Five star general and 34th president, Dwight Eisenhower once said that, “this world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect”. When established in 1624, New York was only a very small colony of French Huguenots from the Netherlands where everyone was seen as equal to one another. However, as New York began to develop and change, a wealth gap developed between the wealthy and those who lived in poverty. This wealth gap led to many domestic problems emerging in the city. In George Templeton Strong’s journals, he outlines what the city New York needs to do to become a healthy functioning city. In doing this, Strong is confident that New York will make the necessary changes in order to have a very bright future ahead where many more opportunities will be available for its citizens.
George Templeton Strong new that New York would only be as strong as it’s weakest link- in this case the weak being the poor who lived in impoverished slums. In his diaries he asks the wealthy to help the poor and vulnerable in the slums. In doing so, the future of New York would be very bright and full of opportunities for everyone. The people in poverty living in the slums of New York were going through immense suffering and had little to no opportunities to succeed and be successful in life. With little to no opportunities, they turned to a life of crime. Many young men living in group-homes had no opportunity to have a successful future. It not uncommon for these poor men to have been arrested and many were killed for the crimes they committed. The people living in the slums became restless, waiting eagerly for change. Strong called upon many public figures ...
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...nter of culture and civilization” (39). He has faith that in the near future, New York can come together and turn their city into a model city for all other cities in the world.
Despite the troubles Strong wrote about, New York through hard work and dedication, has achieved many great feats since its establishment. Today, New York is the largest city in the whole United States, along with being one of the largest natural harbors in the world, being home to 19 million people. It is also still a major place of business, providing the soil to gain financial success for many businesses and entrepreneurs. Overall, Strong’s prediction of a bright future for New York was accurate.
Works Cited
Rinear, David, L. Stage, Page, Scandals, and Vandals: William E. Burton and Nineteenth-century American Theatre. Southern Illinois University: Board of Trustees, 2004. Print.
essence of New York and all its nuances in the form of terse observations. Whether
New Amsterdam became New York and changed hands from the Dutch to the English. But it is not only Dutch place names and styles of architecture scattered across the five boroughs and all of the Empire State that beat witness to this moment in history. The values of openness, tolerance, liberalism and engagement with the world remain the hallmarks of New York, city and state alike. They have made it one of the economic, intellectual and cultural centers of the
The overcrowding is a major tenement problem. According to the book, Riis says that “New York grew into a bigger city because it was not crowded as others were at that moment”. He says that the “growth of New York into a city came as a surprise to many, as it was a common thing to see tenements grow into cities”[3]. The author also states that the crowding in New
When comparing Western New York to New York City there are significant cultural differences that come to mind, but also some similarities. New York City is considered the most populous city in the United States. According to the 2014 census the population of the metropolitan region of the city reached to about twenty three million residents. Because of the rapidly growing population it has been named the cultural and financial capital of the world. The city is known for its big impact on finance, art, fashion, education, and entertainment. On the other hand, Western New York is more known for its scenic attractions, agriculture, award winning wineries, and classic style of living. The census bureau in 2014 also stated that if Western New York was counted as one single area the population would be significantly smaller than the cities, just topping over two and a half million. Because of all the farmland and less populated areas in Western New York, it leaves room tons of room for agriculture. A lot of western New Yorkers stick to the basic means of living like operating a family farm, owning your own business, and supplying your family however possible. For example, in the
Dumenil, Lynn, ed. "New York City." The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2012. Oxford Reference. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.
In his book, New York City Politics: Governing Gotham, Bruce Berg, states that a “city’s political system involves a complex set of functions around three broad themes: democratic accountability, the delivery of public goods and services and the maintenance of civil harmony” (1). It can be argued that the endurance of a governing political system is directly related to how well it satisfies the aforementioned themes and thus maintains the general vitality of a city. Alternatively, a political system’s inadequacy, notable through contingent events such as a fiscal crisis, engenders the empowerment of a replacement. Analyzing, New York City’s governance, it is my contention that both machine and reform politics have been marshaled at different points in history as the reasoning behind the city’s fiscal crises but the systems themselves are not entirely flawed. They both exercise similar components of strong governance although each system mobilized a different socioeconomic
From past to present, New York has always been known as the icon of the United States. However, in the early 1890’s all the focus and attention was on the middle and upper class, leaving the slums out of the picture. Many people were not aware of the harsh conditions that the unfortunate were making a living out of. Jacob Riis was one of few folks who thought that the poor had more value to them that what most people thought. He decided he would write a magazine article that would eventually get denied publicity because of the disturbing words and photos within, but that didn’t stop him.
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
Wilson, W.J. (1996). When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor New York, NY: Knopf
Between 1900 and 1950, New York City’s population doubled to nearly eight million. The population explosion strained city agencies and infrastructure. To manage, city officials planned expansive public works projects that were funded under the New Deal. City officials, supported by federal funds, routinely pushed through these enormous projects. While these investments seemed to benefit everyone, a closer look reveals deep-rooted injustices.
New York City’s population is a little over 8.3 million people. 8.3 million people are spread out among five boroughs and each have their own set routine. Each one of those 8.3 million see New York in a different way becuase “You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it” (“City Limits” 4). Some people are like Colson Whitehead who “was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else” (“City Limits” 3). Others may have “moved here a couple years ago for a job. Maybe [they] came here for school” (“City Limits” 3). Different reasons have brought these people together. They are grouped as New Yorkers, but many times, living in New York is their only bond. With on going changes and never ending commotion, it is hard to define New York and its inhabitants in simple terms.
In this paper, we will begin with her history and motive for speaking out on urban city planning, as well as focus on what city planning was characterized as before Jane Jacobs came into the picture to reinvent it. The paper will focus on her main points in her two most recognized and controversial books – The Death and Life of American Great Cities and Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life – as well as her critics’ responses to this new take on city planning and rebuilding. We will close with her achievements and impact she left behind.
Jones, the president of the Community Service Society of New York, an antipoverty advocacy and research group. "We 're still seeing really high rates of unemployment, while jobs have been growing in an anemic way and the jobs that have been created are really low-wage." While Mr. Bloomberg has made reducing the poverty rate, now nearly 21 percent, a priority, administration officials acknowledged that the stagnant national economy had hurt the city…"As President Clinton recently said, 'The old economy is not coming back, ' and that 's why the mayor believes we need a new national approach to job creation and education, one that gives everyone a chance to rise up the economic ladder." (pg.1) Mayor Bloomberg is correct we do need a new approach to creating new jobs, education and it should be a plan that helps everyone not just the top one percent in the city. However, he is wrong when he believes that nation should be the ones implementing the plan. New York City has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States at twenty-one point two percent, six point nine percent higher than the national average of fourteen point three percent. As you can see, New York does not have time to wait around and see what national law is going to be passed to help get our city and millions of people out of poverty. If every mayor after Bloomberg thought they way he did, our city’s poverty and unemployment rate would continue to rise. Thankfully, not every mayor is the tenth richest person in the United State like Mayor Bloomberg, so his successor should be more concerned with the well being of the entire New York City and not just the top one percent that Mayor Bloomberg was mainly concerned about. His successor is Mayor de Blasio, who has already within one year started his #OneNYC campaign to help change our city for the better between the years of 2030-2050 through a number of
When people think of New York they usually first picture luxury, money, glamour, sky scrapers and a ton of other BIG features – The American Dream! New York has this image portrayed of it being beautiful, romantic and a place of new beginnings. New York, having Ellis Island, is the center of the New World that offered a chance of change and freedom. The city was known as a place where immigrants and people came to start over. This portrayal has always been going on from the Great Depression to even after the attacks on 9/11. We saw that even with hardships New York couldn’t be brought down. From our art that was created to our movies, we’ve painted this picture of wellness and happiness. A lot of portrayals of this great city is exactly that, great, even with how little the show Sex and the City really emphasis the use of the New York it does it in a way that you see how great of a place it is.
When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.