Week 9: 3rd Response

I responded to Antonio's blog post about his bus ride down Wilshire.

http://afigueroageography151.blogspot.com/2012/11/blogging-social-difference-in-l.html

Hi Antonio,

I enjoyed reading your blog post and I thought you had a unique viewpoint on certain aspects of the Wilshire area. The 720 is always an interesting experience for me as well. It is not just interesting by the diversity of people on the bus, but at the large differences one sees within blocks. I like the fact that you stated that the roads suck even though it was a minor detail to you, because they really do! I have also wondered that, because east of Westwood Village is supposed to “Millionaire’s Mile,” but the roads are full of potholes.  (I also noticed this coming to UCLA as a freshman on Sunset Boulevard. I noticed potholes, uprooted cement and narrow roads. I thought, if these people are millionaires I am sure they have the power to influence construction on these streets. ) The metro 720 usually goes too fast for me to recognize the significance of the people tending the buildings, parking, and gardens closely, but I have observed the people from time to time.

I also do not find it surprising that this area of millionaires with their fancy cars, hotels, and buildings has a high influx of minority workers, as you stated. It is very prominent in areas like this to have minorities work in these jobs. What is interesting to me, is that on the Metro 720 we see these people that are most likely heading East for work every single day. I see how vital it is for people to work these jobs. They take the jobs that other (mostly non-minorities) would never take, in order to provide little but something to their families. In a way, I think these might be embedded in Durkheim’s idea of morality. From what I have seen, Hispanics taking these low income jobs is because they lack resources for highly qualified jobs, but also culture. The Latin American culture is big on hard work and the ideal that working in itself, is something that is necessary, regardless of how difficult it is or how low the wages are. That’s where specialization comes in the urban fabric, density allows people to fill these positions and contribute to organic solidarity, as people rely on minorities to work these jobs. 

Week 8: Simply map

This week, I chose to do a project on simply map and see the distribution of white and black population in the a small radius of the 90024 zip code and 90007 zip code. With UCLA being the heart of this map, I thought it was important to see the population percentage (as of the 2010 census) of the 90024 comparatively with student demographics. As seen on this map, the West Los Angeles demographics of black and white population are significantly different. On the white population map, it is especially apparent that there is a large percentage in the area. About one third of this map looks to hold a percentage of whites of about 85-93% in the Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Brentwood areas. Another large percentage (72-85%) covers another third of the area such as East Santa Monica, Century City, and Beverlywood area. The remaining areas are south of Santa Monica Blvd, with a 55-72% population of whites and a very small area that is less than 50% white. The black population map tells another story. Here, the population scale is very apparent that there is little black people in this area. There is less than 1% of black people in the areas that are 72-93% white. The areas that have a higher black population are southeast Santa Monica and Crenshaw area that vary from 6-100% black. It makes more sense when compared with socio-economic factors that this area is very affluent and has a large disparity in white/black populations.

Comparitively, I did the same for the zip code around our rival USC campus. Though by visiting both places, it is apparent that there is a great racial difference in the areas, and even more so compared to the student body. The white population around the private USC campus is almost non-existent.There is 30-62% white population in USC's fraternity row, where many of their students live. East of Alameda and a small part of downtown LA also have this percentage of white population. The rest of the area is below 30% white. On the other hand, the black population around the USC campus is more than 2/3 of the area 20-100% black. Other areas are at least 2-20%. Although this is a high population, it is not as significant east of USC because of a high population of Hispanics in the area, that are not taken into account on my maps.

After comparing both of these maps to each other, it is evident that the USC area boasts a much larger black/minority population than the surrounding UCLA campus. The type of real estate and area must be large factor in determining the obvious racial difference between the areas of two prestigious schools in Los Angeles. The fifteen mile difference in the city produces a much different demographic picture. However, I also found it interesting to compare the student body distribution of black and white populations on both campuses. I found that UCLA actually has a higher percentage of white non-hispanics (32%) compared to USC's 23.8%. Both schools have about 3% of the student population as self-identified black students. From this sample, I found it interesting to see how little of the large population of black people in Los Angeles attend USC/UCLA. This information seemed to disregard the area because both schools had a very similar  black population percentage even when the black population in their areas were much different. I compared this finding to Douglas Massey's article on the "Continuing Causes of Segregation." Black populations are much more highly confined to poor areas as compared to other groups. I could only imagine that this large disparity is due to racially discriminative factors and unequal resources. I believe that with unequal education and resources in areas, there is not as much progress as there could be with talented black students attending prestigious black universities and we must educate people that this is not due to any lack of intelligence (far from that), but discrimination that persists to this day.

Week 7: Bus Trip along Wilshire

              Last Sunday, I took a bus trip to the LACMA museum. I have passed the museum many times before, but never had the time to go and check it out. Although touring the museum was a great experience, the bus trip there and back was what I found most appealing. Since we have been discussing in class what social difference is, I paid close attention to the different people on the bus. As soon as I stepped in the metro 720 on Wilshire/Westwood, I knew it would be an interesting ride. The huge bus was crowded as always, with a multitude of people sitting very close to each other, but mostly minding their own business. I was not surprised to see that I would have to stand for the entire bus ride, but I did not mind. I looked around me as the bus made me bump into people.  I held onto the pole and tried my best not to stare at people while I observed them.

                The people on the bus were ethnically diverse. I saw many Asians, Latinos, African-Americans, and just as many white people. It was a multi-cultural setting. While people were neck and neck, bumming into each other standing up, I was careful to observe any animosity or racial conflict, but there was none. I also observed the diversity of not only race, but class identity. Divisions that occurred on the bus were racial, but not very important because people of different races sat together closely. Class was not what separated the people either, it is what brought them together on this means of transportation. Most of the people on the bus seemed to belong to the 'lower' class, seeming to commute to and from work places on a Sunday afternoon. The sole idea that they worked on a Sunday afternoon, was telling of the people on the metro. It reiterated that class was not the issue anymore, and neither was race.

                The issue I observed on this trip was about age. There seemed to be very different age groups on the bus. There were college students, couples in their late twenties, early thirties, middle-aged women and men, and even more senior citizens. I listened in on the conversation of some veterans that were in the front of the bus. They started a conversation about how younger people in the city have a lack of respect for elders. They were discussing how sometimes they come on the bus and it upsets them to see that younger people are sitting down while the elderly are standing up. They said the elderly should have priority and are more fragile and prone to pain than younger people.  One man stated that the children were not always the problem, but how they were raised. I thought it was interesting to hear them, because I too feel that there is a lack of respect for elders in the city. However, was it really the parents upbringing or the city?

                One of the men was complaining about a young kid he saw on the bus one time. The kid would not give up his seat for an elder, and the old man said he made the kid stand up. I compared this to social difference and how customs are affected by the fast-growing urban metropolis, as we can see this throughout generations on transportation networks. While I think this aspect is cultural, it is fueled by the post-metropolitan city because commutes on buses are long, so it is a first come first thing.  The density on the bus can make people, even younger generations, vie for a seat ignoring the expected courtesy. This idea was very new to me, as I did not find age as a mode of social difference in any of the readings.

Week 6: 2nd Response

I responded to a post about a classmate's daily bus commute.

http://uclageography.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-4-not-so-decentralized-la.html

Hi Laiza,
I enjoyed reading your blog because it had a lot of personal character to it! You experience the hassle of riding public transportation for long hours every day in order to make it to school. Not many people I know would make this sacrifice in order to attend this university, and I found it very interesting to see how you personally attributed how public transportation serves you but is also difficult. I cannot relate taking public transportation every day like yourself but I have also ridden this bus line and can understand the ‘gradient’ nature of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Region.

As you stated, the center downtown area and East part of Los Angeles differ greatly from the west areas. I too, have seen the poor, polluted areas of downtown and have related it to our previous reading by Friedrich Engels, “Great Towns.” The way he describes the center of Manchester and all of its industry, reminds me slightly of how the downtown area is not well maintained and sort of a dangerous area. I have family that lives in East LA, and where they live is what I pictured of Los Angeles before I came to UCLA. However, I was glad to see how fortunate I am to live in a nice area that is still crowded, but with much lower crime rates and no gang activity.

You made a good point attributing the Chicago School Model to Los Angeles and its counterparts. I think Downtown L.A. is where most people think of L.A, and the surrounding neighborhoods revolve around it as people commute to and from their work places and homes. However, I think throughout time and with the wide-use of automobiles and public transportation, Los Angeles has been more separated from the typical city model where there is a prominent political center. What I would call the center, would not be what someone from another part of L.A. would call it. The city of Los Angeles is similar to New York, where it has diverse neighborhoods and boroughs that might be spatially close, but very dissimilar in terms of demographics, wealth, and appearance. Because of this, each borough has its own center, and that is why I think Los Angeles is more of a decentralized large area, than a centralized Metropolitan city. However, transportation networks have helped to connect these diverse areas after the third urban revolution we learned about in lecture. Trains, buses, trolleys have been essential in Los Angeles to make the area function as a decentralized post-modern region. 

Week 5: 1st Response

My comment this week was in response to James Lee's post about Koreatown. He did a great job in depicting the social difference he saw on his way to Koreatown. It was very similar to what I wrote about in my previous blog post therefore I could relate my observations to his.           

http://jimmyinlosangeles.blogspot.com/2012/10/blogging-social-difference-in-la-week-4.html?showComment=1351909947173#c8233621634510183901


I enjoyed reading your blog post about your bus ride to Koreatown. I too, took a trip there last week on my way to Korean BBQ and saw the rough conditions of the neighborhood, but also the contrast of neighboring Beverly Hills. You made a good point that Koreatown developed as a commercial place because it is still pretty industrial and has many commercial shops. From this information, it is easier to understand how this area is underdeveloped compared to Beverly Hills. I also thought it was interesting how you identified the type of architecture in the area and how it is important to see this as a prominent aspect of social difference in close metropolitan areas. What most caught my attention about your blog is your statement on how Koreatown is not just concentrated with Asians, but many Latinos as well. Contrary to what I previously thought, I was surprised to see Latino people in the restaurant and Latino businesses next to all of the Korean shops, but race did not seem to be very important, at least with my experience. 

Although Koreatown may seem to follow the Chicago school model, I think the borough relates more to the post-metropolis idea. The postmetropolis in the fourth urban revolution consisted of more segmented centers. For instance, Koreatown and Beverly Hills each have their centers, therefore it makes sense that these neighborhoods are so different. Transportation networks, such as automobiles, buses, and subways help to connect these parts of Greater Los Angeles and makes social difference more evident than a centralized model would.