what is property?
Top Row (Left to Right): Desiree LaVecchia, Kaitlin Killpack, Travers Martin and Themistoklis Pellas
Desiree LaVecchia
Desiree is an interloper in the Urban Ecologies MS program. She is currently an MA candidate at the Graduate Program of International Affairs where she specializes in Cities & Urbanization. She hopes to complete her degree this December. Her undergraduate background is in both International Relations and Anthropology.
Her recent academic focus centers on strategic urban divisions, as facilitated by neoliberal models of investment & development. Through this lens, she is researching the post-war reconstruction process of Lebanon. Her Master’s thesis analyzes the privatized redevelopment of downtown Beirut and the civic/state centered model of al-Dahiya.
Outside of her thesis work, she can often be found exploring abandoned buildings and vacant spaces in various cities including New York, Beirut, Tampa, Detroit, Newark, etc. She is in the brainstorming phase of how she will align this interest in the space of catastrophe [post-war & post-industrial] with an emerging interest in the alternative urban systems [economic, social, pedagogical] that operate outside of the dominant capitalist system.
Kaitlin Killpack
I was born and raised in Richmond, VA and received my BFA in Graphic Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, where I was involved in various projects concerning the urban environment and sustainability. Projects included a cultural exchange project with the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, PSA’s for children about city gardens, and the development of a device called InSpaces that enables people to interact with virtual media in real space and time within Richmond’s historical sites. I currently work for a fashion design company where the environment, human rights, community partnerships and good design are our top priorities. I have always sought further learning in a program that combines art and design, social anthropology, activism and environmental studies, and Design and Urban Ecologies seems to have articulated just that. I am so excited for this opportunity, and am ready to lend a hand in generating good ideas to promote positive change in our cities and communities.
Themistoklis Pellas
Is a spatial planner from Heraklion, Crete. The rough landscape of this island is the matrix of his inspiration, while the way its resources are exploited one of the main drives of his professional urgency. Far from than a profession though, the engagement with spatial planning is a passion for places and the way they manifest themselves in the everyday human affairs. In that manner he travelled a lot around Europe before crossing the Atlantic to join the Parsons Urban School. Along that time he worked in Amsterdam for CITIES the magazine and participated in the application process of a project between Canada-Mexico-Brazil-The Netherlands-Greece funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. This project, to be initiated in 2013, looks at how garden ecology can support the self-organization and self-sufficiency of communities. He is currently residing in Caribbean Brooklyn.
Travers Martin
I was born in Essex County New Jersey where neighbors would brag of being only 13 miles from New York City. Although I have grown up as a “bridge and tunnel kid”, New York City and the greater aesthetic of post-industrial East Coast American cities have greatly influenced my interest in design. My fascination for art and sculpture has always made me question how the simple ergonomics of a door handle to the elaborate gridded plan of a city can influence people’s actions. A love for the built forms of architecture and the temporal processes of ecology have lead me to an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in Environmental Planning and Design with a focus on Landscape Architecture. Experience working with a Seattle based landscape architecture firm turned me on to the economic, social, and political restrictions that create the framework for design in “the real world”. In an attempt to reconnect with the ideals which excited me in the early stages of my education, I traveled the country and was able to participate in many volunteer opportunities on a very local scale. My newly invigorated desire for urban design has led me to pursue a MS in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons University, allowing me to better understand the processes which contribute to the physical forms and social practices of public urban spaces.
Discussion
115 thoughts on “ENTOPIA”
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URBAN UPRISING!
what is property? 
[OUTLINE & ICONS FOR POP UP VIDEO]
Posted by katiekillpack | December 8, 2012, 7:48 pm[PROOF]
Posted by Desiree | December 8, 2012, 5:44 pm
Posted by Themistoklis | December 8, 2012, 5:17 am
Posted by katiekillpack | December 8, 2012, 12:57 am
Posted by katiekillpack | December 8, 2012, 12:49 am
Posted by katiekillpack | December 8, 2012, 12:47 amFINAL PRESENTATION PLAN [2nd draft]
Posted by Desiree | December 5, 2012, 12:43 am
Posted by Themistoklis | December 3, 2012, 1:26 pm
Posted by Themistoklis | December 3, 2012, 1:16 pm[NYC BUILDING CODES]
In the event that La Unión wants to build a small structure or shed in a lot that they aquire, there are a number of general requirements that need to be followed. A “usable space” includes but is not limited to: Assembly spaces, Educational spaces, Institutional spaces and is outlined in the NYC Building Code. See page 128 of Building Limitations:
Click to access bc27s4.pdf
[URBAN LEARNING CENTER]
http://www.ecochunk.com/807/2012/07/09/nomadic-learning-center-an-eco-friendly-learning-space-for-urban-nomads/
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 1:05 am[NON-PROFIT ANNUAL ON-STREET PARKING PERMIT]
This permit is intended to facilitate not-for-profit organizations in their daily performance of duties on New York City Streets, as specified in Section 4-08(o) of the NYC Traffic Rules. These duties include but are not limited to the following: the transportation of the handicapped, the delivery of goods and services to the homeless, and the transportation of food to the homebound or elderly.
With the exception of Department for the Aging (DFTA) funded organizations and Volunteer Ambulance Service (VAS) organizations, an AOSPP will be issued ONLY to vehicles registered to the organization. The AOSPP will allow vehicles to have LIMITED standing/parking privileges at curbsides marked “No Standing Except Trucks Loading and Unloading”, “No Parking Anytime”, or specific hours, and at meters.
[APPLY ONLINE FOR A PERMIT]
http://epermits.nyc.gov/ePermits/Wf/Welcome.jsp
[NYC DOT: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS]
Traffic Enforcement, Parking Tickets, Parking Meters and Towed Vehicle information
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/faqs/faqs_traffic.shtml
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 12:50 am[MUNICIPAL PARKING NEAR SUNSET PARK]
[Flatbush-Caton Municipal Parking Field]
Flatbush and Caton Avenues
52 spaces, including two spaces for people with disabilities
Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 10 pm
Permits
$150.00 per quarter (36 spaces, one for people with disabilities)
For quarterly permits, call 718-786-6621
[Gowanus Municipal Parking Field]
(Temporarily closed due to construction)
Third Avenue between 30th and 41st Streets
Permits
$75.00 per quarter (160 spaces)
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/parkinglist.shtml
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 12:38 am[THE BIOBUS, NEW YORK CITY]
After purchasing a 1974 San Francisco transit bus, Dr. Ben created the BioBus, a high-tech laboratory on wheels, boasting an array of advanced scientific equipment. The BioBus reaches over 10,000 students a year, visiting public schools across New York City and the country. The BioBus focuses its efforts on schools lack resources for hands-on science education.
The BioBus is committed to environmental sustainability. The BioBus is carbon neutral; its daily energy needs are provided by solar panels, a wind turbine, and an engine that runs on waste vegetable oil. A living green roof keeps the bus cool in the summer time while a super-efficient pellet burning stove that uses waste sawdust to heat the bus when we’re parked. In addition, we use low-environmental impact and salvaged materials in our projects whenever feasible in an effort to reduce waste.
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 12:31 am[LEAF HOUSE]
[FOR MORE ON HOW TO BUILD]
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2012/05/tiny-house-leaf-house-version-two-canada.html
[GREEN PREFAB SHEDS]
http://dornob.com/green-prefab-shed-homes-small-space-living-by-design/?ref=search
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 12:22 am[MICRO HOUSE ON WHEELS]
[FOR MORE INFO]
http://inhabitat.com/new-submission-136/
[SOLAR POWERED MOBILE HOME]
[HOW TO CREATE THIS STRUCTURE]
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2009/06/vodafone-extreme-mobile-home-living.html
Posted by katiekillpack | November 19, 2012, 12:12 am[UNDER THE GOWANUS AT 3RD AVE IN SUNSET PARK, 1940]
[FOR MORE PHOTOS AND STORIES]
http://forgotten-ny.com/2010/09/third-avenue-sunset-park-brooklyn-part-2/
[FOR MORE GOWANUS INFO]
http://www.nycroads.com/roads/gowanus/
Posted by katiekillpack | November 18, 2012, 11:54 pm[HARVEY: REBEL CITIES CHAPTER 3]
Posted by katiekillpack | November 18, 2012, 11:34 pmExcellent diagram. You really pick out the key ideas of the *argument* which often gets missed or flattened out in these types of visualizations.
Posted by aangelini | November 19, 2012, 1:09 amIn an effort to ease the shrinking tax revenue for the state, while increasing the access of local land within an urbanized neighborhood, New York based design firm Interboro, created a clever method of promoting citizen empowerment of forgotten landscapes. They began by creating visually striking maps that define the vacant properties within the diminishing neighborhoods of America’s post industrial cities, mainly Detroit and Philadelphia. Additionally, a concept of the “blot-land” would be created, dubbing a home owner’s ability to reclaim adjacent vacant properties for their own use. They give examples demonstrating how these “blots” could be utilized as driveways, gathering areas, recreational spaces and sites to house temporary structures. Former mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, proposed a plan that would allow a home owner to purchase an adjacent property for only $200, closing off the property to speculative developers (properties were previously publically auctioned). This model may provide La Union with a similar method of attaining “property”, mainly in the form of “use” of available spaces. Currently, New York allows organizations to lease and curate abounded lots within the city for community gardens but these spaces have the potential to be utilized for other intentions. Interboro’s proposal of “blot” reclamation has inspired the idea that while La Union may not have direct ownership of property, mobile temporary structures (that they could own) would allow them to utilize leased properties more effectively.
Click to access deploy_the_devoider_2.pdf
http://shrinkingcities.wordpress.com/tag/blot/
Posted by travers | November 18, 2012, 5:21 pmUrban Yurt?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88224882@N04/8198787238/in/photostream
Posted by travers | November 18, 2012, 10:02 pmI was just with them in Harvard… lets try to critically translate this idea to sunset park, how would that go? looking forward to talk about this tomorrow.
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 19, 2012, 12:11 amPromising find. If Interboro is based in NYC, why haven’t they been able to act here instead of other cities? Or have they? It might be beneficial to find out from them the obstacles they have encountered in NYC.
Posted by aangelini | November 19, 2012, 1:05 amHere is a recording of the Radical Uprising Film Series panel discussion about gentrification struggles and current struggles in the city around Sandy relief efforts. The discussions followed a screening of ‘the People’s Firehouse’ and ‘My Brooklyn.’ The panel included:
Rachel Laforest- Right to the City Alliance
Valery Jean- Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE)
Lynn Lewis- Picture the Homeless
Kazembe Balagun- Brecht Forum
http://www.mediafire.com/?j3e87lubh734xx3
Posted by Desiree | November 17, 2012, 7:17 pmMany thanks!
Posted by miguelroblesduran | November 19, 2012, 12:13 am