A Cultural Journalist’s View of City Life
Deborah Hare
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Give FeedbackNeighborhoods
My unit will start with an exploration of neighborhoods. Students will be asked to research their neighborhood’s history and development. (Westville, Newhallville, Fairhaven, The Hill, etc.) This assignment will be a written one, but presented orally so that the class will come together as a group, with knowledge of where we are from and how we are connected. Information on specific neighborhoods can be found at The Connecticut Historical Society. As part of this process students will be asked to work in groups drawing maps of their neighborhoods that include prominent features such as heavily travelled streets and parks. There is already developed a very good curriculum unit by a teacher on Fairhaven (my neighborhood) which we will also use. My hope is that the theme of neighborhoods will be a pleasant jumping off point to discuss our relationship to the city before we head into less pleasant things like drugs and poverty. Classroom discussions could center on the concept or definition of a neighborhood and exactly what constitutes a neighborhood including its history and geographical factors.
I recommend two articles for this section. Both are from Jane Jacobs’ book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” Jacobs was a city planner who dared to challenge traditional theories in her field. Instead of simply accepting what she read, she went out into communities, talked to people and saw what really did and didn’t work through observation. Her writing is insightful, perceptive and, I think, very important reading for those who truly want change. She is also an excellent writer, and therefore a good role model for students. I plan to use the introduction to her book and the chapter entitled “A Good Neighborhood.” She examines what kinds of city streets are safe and what kinds aren’t, and why some city parks are “marvelous” and others aren’t. She also looks at why some slums stay slums and others regenerate themselves.
An excellent assignment based on this reading would be to have students write a description of their street or neighborhood or the area they hang out in.