how hard Nike will try to make its check on this territory, the water will merely wash it away, where the explorer is free escape from the commercial world into adventure the reservoir.
Jennifer Urban's Space for Dr. H
This is a picture of the large open area in Fairfax Corner in Fairfax, VA. Fairfax Corner is a planned community that includes condominiums, a large movie theater, many shops, business offices, and numerous restaurants. This area pictured is located right in the middle of Fairfax Corner. This area is used for numerous things, especially during the summer. This area has tables located around the edges, so many people come to hang out here while waiting for their movie or while waiting to be seated at a near by restaurant. It is very prominent, so it is used at the designated “meeting place” for many people. This area is also a great place to bring your kids. There is plenty of room to run around, and during the summer there are fountains that turn on and kids can run through. One of the bigger events this area is used for is Concerts at the Corner. This is where live music is played every Thursday night all summer long. These concerts usually draw a pretty big crowd. Because this area is used for many things it shows what is important to the people in my area. It shows that having a communal place to meet and hang out is important, especially when the weather is nice, because it is always filled with people. Because Fairfax Corner is a “planned community” it is no coincidence that this area is set in the middle. This area was planned to be communal and accessible to everyone in the area. This area is privately owned but is meant for public use. Because it is privately owned, it is private space, yet people sometimes confuse this area with public space. The police patrol this area and if you doing something that is not approved of by Fairfax Corner you will be asked to stop. There are also rules about the fountain and the interactive chess game (located behind the Coastal Flats restaurant), located on the Fairfax Corner website. This relates to what we learned about in class, because this area makes you think you are in a public space. Yet there is no democracy here, you cannot picket here or voice your political opinions. The activities that go on here must be parallel to the ideas and beliefs of Fairfax Corner.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Mary Pavlovskaya's Madison Spaces for Dr. H
George Snyder's Madison Spaces for Dr. H
The picture seen here is of my second home, East Campus Library. I chose this building because of its position relative to the rest of East Campus. East Campus in general can be thought of as a seperate campus. This is because it has every building needed for a self sustained campus. What I found interesting about the East Campus Library is that it is somewhat hidden in the corner of campus. As we have learned through analyzing many different campus layouts, is that the libraries of most campuses serve as its focal point. This can be seen in traditional layout of UVA's old part of campus. The Library serves as the head of campus, and other residence halls and classrooms branch out in a way that emulates the arcitechtural physiology of a human body. In ECL's case however, the Library is not even visible from the main lawn on campus. It seems that the middle green on East Campus is surrounded by every important building except the library. I beleive that the location of ECL should be where Festival is. Festival is by no means the focal point of East Campus, however it seems to be framed in the way that highlights it as the center of East Campus. As far as public space is concerned, I see the library as a very public space, with the exception of what is expected of people in the library. People that come to the library include both JMU students as well as locals, Blue Ridge Community College students, and even the occasional homeless person. As far as serving the purpose of public exchange of ideas and information, it does not serve this purpose well. This however is simply due to the fact of the purpose of the library; a place to concentrate on work uninterrupted. It would be frowned upon to stage a protest for example in this area. This building can be seen as representative of JMU's overall campus, with random building sites. The town overall has been increasingly dotted with random JMU buildings. East Campus is a great example of campus sprawl. The lack of available land forced JMU to spread across the highway. If Jmu is to continue the seemingly random expansion, it is important to take steps to make it more navigatable.
Michaela Sibole's Madison Space for Dr.H
If you were to ask random JMU students about their favorite place on campus, it's no surprise that a good amount would answer, "The Quad." Even if it's not your favorite place on campus, it's in most students top 5, and, why wouldn't it be? On any given day, especially as the weather get’s increasingly warmer, you are bound to see students, faculty members, or people from the Harrisonburg community making great use out of this wonderful public space.
Besides being a beautiful place to look at, the quad can also be used for several social activities. For example, people can be found sitting on the “kissing rock”, sitting under a nice shaded tree doing homework, or waiting for their next class to start on many of the benches located around the quad. You can also find people engaging in activities such as soccer, football, running around the perimeter of walkways, smoking hookah, or even tight rope walking between trees. Whatever it is that people who live in or around the JMU community like to do outside, it can usually be done on the quad.
The way in which the quad is set up exemplifies how it is a public space meant for socializing. It is a huge space of fresh green grass bordered by walkways that lead you to the several buildings that were built around the quad. These buildings consist of not only classrooms, but resident halls as well. One thing that makes the quad nice is how all of the buildings share the same type of architecture with being made from bluestone. These buildings may all be alike because at one point, before JMU started to greatly expand, the quad was known as the “center” of campus.
Like we talked about in class, the quad has gone through significant changes in social atmospheres. From being the center of a Maypole celebration, to a protesting place for the Vietnamese war, to the present day public space with club and church activities, and also events like the AIDS prevention event that was going on back in October, the quad has always been a social place. This is exactly what JMU’s main goal was in creating it in the first place; freedom in a public space.
Samantha Bruce's Madison Space for Dr. H
This is a photograph of Lake Shenandoah located in the suburbs of Harrisonburg. This space is a public space but is located next to wealthier neighborhood. Lake Shenandoah has had an interesting history. The area has been used for many recreational purposes such as fishing, picnics, and walks and even borders a golf course. On many days you can find people from many generations enjoying these activities. I chose this particular spot because of the beauty it offers within city limits. I wanted to pick something not on the JMU campus, but a place that could still be used by JMU students. This is a spot I visited when I was younger and has change quite dramatically due to population increase. I remember hearing stories about the great fishing and wildlife at this lake. However, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) rank this space as being a poor environment for fish. This, according to the VDGIF, is a direct result of the golf course and housing development introducing greater than normal nutrients and sediment into the lake. The lake isn't as populated with fishermen as it once was due to the city feel and the poor fishing. The lake is used primarily by the surrounding citizens in the community. Lake Shenandoah being located in the suburbs might hinder the community outside the suburbs because they may feel the space is not public when the area is.
Stephanie Maguire's Madison Space for Dr. H
Kevin Alders's Madison Space for Dr. H
This is a photo of James Madison University's recreational turf field located behind their rec center. People may look at this photo and see just the soccer and lacrosse goals, but this area offers much more to the James Madison community. This part of campus allows students to interact with one another in a number of ways. For example, at the beginning of the year I had some free time, so I went to field to play some pick up soccer. In the process of playing, I actually got to know a couple of other students who have become very good friends of mine. This is an area where students can to go participate in athletics, but it is also an area for socialization. A place where students can go relieve some stress by going and throwing around a ball. Students are often busy with schoolwork and their studies, but it is essential to find an outlet to relax and enjoy time with friends, and this space offers that. Often times there are groups of students who go to the fields to just watch a friend play. People may not realize it, but this is an area that everyone can appreciate. There are benches and bleachers for people to sit, hang out, converse, and enjoy time with friends and new people. The interaction between students playing sports or just hanging out, gives a sense of community and belonging which is important in college. While people may think that the purpose of turf fields are solely to play sports, they are wrong because it offers a place for students to go and be themselves. Where students can talk freely, met other students, relax, and have fun.
-Kevin Alders
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