As I mentioned in my last post, I've been bike commuting to my job in Camden for the past two months. In that time, cycling has metamorphosed from something I did out of obligation to cut carbon emissions to something I truly enjoy. But there are many more reasons to bike in South Jersey than simply forging a new hobby. I've listed a few below, but the list is not inclusive by any means. Feel free to add your own in the comments below!
1) Unadulterated Happiness Chemicals
Biking has accomplished something a car never did: it has made me
enjoy my trip to work. It has even made me enjoy my work more, in general. Like most people, I have trouble building exercise into my normal routine, and bike commuting has been an ideal solution. Exercise can help to reduce cortisol levels (that chemical that causes stress in your body) and can release endorphins, contributing to happiness overall. Those are some good drugs, but part of my happiness comes just from getting out of the climate controlled shell of the car and hearing the birds chirp.
2) Realize the Little Things
In Jan Gehl's Cities for People, Gehl frequently employs the idea of the city at eye-level. Human observation is most acute with regard to the things ahead of you, at about eye level, as you walk 2.5 - 3 mph. As mph increases, the accuracy of observations decreases. Gehl finds that the upper range of pedestrian-level awareness of surroundings is about 12 mph (bike commuters average 10 - 12 mph). After that, the town begins to look sort of like a giant blur. In the more observant state, you begin to notice things about the built environment you never would have before. You certainly notice how neglected the roads are, as every pothole threatens to destroy your rims. The enormous leap in quality of life between depressed and wealthy areas is starkly apparent, especially when the difference is punctuated by the bumps you feel as you cross a set of railroad tracks. At 12 or so mph, you're going fast enough to outrun anyone who might cause you trouble, but not so fast that someone can't offer you drugs or other questionable services as you ride by. It's hard to ignore the distress of others when there isn't a big hunk of metal between you and them. I believe if more people were to bike, if people had to confront our cities difficulties first hand, at a human pace, things would begin to change. Quickly.
3) Discover Your Home
Because riding on something the likes of Route 70 or Route 130 is simply terrifying, cyclists often ride on county roads and older state routes that have seen declining usage since 50+ mph roads became the premiere way to travel. I've biked from Camden to Atlantic City on the Black Horse Pike, where you can see history occurring in different segments on a road designed in the late 1700's. County Road 551 (better known as Broadway in Camden, Gloucester City, and further south), is a time travel device, through which one can see Camden before and after disinvestment (the similarity between Gloucester City today and pictures of Camden fifty years ago is eerie).
Riding on these roads every day makes you curious about their history. Who is Delsea Drive named after? Turns out it's not who, but what route. While it was under construction, a Woodbury Times reporter nicknamed Route 47 "Delsea," because it began at the DELaware River and ended at the SEA shore. What about the White Horse Pike (Route 30)? I try to ride an entire route whenever I can, from beginning to end, to see where it goes. But I can't seem to find the end of Route 30. I know it goes across the Ben Franklin Bridge, but what then? Turns out I could ride straight from Atlantic City to see all of my friends in Portland, Oregon because US Route 30 extends all the way from the Jersey Shore to Astoria, Oregon. Cycling invites you into the strange world of random coincidences and bizarre local history – and what a wonderful world it is!
4) Gain Perspective on Time
Riding on the local roads also puts you alongside cars that have to move slower. You often find them rushing ahead of you only to catch up at the next red light... and the next... and the next. In the end, they make it home 5, at max 10, minutes earlier than you do. In exchange for those 5 minutes, drivers experience additional stress and aggression. I know this, because I get the same way when I drive 40 mph only to see the lowly biker catch up to me again and again. Does 5 minutes really justify carbon emissions, raised stress levels, a missed opportunity to exercise, and an inability to fully perceive the world? I don't feel it does.
5) Accepting Your Mortality
Okay, this is actually a terrible part about cycling in South Jersey. People frequently zoom by at at least 40 mph, passing within only a few inches of my unprotected frame. Never, for the love of Jane Jacobs, ride on Haddonfield-Berlin road. One of the most terrifying experiences of my life.
On the upside, I now empathize with every other cyclist and pedestrian who has been given a raw deal in our region and in our country. I actively demand bike lanes while before I offered only passive support. Our economy is supposedly built upon freedom of choice and opportunity, and yet the choice to walk or ride a bike is scarcely a choice at all here. When you experience first hand how dangerous riding is in South Jersey, you'll become a fierce advocate too.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Planning Idea: The Tao of Planning in Camden, NJ
I am excited to say that I work in Camden, NJ. I bike commute down
either Haddon Ave. or Federal St. every day and despite the tremendous
circumstances the people there have to deal with, all the unoccupied
buildings and crumbling infrastructure, the main streets still feel more
lively and inviting to me than the surrounding suburbs ever have.
Camden is the main reason I returned to New Jersey to study urban
planning at Rutgers. Camden has all it needs to become a safe,
supportive community.
So as I bike, I often find myself day dreaming about simple solutions that might benefit the city, Atlantic City, or some other wonderful South Jersey community. So this begins what will be a series of the random, imperfect planning ideas I hope to test and develop through my education.
The Tao of Planning
This first idea is more a way of viewing urban issues generally than it is a specific fix for any one in particular. In college I had a concentration in Philosophy and Religion, which exposed me to Taoism and its principal text, the Tao Te Ching. The main tenants of Taoism include the Tao and Wu Wei.
Tao is the universe, the beginning of the universe, and the flow of the universe all at once.
Wu Wei translates literally to "without intentional action." It is about going with the flow of the universe, which allows free agents to commit "action without action." This is not to say that you stand around and do nothing. Only that you do not fight against the Tao.
So how can we apply these abstract ideas to planning? Chapter 78 of the Tao Te Ching describes it perfectly:
Compare this to Brazil's Law 706/07, which legalized street art (including graffiti) across the country beginning in 2009, so long as the artist received consent from the property owner. Simple as that. Now, I don't want to repeat the extensive work that's already been done on the subject, but take a moment to look into the explosive grafite movement that began in Brazil.
In case you haven't seen it in a while, Camden still has plenty of graffiti. Plenty, despite all the oversight and hotlines. And because graffiti has been so heavily targeted, no street artist dares to risk taking the time to paint detailed, intricate work. Instead, we get an abundance of hastily made tags that make battered neighborhoods look worse. Because of the region we live in, there should be beautiful street art all over. The Greater Philadelphia area has some of the best street art in the world. Period. Here's a simple anecdote to prove it: a friend of mine took an opportunity through the Rowan University Geography Department a couple of years ago to travel to Brazil for the summer. While there they had the opportunity to meet a world-famous street artist from Rio at his studio. The coffee table books at his studio were about Philadelphia street art. When my friend said she was from Philly, the artist began bombarding her with questions about the city's murals.
In a different world, Camden could be the world's largest canvas for a brilliant street art movement. The City could hold world invitationals, allowing artists to express themselves on abandoned and city-owned buildings, or even entirely abandoned blocks. There could be graffiti competitions that draw festival-sized crowds. It could even affect property values, as people begin to demand homes adorned with gorgeous murals and mosaics.
This is the Tao of Planning. It is public policy aikido. Flow with and then redirect the problem until it works to your benefit.
So as I bike, I often find myself day dreaming about simple solutions that might benefit the city, Atlantic City, or some other wonderful South Jersey community. So this begins what will be a series of the random, imperfect planning ideas I hope to test and develop through my education.
The Tao of Planning
This first idea is more a way of viewing urban issues generally than it is a specific fix for any one in particular. In college I had a concentration in Philosophy and Religion, which exposed me to Taoism and its principal text, the Tao Te Ching. The main tenants of Taoism include the Tao and Wu Wei.
Tao is the universe, the beginning of the universe, and the flow of the universe all at once.
Wu Wei translates literally to "without intentional action." It is about going with the flow of the universe, which allows free agents to commit "action without action." This is not to say that you stand around and do nothing. Only that you do not fight against the Tao.
So how can we apply these abstract ideas to planning? Chapter 78 of the Tao Te Ching describes it perfectly:
Nothing in the world under the sky is softer and weaker than water.
As for attacking something hard and strong, nothing is better than water.
It is because nothing can change it.
The weak beats the strong.
The soft beats the hard.
Everyone in the world under the sky knows them.
No one does them.
That's why the sage says, "Those who accept the filth of the country are called the master of the state.
"Those who accept the bad omen of the country are called the king of the world under the sky."
Right words sound contradictory.
Essentially, when confronted with a bad omen, accept it. When confronted with filth, accept it. Whatever is ailing your community, or "state," is occurring because a system of causes is flowing along that, in combination, leads to the ailment. Accepting this does not mean doing nothing, however. Instead, act like water. Move with the flow and eventually you can erode mountainous problems. For attacking something hard and strong, nothing is better than water.
Still abstract? Let's look at an example.
I
was recently reading about assemblyman Angel Fuentes, who represents
Camden in the New Jersey state assembly. I was struck by his record on
graffiti removal, which Latinwhoswho.net describes as a "crusade" and "which included the establishment of an anti-graffiti task force, the
implementation of an anti-graffiti curriculum in local schools, and a
related hotline."Essentially, when confronted with a bad omen, accept it. When confronted with filth, accept it. Whatever is ailing your community, or "state," is occurring because a system of causes is flowing along that, in combination, leads to the ailment. Accepting this does not mean doing nothing, however. Instead, act like water. Move with the flow and eventually you can erode mountainous problems. For attacking something hard and strong, nothing is better than water.
Still abstract? Let's look at an example.
Example:
Compare this to Brazil's Law 706/07, which legalized street art (including graffiti) across the country beginning in 2009, so long as the artist received consent from the property owner. Simple as that. Now, I don't want to repeat the extensive work that's already been done on the subject, but take a moment to look into the explosive grafite movement that began in Brazil.
In case you haven't seen it in a while, Camden still has plenty of graffiti. Plenty, despite all the oversight and hotlines. And because graffiti has been so heavily targeted, no street artist dares to risk taking the time to paint detailed, intricate work. Instead, we get an abundance of hastily made tags that make battered neighborhoods look worse. Because of the region we live in, there should be beautiful street art all over. The Greater Philadelphia area has some of the best street art in the world. Period. Here's a simple anecdote to prove it: a friend of mine took an opportunity through the Rowan University Geography Department a couple of years ago to travel to Brazil for the summer. While there they had the opportunity to meet a world-famous street artist from Rio at his studio. The coffee table books at his studio were about Philadelphia street art. When my friend said she was from Philly, the artist began bombarding her with questions about the city's murals.
In a different world, Camden could be the world's largest canvas for a brilliant street art movement. The City could hold world invitationals, allowing artists to express themselves on abandoned and city-owned buildings, or even entirely abandoned blocks. There could be graffiti competitions that draw festival-sized crowds. It could even affect property values, as people begin to demand homes adorned with gorgeous murals and mosaics.
This is the Tao of Planning. It is public policy aikido. Flow with and then redirect the problem until it works to your benefit.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
If You're So Smart, Define "South Jersey"
The blog is called South Jersey planner, so let's begin with a classic philosophical exercise: Define the term.
What do we mean by "South Jersey?" There are a number of ways that people and governments define regions, so we'll review a few here and see if it can help us find a definition.
We'll start with the Metropolitan Statistical Area, or MSA. This type of region is defined by the US Office of Management and Budget and used primarily by the Census Bureau to classify the population clusters around cities. MSAs like the Philadelphia MSA are made up of counties and include core South Jersey counties like Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, and Salem. However, this would leave out decidedly south and in-New Jersey counties like Cumberland (Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton MSA) and Atlantic (Atlantic City-Hammonton MSA), but would include out-of-Jersey counties like Cecil, MD and New Castle, DE. MSAs give us an inkling, but what about border counties like Mercer or Ocean?
Sticking with the idea of regional government, perhaps Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) can give us a better inkling of what constitutes South Jersey. MPOs are mandated under national transportation legislation for urban areas with populations greater than 50,000 and help to coordinate transportation projects that affect multiple states, counties, and municipalities. So surely, the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization is responsible for planning the region we know as South Jersey? Well, only if that's Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, and Atlantic. Camden, Gloucester, Burlington and, what – Mercer? – are part of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). But wait! The DVRPC, which plans for Greater Philly, doesn't include those crazy Maryland and Delaware counties that the Greater Philly MSA did! Hmmm... let's try something else.
Sports teams, maybe? Most Flyers and Eagles fans are aware down to the exit number how far north they can go before they're in hostile territory. There's the intuitive idea that you can map out South Jersey vis a vis North by fandom, but big data took it to the next level. Facebook's Data Science Team took the sports team "likes" from over 35 million users and then coupled it with users' geolocation services to break down fandom to a county level. I'm partial to the argument that the parts of New Jersey who like the Eagles are truly South Jersey. However, I am aware that the northern parts of Mercer County are fairly evenly split between Giants and Eagles and southern Ocean County is solidly green. Still, pretty close.
Along the same lines, but less based upon my sports biases, is the research conducted by the fine people at AT&T Labs. They teamed up with MIT and IBM to analyze anonymized call data between callers and recipients. They looked at calls between counties and then normalized it to find the most general regional trends. Surprise, surprise, New Jersey showed a clear north-south split (also, carefully note the absence of "Central Jersey" in this or the Facebook study. The belief that it doesn't exist is a unifying bond between North and South Jersey).
So after all that, we still have a fuzzy idea of what South Jersey really is. And that's how we'll use it here. Region's like ours kind of exist (at least more than "Central Jersey"), but only to the extent that we reinforce them. There's a good chance that New Castle County, Delaware is more like South Jersey than parts of northern Ocean County. Sorry, that's just the way it is. So based on all of the above, here are the counties I'll do my best to cover:
South Jersey:
Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, Cape May
South Jerseyish:
Ocean, Mercer, Southwest Monmouth
Not really South Jersey, but we might talk about them:
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and eastern Lancaster, Berks, and Lehigh (PA)
New Castle (DE)
Cecil (MD)
Phew! Glad I could clear that up!
What do we mean by "South Jersey?" There are a number of ways that people and governments define regions, so we'll review a few here and see if it can help us find a definition.
We'll start with the Metropolitan Statistical Area, or MSA. This type of region is defined by the US Office of Management and Budget and used primarily by the Census Bureau to classify the population clusters around cities. MSAs like the Philadelphia MSA are made up of counties and include core South Jersey counties like Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, and Salem. However, this would leave out decidedly south and in-New Jersey counties like Cumberland (Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton MSA) and Atlantic (Atlantic City-Hammonton MSA), but would include out-of-Jersey counties like Cecil, MD and New Castle, DE. MSAs give us an inkling, but what about border counties like Mercer or Ocean?
Sticking with the idea of regional government, perhaps Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) can give us a better inkling of what constitutes South Jersey. MPOs are mandated under national transportation legislation for urban areas with populations greater than 50,000 and help to coordinate transportation projects that affect multiple states, counties, and municipalities. So surely, the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization is responsible for planning the region we know as South Jersey? Well, only if that's Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, and Atlantic. Camden, Gloucester, Burlington and, what – Mercer? – are part of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). But wait! The DVRPC, which plans for Greater Philly, doesn't include those crazy Maryland and Delaware counties that the Greater Philly MSA did! Hmmm... let's try something else.
Sports teams, maybe? Most Flyers and Eagles fans are aware down to the exit number how far north they can go before they're in hostile territory. There's the intuitive idea that you can map out South Jersey vis a vis North by fandom, but big data took it to the next level. Facebook's Data Science Team took the sports team "likes" from over 35 million users and then coupled it with users' geolocation services to break down fandom to a county level. I'm partial to the argument that the parts of New Jersey who like the Eagles are truly South Jersey. However, I am aware that the northern parts of Mercer County are fairly evenly split between Giants and Eagles and southern Ocean County is solidly green. Still, pretty close.
Along the same lines, but less based upon my sports biases, is the research conducted by the fine people at AT&T Labs. They teamed up with MIT and IBM to analyze anonymized call data between callers and recipients. They looked at calls between counties and then normalized it to find the most general regional trends. Surprise, surprise, New Jersey showed a clear north-south split (also, carefully note the absence of "Central Jersey" in this or the Facebook study. The belief that it doesn't exist is a unifying bond between North and South Jersey).
So after all that, we still have a fuzzy idea of what South Jersey really is. And that's how we'll use it here. Region's like ours kind of exist (at least more than "Central Jersey"), but only to the extent that we reinforce them. There's a good chance that New Castle County, Delaware is more like South Jersey than parts of northern Ocean County. Sorry, that's just the way it is. So based on all of the above, here are the counties I'll do my best to cover:
South Jersey:
Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, Cape May
South Jerseyish:
Ocean, Mercer, Southwest Monmouth
Not really South Jersey, but we might talk about them:
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and eastern Lancaster, Berks, and Lehigh (PA)
New Castle (DE)
Cecil (MD)
Phew! Glad I could clear that up!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Obligatory Introductory Remarks
Hello All,
Welcome to South Jersey Planning! After returning to my home state a few months ago, I was inspired by a bunch of Greater Philly planning and community development blogs/websites (shout outs to ThisOldCity.com, PlanPhilly.com, FlyingKiteMedia.com, Stephen Danley's Local Knowledge Blog - http://danley.rutgers.edu/news/, and many, many more).
After months of searching, I haven't found a blog that covers South Jersey regionally in a planning context – one that discusses the difficulties facing Bridgeton's school system, attempts to send gas pipelines straight through the Pinelands, community development strategies for Atlantic City, and "says nice things" about Camden – all in one place. SJ Planner represents my attempt at just that.
A few disclaimers regarding what this blog is and is not:
1. This blog IS NOT a daily news feed. I've tried blogging in the past and made it a goal to write every single day. The only result was burnout after a couple of months and an abandoned journal-style blog. If I write when I am impassioned, which is often, I'm sure it will be enough!
2. This blog IS NOT a one man show. I would like to feature other voices from the region and from the networks I form working here. There are wonderful people doing wonderful work here and they deserve an outlet.
3. This blog IS an attempt at learning. I am just beginning my graduate education as a planner and, to be blunt, I feel I know very little. Research indicates that forming long-term knowledge and expertise can be fostered by synthesizing knowledge into a new form. I have chosen to blog my new forms. As I learn more about transit policy and analysis, housing, and economic development, I believe the opinions expressed here will grow more informed and more cogent.
4. And as a corollary, this blog IS a forum for informed debate. I am not infallible and I reserve the right to alter my opinions, and the fervency with which I defend them, as I see fit. I have no trouble admitting when I am wrong and this is an essential part of learning (see #3). In fact, if you spot a hole in an argument, you're obliged to tell me.
5. This IS a forum for expressing new ideas. I have lots of ideas, most of them half-baked and not given enough consideration. Others are fundamentally flawed. At their heart, however, are my genuine hopes and aspirations for our fine South Jersey. I've traveled internationally, and I've visited almost every state in the U.S., and there's nowhere I would rather engage, explore, advocate, and dwell. Okay, I love Perú just as much, but lets focus on one blog for now.
If these points resonate with you, please join me!
Best,
Lew
Welcome to South Jersey Planning! After returning to my home state a few months ago, I was inspired by a bunch of Greater Philly planning and community development blogs/websites (shout outs to ThisOldCity.com, PlanPhilly.com, FlyingKiteMedia.com, Stephen Danley's Local Knowledge Blog - http://danley.rutgers.edu/news/, and many, many more).
After months of searching, I haven't found a blog that covers South Jersey regionally in a planning context – one that discusses the difficulties facing Bridgeton's school system, attempts to send gas pipelines straight through the Pinelands, community development strategies for Atlantic City, and "says nice things" about Camden – all in one place. SJ Planner represents my attempt at just that.
A few disclaimers regarding what this blog is and is not:
1. This blog IS NOT a daily news feed. I've tried blogging in the past and made it a goal to write every single day. The only result was burnout after a couple of months and an abandoned journal-style blog. If I write when I am impassioned, which is often, I'm sure it will be enough!
2. This blog IS NOT a one man show. I would like to feature other voices from the region and from the networks I form working here. There are wonderful people doing wonderful work here and they deserve an outlet.
3. This blog IS an attempt at learning. I am just beginning my graduate education as a planner and, to be blunt, I feel I know very little. Research indicates that forming long-term knowledge and expertise can be fostered by synthesizing knowledge into a new form. I have chosen to blog my new forms. As I learn more about transit policy and analysis, housing, and economic development, I believe the opinions expressed here will grow more informed and more cogent.
4. And as a corollary, this blog IS a forum for informed debate. I am not infallible and I reserve the right to alter my opinions, and the fervency with which I defend them, as I see fit. I have no trouble admitting when I am wrong and this is an essential part of learning (see #3). In fact, if you spot a hole in an argument, you're obliged to tell me.
5. This IS a forum for expressing new ideas. I have lots of ideas, most of them half-baked and not given enough consideration. Others are fundamentally flawed. At their heart, however, are my genuine hopes and aspirations for our fine South Jersey. I've traveled internationally, and I've visited almost every state in the U.S., and there's nowhere I would rather engage, explore, advocate, and dwell. Okay, I love Perú just as much, but lets focus on one blog for now.
If these points resonate with you, please join me!
Best,
Lew
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