Theory Inquiry

In this assignment, I challenged myself to do nothing for 40 minutes. Firstly, I stared at my blank white ceiling for approximately 3 minutes as I first started my assignment of doing "nothing." When I stared at the ceiling, I felt a sense of calm that I hadn't had in a long time because I had done almost all of my assignments except I'm working on right now. After that, I had a look around my room at several posters. Some posters I discovered had mistakes that I had previously seen but only glanced at for a few seconds. While working on this assignment, I kept glancing and wishing I had modified it before printing or putting it up. I eventually glance over at my blue clock, which is positioned to my left. I kept an eye on the clock as it turned clockwise. As time went by, I also became more aware of the flaws in my room, such as one of my posters being uneven, the blue wall having small blue patches, and a chair not being centered to a desk. During the time of doing “nothing,” I repeatedly heard my parent’s television and my mother's Alexa. It was kind of distracting, but I eventually, got used to it. For the rest of the time, I returned to where I had begun staring, which was the ceiling.

Observing & Describing Assignment

The location is a residential zone walking trail. The date is November 7, 2021, and the time is 11 a.m. It was a cold and windy day. The pond fountain that continuously sprayed water, a pond with green, dirty water, and gorgeous yellow-brown shrubs waving in the wind were among the most remarkable sights I noticed during my trip. Green trees, stop signs, children playing signs, a 25 mph speed restriction sign, and a basketball hoop were the most common items I noticed in the neighborhood area. Concrete makes up the sidewalk, while asphalt concrete makes up the streets. In some places, the grass was rough and soft. In the driveways and on the streets, I observed many SUVs, pickup vehicles, and sedans. I noticed a Ramada shelter with park benches inside and stone arches. In addition, I saw various buildings with a variety of colored roofs (burgundy, green, and yellow) and panelings (gray, yellow, and white). Where I was walking about, I didn’t see any businesses or cafes. Five automobiles pass me, including a black pickup truck, a red SUV, and a gray sedan. The cars were seldom crowded, and each car made it to its destination without difficulty. While wandering, I came across an arch with a sign that read “Providence, An HHHunt Community.” This sign means the areas that I walked in belonged to Providence, which is a neighborhood area. I also noticed a sign that read “no poop zone,” which I assume meant that some dogs were pooping on their property, and the owners of the dogs didn’t clean it up. Some people I saw were driving were exiting out of the neighborhood street and onto the main road of which they can turn left or right. I’m curious if the routes they take include getting to stores or the highway faster (the left turn) or taking a different path (the right turn) that may take longer to exit out of but allows them to enjoy the scenery more. Also, several people were entering the neighborhood. I’m curious if they were on their way home, looking at the houses and the surrounding terrain, or visiting their friends and family. Lawnmowers mowing, a man yelling outdoors in his garage, women talking, bushes swinging, music playing in someone’s driveway, and a woodpecker hitting a tree were among the sounds I heard in the area where I was strolling. This assignment taught me that I should be more observing of my areas instead of looking at my phone. I realize that I can miss many fascinating things, such as the yellow-brown shrubs and the water fountain I observed. 

Jane Jacobs could be considered a designer because of her ability to capture citizens' wants and requirements. With her leadership abilities and theories, she could persuade individuals to change. She considered the fact that a city isn’t just the buildings, but also the people who live there. She knew that the people who lived in the city are truly what makes the city unique, and she wanted to represent them in the buildings. 

Jane Jacobs wrote to the mayor and voiced her concerns to him, so that he could consider the impact these buildings and highways would have on the city and the people. She mobilized a lot of people. She went to court and fought to make sure people weren’t forced out of their homes and forced to live in buildings that separated the people and were unsafe. Jacobs portrayed Moses as the bully and got Margaret Mead and Susan Sontag and all the various folks that Jane was involved with, were drawn to the tangibility of this particular fight.

In a democracy, the individual's responsibility is to determine which decisions and plans are best for the community in which they live. One’s personal experiences and opinions are what make up a diverse body of democracy. It is important to voice these thoughts to get an overall idea of what the public is experiencing/wants.