what is property?
Top Row (Left to Right): Andrew Tucker, Braden Crooks, Cristina Maria Handal Gonzalez, Jonathan Lapalme and Luisa Munera
Andrew Tucker
Is a fifth generation Louisvillian, and a first generation college student. He has spent the last five years doing community organizing with low income groups, and public housing residents around issues pertaining to their ‘right to the city’; as well as other geographically specific issues in Kentucky, including clean energy transition, restoration of voting rights for former felons, and tax reform. His undergraduate research focused on the intersection between critical race theory, global feminism(s), and ethics of care. He lives in Harlem, and spends his free time trying to win the affection of the four little old ladies in front of his apartment so they’ll include him in their very intense game of cards.
Braden Crooks
Received his undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University. While there, he became a passionate urbanist, artist and student activist. After graduation, Braden continued to pursue community and environmental advocacy by founding Groundswell; A Community Environmental Rights Initiative. On November 8th, 2011, Groundswell passed a Community Environmental Bill of Rights banning Fracking by a popular vote in State College, PA –the first successful popular vote on such an initiative in the country. As he continues his studies in New York, Braden plans to expand his work as an organizer, urbanist and thinker; catalyzing creative change in the world around him.
Cristina Maria Handal Gonzalez
My name is Cristina and I am from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I came to NY as a curious teen for college and thought my time here would be limited to four years; however, the architecture studios of Columbia U kept me hostage for seven. After a couple of years in the professional realm I am pushed to go farther. Now I am here, strolling around The New School buildings to learn, to engage, to discuss, to evaluate and re-evaluate, to find solutions, test them, prove them wrong, find better ones, and repeat this process over multiple times. At the end of this four-semester adventure I will go back home in hopes of bringing social justice to the nooks where it is lacking most. I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity.
Jonathan Lapalme
Started his career as the Communications Manager for a large-scale initiative aiming to completely revitalize a neighborhood in downtown Montréal: the Quartier des Spectacles (an opportunity that developed from a university project while he was studying film and communication). Beyond what he had to deliver every day, he has learned by the complex environment he had to navigate, one that has several conflicting pressures and countless partners. He has also worked as an urban / architectural photographer and writer, and, more recently, he completed a certificate in strategic design in Berlin and worked as a consultant / freelance in communication strategy, design management and strategic development for various organizations dealing with urban issues in Montréal. One of his professors used to call him Mr. “Yes, but…” — a nickname which, according to some, is still accurate.
Luisa Munera
Luisa was born in Medellin, Colombia but was raised in Miami Florida. She received her undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY. After graduating, Luisa moved back to Miami and worked at a non-profit arts foundation. While at the foundation, she was able to interact with emerging and mid-career Latin American artists and helped produce multiple exhibitions during Art Basel Miami Beach. She was also able to witness artists create works that were socially involved with their cities. Luisa has always been interested in how people interact with different cities. She hopes to further understand these relationships and build a better understand toward creating a cohesive city for the future.
Discussion
97 thoughts on “LAND, mine”
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URBAN UPRISING!
what is property? 
WEEKLY REPORT
Posted by cristinahandal | December 9, 2012, 10:47 pmDraft of our Tactical Map for La Union
(One side will be English and the other side will be Spanish)
Posted by cristinahandal | December 7, 2012, 7:35 pmWEEKLY REPORT
BOOK-MAKING/STRATEGIZING
EXPLORING FORMATS FOR INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES
FRAMEWORK FOR OUR CONTENT
APPROPRIATION OF SPACE(S)
COUNTER-PROJECTS
ST.JACOBI BASE
PRESENTATION MODEL
Posted by cristinahandal | December 2, 2012, 6:35 pmNEGOTIATING THE LAW PRESENTATION
on November 26th to Leticia Alanis (from La Union), David Harvey, Frank Morales, Bill Moorish, Gabriela Rendon, Angel Bislara, Vicente Rubio, DUE
The nine points that came out of this presentation to launch us forward:
1. Focus on temporality
2. Communicate one clear message: tons of spaces in Sunset Park that seem inaccessible but are accessible
3. Merge all our research
4. Start w St. Jacobi
5. Build a Narrative: identifiable steps and elements
6. More details: law, etc.
7. Vision: short to long
8. Work with other groups
9. Contextualize the space through pictures
Posted by cristinahandal | December 2, 2012, 6:23 pmEditing our ‘types of property’ map:
Posted by Braden Crooks | November 19, 2012, 11:43 amLAND, mine weekly report 11-18-12
This week, LAND, mine has been investigating different avenues in which our PIV diagram can grow further as well as begin to formalize some strategies that can be discussed with La Union. Our red lines that have constantly been establishing connections and parallels between our individual research, have also been creating connections with the other various groups that are part of the studio. Each of our members has been actively engaged with other groups to discuss any possible commonalities in research and possible tactics towards a common strategy. Our team has also come up with a mapping system that can be used when discussing property to the members of La Union. Our mapping tool is visualized as something similar to a compass where we have indicated the directions as temporary property, permanent property, private property, and common property. Some of the members of our team attended the fundraising workshop and were able to engage with members from La Union. We saw how knowledgeable and eager they are about participating with Parsons. They were extremely attentive and knew how to ask all the right questions; it was great to be part of this workshop as another sort of trial run before we begin our dialogue with them in the coming weeks.
Posted by luisamunera | November 18, 2012, 10:21 amMany thanks, Im looking forward to work with you tomorrow
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 19, 2012, 12:03 amPhilosophical investigation of the “tragedy of the commons”
Posted by jolapalme | November 11, 2012, 11:15 pmIt would be great if you could explain this through examples, real or ideal. I believe this could turn into a great tool to critically introduce the idea of common property to anyone, dont you think?
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 12, 2012, 1:15 amA simple tactic to get the discussion started with La Union. More details tomorrow.
Posted by jolapalme | November 11, 2012, 11:09 pmeager to find out…
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 12, 2012, 1:11 amIdentification of our ‘red lines’ and the corresponding research questions that arise (shown in black)
Posted by cristinahandal | November 6, 2012, 8:33 pmAt this moment, more than the end points (highlights) of the red line what matters is that you begin to emphasize the red line itself, what constitutes these connections and what transversalities are you reconstructing between your team and the others. It is time to create a new diagram that allows you to forget the tower diagram. You are almost ready to begin plotting your strategies.
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 12, 2012, 1:10 amReading Diagram – PARIS, Capital of Modernity – David Harvey
Posted by jolapalme | November 4, 2012, 9:36 pmBrilliant. Should pass this on to David.
Posted by aangelini | November 4, 2012, 11:15 pm100% agree
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 12, 2012, 1:10 amThe night is a time to think about schoolwork, it seems. This is part of a project I completed for Groundwork Buffalo in Buffalo Ny. There is possible relevance with the scheme of using temporary spacial structures as communal objects in order to transform the space they occupy (conceptually) into commons. Objects, like these tensile structures, can create space: then can common objects create common spaces? At least first in the minds of their inhabitants?
Posted by Braden Crooks | November 3, 2012, 8:45 pmSo are these mobile structures as illustrated in the upper-right? Were these implemented and with what success? I’d like to hear more about the experiences and less about the conceptual aspect (which is already quite elaborated).
Posted by aangelini | November 4, 2012, 9:20 pmAn extrapolation of our ‘redlines’ as a mode of determining project direction based on key connections/overlap:
Posted by Braden Crooks | October 28, 2012, 11:23 amWondrous how the lines are now reaching out to other teams’ projects. Let’s see what symmetries and asymmetries emerge from those groups’ connections to yours, and discuss how to interrogate and strengthen the points of cohesion.
Posted by aangelini | November 4, 2012, 9:15 pmFor Communities Of…Exhibition: Map of tactics of acquisition for people to take away
Posted by cristinahandal | October 28, 2012, 2:16 amWeekly Report
Posted by cristinahandal | October 28, 2012, 2:11 amIt is very clear how your research questions are now guiding your fieldwork and empirical findings. Very commendable. You are also showing increasing conscientiousness about the technology and form you want these findings to take, so that there is greater possibility for collaboration and communication. Nicely done, keep going.
Posted by aangelini | November 4, 2012, 9:09 pmMapping the Void – Sunset Park – On the hunt for potential sites…
(mostly the spaces in-between buildings, dividing site mapping with two other teams who are identifying the “official” abandoned lots)
Posted by cristinahandal | October 27, 2012, 11:11 pmConversation with Santiago Cirugeda from Recetas Urbanas on Thursday October 18, 2012, 1:45pm, Skype
![Interview [1] with Recetas Urbanas](https://i0.wp.com/farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8126860667_8c49d5ac9a_c.jpg)
Posted by cristinahandal | October 27, 2012, 2:06 amI LIKE
Posted by jolapalme | October 27, 2012, 8:35 amCirujeda is a valuable source of tactical inspiration, and this is an enticing map of your conversation.
Posted by aangelini | November 4, 2012, 9:12 pmQUESTION TO ALL
parasite / mobile / temporary / in-between property – In what ways do these spaces problematize the dichotomy between public/private space?
Posted by jolapalme | October 24, 2012, 3:25 pmWeekly Report (including our plan for the fieldwork on Monday) + Parallel Investigations Diagram
Posted by jolapalme | October 21, 2012, 10:26 amWill you be sharing the information from these interviews?
Posted by joelpstein | October 21, 2012, 2:48 pmYes! We just didn’t have time to diagram all the content last week (with the exhibition and all).
Posted by jolapalme | October 21, 2012, 3:53 pmI took me a while to go through these amazing visualized processes, a lot of things to talk about, thanks!
I believe its time to begin focusing on the red lines. If you were to isolate the red lines how would they be visualized?
Also, im very curious of Santiago’s interview, are you sharing it? and Heike’s?
Posted by miguelroblesduran | October 22, 2012, 12:25 amRed lines diagram will be posted this week! It was a crucial step at this point and will thrust us forward. (For interview with Santiago, please see two posts above this one.)
Posted by cristinahandal | October 27, 2012, 9:29 pmReading Diagram | Bookchin, M. – Social Ecology and Communalism (Ch. 1 “What is Social Ecology?”)
Posted by jolapalme | October 20, 2012, 12:24 pmExcellent work, one color and its very understandable, although some legends would help speed the understanding, specially the line types.
Posted by miguelroblesduran | October 22, 2012, 12:28 amA legend! Good idea. Thanks.
Posted by jolapalme | October 28, 2012, 8:41 amWard, C., “Cotters and Squatters: Housing’s Hidden History” Ch. 13 “Plotters and Squatters of the 20th Century”
Posted by Braden Crooks | October 14, 2012, 11:48 pmditto to what I wrote below to Cristina. Nicely laid-out diagram of the different epochs, but it’s probably worth including what you think Ward’s central argument is across these historical periods.
Posted by aangelini | October 15, 2012, 12:26 amReading Diagram — Colin Ward | Cotters and Squatters – Chapters 12-14
Posted by cristinahandal | October 14, 2012, 9:25 pmVery tidy and thorough on Ward’s method of inquiry. Perhaps all that’s missing is the central question, why is Ward giving us this “hidden history of housing”? What is he arguing about cotters and squatters over time?
Posted by aangelini | October 15, 2012, 12:24 amWeekly Report + Parallel Investigations Diagram
(More connections between the topics to be added)
Posted by jolapalme | October 14, 2012, 8:48 amI can see, at this stage, how you all perceived the danger of getting lost in the tangled forest of process and losing perspective on the possibility of producing a simplified proposal/strategy. And yet, look at how this thing continues to grow. What I would like to do in studio is hear each of you narrate your way up your respective towers and start to speak across them. Looking at this is marvelous, but at least I, being a dinosaur of the narrative form, would like to hear how this builds up and laterally.
Posted by aangelini | October 15, 2012, 12:20 amLocal tactics for land acquisition
The workshop that Paula from 596 acres gave us made us realize that we could apply the 596 acres processes and tactics to acquire land not only for community gardens, but also for other uses. For instance: temporary / mobile property. There’s even an empty lot in Sunset Park on Hamilton Parkway waiting to be legally occupied.
Posted by jolapalme | October 13, 2012, 2:28 pmgood detective work. For more on temporary/mobile property, see what one of the other groups is doing with the pod-truck idea…
Posted by aangelini | October 15, 2012, 12:12 amReading diagram – Lazar, S. El Alto, Rebel City: Self and Citizenship in Andean Bolivia, Ch. 1 “El Alto the City” and Ch. 2 “Constructing the Zone”
(in collaboration with Green/Space group)
Macrorelations and Processes of El Alto and La Paz
Hierarchy and Relational Processes of Civic Organizations in La Paz and Bolivia
Posted by joelpstein | October 7, 2012, 8:50 pmVery tidy – should be helpful to explain this ethnography to the class. There are some methodological points it is probably worth bringing up as well because they might be useful to some of your fieldwork.
Posted by aangelini | October 7, 2012, 11:29 pmI totally agree, thanks for the scheme!
Posted by miguelroblesduran | October 7, 2012, 11:39 pmReading Diagram – Lazar, S. El Alto, Rebel City: Self and Citizenship in Andean Bolivia
(This is part three of a three part diagram of the reading. We collaborated with Green/space to make this happen.The first two pieces will appear on their wall.)
Posted by Braden Crooks | October 7, 2012, 12:32 amMy compliments! Even the western typography…
also confused, is Ekaterina in the team?
Posted by miguelroblesduran | October 7, 2012, 11:29 pmre: the diagram posted by Braden, very cool with this almost political poster aesthetic. Maybe it would go in a second edition of Lazar’s book… (half-joking)
Posted by aangelini | October 7, 2012, 11:33 pmMiguel: Since both teams had the same text to work on, we decided to do the diagram together this week. It was an experiment… 😉
Posted by jolapalme | October 7, 2012, 11:36 pmWeekly Report + Parallel Investigations Diagram (Second Generation)
Posted by jolapalme | October 6, 2012, 2:31 pmInteresting departure, perhaps necessary, its good that you are testing. A couple of comments:
1. The way it is represented now seems very centralized and it misses the relational connections between the topics, which are very important to bring into the discussion. In short, the red lines! You have to bring them back. I really liked last week’s representation of your Parallel Investigations.
2. “Creative Destruction” = Capitalism. Its a common synonym.
Posted by miguelroblesduran | October 7, 2012, 11:38 pmMiguel, 2. We were playing with the term on purpose. A ‘reclaiming’ of the words, if you will.
1. The connections are still there. Our ‘topics’ have changed such that items have merged through those connections. You’re seeing three new topics, all created from the merger of what the red lines connected to. But we can talk more about it tomorrow.
Posted by tucka961 | October 7, 2012, 11:55 pmSunset Park – Mapping the void (more photos to come)
Posted by jolapalme | September 30, 2012, 5:31 pmParallel Investigations Diagram
Posted by jolapalme | September 30, 2012, 12:48 pmwow is an understatement…
Very impressive team work, the diagrams are clear for me and begin to pose many questions which is what a process diagram should do. Im looking forward to discuss with you, about the next steps. This is the level of cohesion and consistency that I was hoping you had by this week and its amazing to see it evolve. Thanks for your dedication.
Posted by miguelroblesduran | September 30, 2012, 4:53 pmThank you for suggesting this Miguel. After having done this, we see it as one of the most crucial steps in the process. We wish it came a little earlier since, like you said, we are now finding the cross-relationships and questions that will take the research further. We look forward to discussing with you.
Posted by cristinahandal | September 30, 2012, 6:21 pmTo add to Miguel’s comment, it’s impressive to see the content of your findings beginning to drive your organizational structure and give it dynamism.
Drew, one of the co-founders from Take Back the Land, Robert Robinson, attended the event I organized last Friday. If you haven’t gotten in touch with them yet, I can give a heads-up.
Posted by aangelini | October 1, 2012, 1:50 amAlessandro, yes please! I’d love to meet Robert. What should I do?
Posted by tucka961 | October 1, 2012, 7:52 pmReading Diagram | John G. Sprankling – Understanding Property Law, What is “property”?
Posted by jolapalme | September 29, 2012, 6:23 pmCute. I started ‘reading’ it as if it were a comic strip, but perhaps these are rather different ‘moments’ in property law as you identified them in the text?
Posted by aangelini | October 1, 2012, 1:55 amInternational Land Acquisition Process Map
Posted by jolapalme | September 28, 2012, 2:56 pmAre you going to build on this? It seems like there is much more complexity to diagram here, starting with intersections between state, market and popular forms of acquisition.
Posted by aangelini | October 1, 2012, 1:56 amLAND, mine. I have been meaning to send you this since your team meeting last week. It is a small side note regarding mobile spaces that arose in conversation. This idea is most likely nothing new to you (and not necessarily applicable to your plans, just think about it conceptually), but take a look at the following http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/. It is a side note because the guy behind small, mobile spaces was once my drawing instructor and the interesting thing behind his work is the concept. We always presented our work for critique, but at the end of the semester, he presented his work, which was the tiny house (space, composition). Due to zoning issues, and mobility, the house had to fight against legal city issues regarding property. Since the mobile, tiny space received (or risked receiving – depends on the city) an “illegal” status, the space became a form of non-permission art – a formal word for graffiti. So Space + Legality + Art. Thought you might enjoy.
Posted by Sara Bissen | September 26, 2012, 2:34 pmThank you so much Sara!
Posted by jolapalme | September 26, 2012, 5:14 pmOh, this is really interesting! Thanks Sara.
Posted by tucka961 | September 30, 2012, 5:53 pmParallel Investigations Diagram (sketch) – Emerging Common Questions / Directions
Posted by jolapalme | September 23, 2012, 5:35 pmToo tiny to see the details, but from afar it looks like the synapses are firing! Onward and upward…
Posted by aangelini | September 23, 2012, 11:45 pmDid you try to open the largest version of the image on Flickr? It’s large enough to read (for most of it). We want to scan it anyway though, we just don’t know if the school has a scanner large enough!
Posted by jolapalme | September 24, 2012, 6:49 amWORK IN PROGRESS – 09-23-12
Posted by jolapalme | September 23, 2012, 5:12 pmSunset Park Race and Density Map
This map represents the density of racial diversity in Sunset Park. Our hope is that this map will inform us of possible spaces of intersection between the differing populations present. Locating these intersecions (albeit in a non-physical sense) was a major interest indicated by La Union.
Posted by Braden Crooks | September 23, 2012, 3:37 pmThis is census data based on residence? Just curious because if race is mapped by commercial or leisure activity, I wonder what the map looks like.
Posted by aangelini | September 23, 2012, 11:44 pmYes, it is based on residence. I’d imagine that if you could track retail density you might find even more demographic grouping (along 5th and 8th)… but maybe not?
Posted by Braden Crooks | September 24, 2012, 8:58 amFIRST VISIT TO SUNSET PARK: Tacos Matamoros
After La Union’s assembly, we decided to try one of the finest Mexican restaurants in Sunset Park (a recommendation from Miguel). In order to have more information about the patterns of living of the people who go to this place, we used, just for fun, the platform Livehood, which maps all the data from Foursquare and other geo-based social media platforms.
As they explain on their website: “Livehoods offer a new way to conceptualize the dynamics, structure, and character of a city by analyzing the social media its residents generate. By looking at people’s checkin patterns at places across the city, we create a mapping of the different dynamic areas that comprise it. Each Livehood tells a different story of the people and places that shape it.”
It’s important to note that this data has obvious biases: very few people use Foursquare regularly, they are mostly young and tech-savvy and their decision to checkin in one place is often motivated by commercial game mechanics. However, it still gave us some interesting information, such has the most visited places in this Livehood and the connected areas.
Posted by jolapalme | September 23, 2012, 3:37 pmVery interesting how places are aggregated, especially the temporal element. Even though this is a self-selecting group of people, as you noted, seeing the “Pulse” figures gives a sense of the rhythms of a certain class of people in SP. Kind of depressing #3, 4 and 5 on the “Top 5 unique things”…
Posted by aangelini | September 23, 2012, 11:42 pm#3 is especially depressing. Maybe the medical center also uses some commercial game mechanics to attract more “clients”… (let’s hope not)
Posted by jolapalme | September 24, 2012, 7:04 amReading Diagram — NYC Chapter of The Right To The City Alliance (2010) | People without Homes and Homes without People
Posted by cristinahandal | September 23, 2012, 10:05 amNice condensation of key figures and points. We should probably talk about strategies (pp. 50-53) in class, yes?
Posted by aangelini | September 23, 2012, 11:38 pmYes! Actually, we were thinking about doing an experimental eutopia for this text (since it’s quite straightforward). What if, in one month, this ambitious project becomes reality? All of it. What are the implications and consequences? (or why would it probably never happen… hehe)
Posted by jolapalme | September 24, 2012, 7:01 amWEEKLY REPORT 09-23-2012
Posted by cristinahandal | September 23, 2012, 9:56 amLooks good. This “parasite property” — what is it? Anthropologists have recently been playing around with the notion of para-sites:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo3628789.html
And re: interviews, here’s a good short book on methods to check out:
http://books.google.com/books/about/Learning_How_to_Ask.html?id=HDbsF4_aeiEC
Posted by aangelini | September 23, 2012, 11:36 pmActually, we decided to call it “parasite property” (but a good parasite). A property that is not exactly suppose to be there (but can end up being good for us): laneway housing, mobile property (switching site to site, private or public), property as an event and as an art form in unexpected places (with a special status), etc.
Thanks for the links!
Posted by jolapalme | September 24, 2012, 6:56 amAnd have you ever heard about paraSITE? Just found out about this: http://michaelrakowitz.com/projects/parasite/
Posted by jolapalme | September 26, 2012, 5:14 pmReading Diagram — Roberto Mangabeira-Unger | Politics: The Central Texts – Chapter 12
Posted by cristinahandal | September 20, 2012, 12:57 amI love the whimsy you’ve inserted into a rather dry text!
Posted by aangelini | September 20, 2012, 2:35 amReading Diagram — Roberto Mangabeira-Unger | Politics: The Central Texts, Chapter 13 – Part 2
Posted by jolapalme | September 19, 2012, 12:51 pmReading Diagram — Roberto Mangabeira-Unger | Politics: The Central Texts, Chapter 13 – Part 1
Posted by jolapalme | September 19, 2012, 12:48 pmWEEKLY REPORT 9-16-2012
LA UNION’S GENERAL ASSEMBLY
– We are very happy our team had the opportunity to get to know La Union better. It increased our empathy for the organization and our knowledge of their issues.
– However, we are afraid that our overwhelming presence (more than 50% of the assembly was made of students from the program) might have affected the productivity of their assembly by suppressing some of their interactions.
– The next steps with La Union would need to be more carefully planned; first, do no harm.
COMMON PROPERTY (examples from abroad)
– Finding unusual examples of common property from abroad via search engines hasn’t been as easy as expected. Either they are not called “common property”, or they are mainly discussed in another language.
– So I changed my strategy and decided to ask 15 friends of mine working in urban related fields if they ever heard of alternative examples. This approach was a lot more productive.
– Adding to the three models found last week (Megahouse, Dare Dare and PPP), I explored laneway housing, overlapping land tenure, the Cri Nation of Oujé-Bougoumou, as well as Land Share. More to come.
ORGANIZATIONS:
-Look up different types of questions to ask both organizations. Create some sort of template to then share with the group.
– Create a list of events sponsored by the two organizations. We can start to attend the events and see what their organization is all about at a more direct level.
– Create a diagram with more specific relationships between the organizations and what La Union wants to achieve.
ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF ACQUISITION
– Three interviews set for the week of Sept 25-30: First, is with Jobs With Justice (Louisville chapter) around Union organizing; Second, is with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth around building leadership with grassroots organizations; Third is with Network Center for Community Change around grassroots org. fundamentals. La Union seems to need a significant level of grassroots support. Hopefully this will supplement spatial investigation.
– Research: History of land acquisition, and successful methods internationally/locally. Specific focus on Allodial Title, Fee Simple, and Life Estate.
– Initial research on actual tactical implementation of alternative acquisition: mostly international examples (specifically in Latin America, and Africa).
SQUATTING
– Research done on personal accounts of squatting, in NY, USA and abroad
– Crucial research to be done: squatters rights in NYC vs City Rights, legal vs illegal squatting (get legal advice on this topic)
– What precisely do we want to know about squatting, particularly in regards to La Union?
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED PRODUCTION
-A German organization focusing on community supported production, social justice issues and immigrant populations has a massive amount resources that could be helpful for La Union. We will meet with them this Friday.
-Food bank NYC: starting a food bank, working to improve food access.
-The NYC Community Garden Coalition has knowledge about procuring and defending land for community gardens, and a long history fighting the city.
– I will continue to focus on gardening as the most practical option for La Union, and securing land for production. I will begin exploring other types of production, and the possibility of a larger co-op that could provide equitable employment.
Posted by cristinahandal | September 19, 2012, 8:12 amFor our interviews
Posted by cristinahandal | September 19, 2012, 6:00 amWEEKLY REPORT 9-10-12
1.COMMUNITY SUPPORTED PRODUCTION
Initial Exploration: Community Supported Agriculture
Community involvement replaces/supplements capital investment.
Traditional Farming
Loan – Buy seeds, machines – produce food – sell food – pay back loan – profit?
-Capitalist -Interest/Debt
Community Supported Agriculture
Community buys shares – Buy seeds, machines – produce food – distribute food share – Sustaining money
-Community – Food/social capital
2.SQUATTING
Squatting: occupying an abandoned/unoccupied area of land and/or building that the squatter does not own, rent or have lawful permission to use.
Research Methods:
Local: meet with NYC squatters (ex: Inner City Group)
Global: learn from international examples (ex: Christiana Squatters in Copenhagen, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra (Landless Workers’ Movement) in Brazil
Supplemental Reading: texts (investigative ex: Shadow Cities, proposals ex: The Urbanism Manual for Precarious Settlements)
Ethnographic: squatting in Sunset Park
3.COMMON PROPERTY
We found three examples considered extremes (to each other) in order to create a foundation of the array of possibilities:
Megahouse (thought experiment / lifestyle proposal for inhabiting the entire city as if it was one enormous “house”)
Public Private Partnership (or P3) (funded and operated through a partnership of government and private sector companies)
Dare, Dare (mobile property, where the space changes site regularly, in partnership with public and private partners)
4.ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF ACQUISITION
Scholarly/General research turned up very little documented research on ‘alternative’ means (Non-neoliberal) in practice.
Decided to focus on research with activist groups doing actual ground work, and utilizing new methods that are either non-neoliberally influenced or that work parallel to that system.
New tactics to explore: Community organizing around participatory budgeting initiatives; Bartering; Community owned/invested property.
5.ORGANIZATIONS
Common Ground
Common Ground’s success in ending homelessness is built on a housing model that targets individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Serves:
-Chronically Homeless
-Low-income working adults
-Youth aging out of foster care
-Veterans
-Seniors
-HIV/AIDS
-Mentally Ill
Programs:
-Street to Home
-Hospital to Home
-Veterans’ Initiative
-The Foyer Program
-Elder Care Health Outreach (ECHO)
Chashama
chashama’s mission is to support creativity in NYC by repurposing vacant properties; recycling them as artist spaces, granting them at free or highly-subsidized rates, and invigorating the community
Programs:
-Studio Program
-Rehearsal Space
-Windows
-Gallery
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 8:25 pmReading Diagram — David Harvey | Limits to Capital – Chapter 8
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:46 amForensics Operative Diagram
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:44 amParallel Investigations | Potential Relationships
Work in progress
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:42 amOperative Diagram | 2nd sketch
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:41 amOperative Diagram | 1st sketch
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:40 amForensic Operations | Selections
Posted by cristinahandal | September 16, 2012, 11:39 am