Portland 1, Portland 2-4

Posted on August 13, 2016 by John DeAngelis

Jack DeAngelis

Portland 1: Read the introductory material (pages 1-29) and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer)

* Both books emphasize the study of place. Define the geographic concept of “place”. Illustrate the concept by describing the place where you are this summer.

The introduction sets up the culture atlas by briefly defining Portland and the surrounding area by its geographic boarders, physical scenery and societal mentalities.  This ultimately will come to define how one understands and “structures” (Banis and Shobe) Portland as a place.  Because the world is simply made up of many places, the authors argue that geographic areas are a means for people to understand the world around them.  This summer, I am in my hometown, Wilton, Connecticut.  I live in my family’s house on my family’s property.  There are forests nearby and rivers that run under the streets that connect me and my family to other people that make up Wilton.  This town is part of the state because it is connected to other towns in Connecticut which functions as one of fifty states within the USA.  Of course, America is one nation on a planet full of others.  My understanding of place connects me with people all over the globe.

* Before reading this book, think about your preconceived idea of the City of Portland. From this introductory material, describe two things that matched your preconceived notion of Portland.

Describe two things that you had not previously associated with Portland.

Before reading this book, I unfortunately always imaged Portland to be packed with extreme liberals and tie-dye-loving hippies.  While this may be true to some extent, Portlandness’ introduction clearly wipes away this preconceived idea of the city by framing the idea of place as a widely varying entity.  I had never noted the apparently exceptional public transportation system and had always linked rainy days with Seattle, not Portland.  In fact, it seems as if the city possesses an innovate and industrial progressiveness that is quite the opposite of my preexisting notions.

* Why did the authors choose to introduce Portland as a Cascadian City? What does it mean to be a Cascadian City?

The main reason for introducing Portland as a Cascadian City is to prevent “conventional and often stereotypical views about Oregon, the Northwest, the West Coast, and the United States” (Banis and Shobe 16).  This helps to introduce the concept of place as a dynamic and multilayered idea.  Additionally, presenting the idea of an independent Cascadia helps the reader to understand the many cultural, societal and political issues that the area faces today.  While the many explanations of Cascadia can be defined by differing geographic boarders, they all seem to include a united yearning for Callenbach’s Ecotopia.

* What is the essence of Portlandness? Why are maps a useful way of presenting this idea?

The authors have cleverly devised their own scale of measuring the city: Portlandness.  This gauge attempts to capture the crux of Portland which means Portlandness’ essence is quite literally the city itself.  The varying levels of Portlandness can be measured best with maps because this spatial representation can help readers to visualize the degrees of each characteristic of Portland that contributes to the Portlandness scale.

Portland 2-4: For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives presented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The first section, Urban Landscape, is the perfect way to follow the introduction.  By leading off the main sections of the cultural atlas, Urban Landscapes helps to initially break down the city.  Portland is renowned for its “forward-thinking planning and innovative urbanism” (Banis and Shobe 31), but does it really live up to its reputation?  Is the landscape really dominated by parks, gardens and bicycle lanes?  This section seems to tackle this question head on while also beginning to separate the city into discrete neighborhoods.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Manufactured Spaces because this subsection deals with the negative space of Portland.  While initially exploring zoning, industrial and slough areas near the Willamette, this subsection continues to track the cryptic no-man’s- land of the Taylor Electric Supply warehouse.  The area is dynamic and ever-changing while simultaneously remaining a nook of culture that helps to define the city.  This almost awkward space grants people an outlet for “unscripted and emergent activities” (Banis and Shobe 49).

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can.  Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

Locating, tracking and mapping spaces similar to the Taylor Electric Supply property would be difficult considering that, by definition, they are off the beaten path; however, Richmond has its own areas where grassroots efforts have produced exceptional artwork, especially downtown near the Pipeline Trail.  Perhaps the title would be “Awkward Areas, Stubborn Spaces and Impromptu Places.”

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The Once and Future City explores what Portland could have been by recounting much of the city’s history.  By looking back into the past and tracking the changes of the landscape, one can understand why certain areas have developed into what they are today.  Imagining what isn’t there can be difficult, especially when concrete structures forcefully cover much of the ground, but this view is imperative when understanding any location.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Ethnic Imprints because this seems to define many east coast cities while failing to define Portland.  While New York City and Boston have distinct neighborhoods that are known for being predominately comprised of a certain ethnicity, Portland’s ethnic communities failed to significantly mark the city for a long period of time.  Instead, immigrants “assimilated and dissipated” (Banis and Shobe 62) very quickly, leaving the city with little culturally European neighborhoods.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can.  Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

A map that tracked nationality, heritage and ethnicity of the people of Richmond could possibly represent this concept.  The main flaw of the map would be in the actual celebration of the people’s nationality, heritage or ethnicity.  For example, one family could be marked on the map as a foreign-born group while, in reality, they assimilated into Richmond quickly and gave up the traditions of their old country.  In this situation, the family would be poorly represented on the map.  If such a map were produced, perhaps it would be titled “Lasting Effects of Foreign Ethnicity on the city of Richmond.”

FB Map of Portland and Ethnic Map of Portland

Perhaps a combination of these two maps would match my description.

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The main concept of section three, Wildness, sets up the constant tension of the rural verses the urban.  While the two entities are often contradictory in many US cities, Portland is renowned for fusing the two into a peaceful and balanced way of life.  While this is the main predisposition tied to the city, it may not be all true.  This section of the culture atlas challenges this stereotype and explores where anthropocentric and manufactured areas rub up against organic and natural lands.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Heterotopia: The Columbia Slough because it clearly describes the “verdant utopia” and the “industrial dystopia” (Banis and Shobe 95) that reside within the city.  While Foucault’s concept of a heterotopia does not mean that the rural and urban elements are balanced or complementary in a specific area, the idea does represent where the two very different landscapes intersect.  Perhaps Portland is just one huge heterotopia where urban sprawl continues to grow deeper and deeper into the surrounding forests.  This conflict seems to take center stage in most of Portland’s political and societal issues, but it seems as if residents have been able to forge a middle path that acquires at least some sort of balance between lifestyles.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can. Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

A map that represented this concept for the city of Richmond would have to be separated into tiny squares covering the entire city.  Any square area that was dominated by vegetation would be represented in green while any square area that was dominated by industrial structures would be represented in grey.  Finally, any square area that seemed to balance the two equally would be represented by a third color, thus depicting the heterotopian regions.  I would title this map “A Timeless Battle: Rural and Urban at the Crash Zone.”

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Forest Under Story

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

HJA 1

I expect to see huge trees born in a time before they were uncommon. I expect to see many flora and fauna not found on the east coast. I expect to see people who care intensely about preserving and discovering the forest and about sharing their observations. Based on the introduction, I expect to see a sort of magic that can never be adequately described, but only experienced.

 

One way to tell the story of the forest is through quantitative measurements- variety of species, density of species, and change in water nutrient composition. Another is through qualitative description- to describe it, to create stories about or inspired by it, to draw it. The two methods of inquiry support each other by creating new approaches to measuring and defining the world. Both methods are about asking questions, and by integrating the methods new questions can be asked and answered.

 

The long-view is critical because our role in nature isn’t stagnant. If our relationship with the natural world in the next two hundred years changes even a fraction of the amount it changed in the past two hundred, taking snapshots each year will help understand each small change in the context of movement that is impossible to fully understand as a whole. Not only will our relation with nature change in that time, but also our interpretation of our relation. Writing is critical to understanding the subjective feeling of society towards nature at a given time.

 

Part I- Research and Revelation

Research and revelation have two separate relationships. When scientific findings from places like the Andrews Forest concluded that old-growth forests were essential to maintaining their ecosystems, both scientists’ and everyone elses’ understanding of the forests changed sides. Scientific data led to a revelation. However, the pursuit of data through research can also suppress revelation. As Robin Kimmerer says, “[Being in the forest] makes for better scientists, too, because the land is more than data and we are more than data analysts”. Tracking data without experiencing the forest firsthand creates distance from the very data being collected. Data should be a tool to help ask questions and understand where to find revelations, but it shouldn’t always be the source of revelations itself because it is just one way of observing something that can’t be described by numbers alone.

I expect the landscape to be varied. I didn’t realize how much altitude difference there would be within the forest. I also didn’t think fully about the aftermath of clearcutting, and what would be growing in the cleared parts of the forest. I didn’t realize how important water, both in springs and rivers, was when measuring a forest.

Vicky Graham, in her poem Cosymbionts, compares the scientific study of decomposition and disection to the art of creating a poem. She asks, “How else, except by keeping whole through breaking down, can a forest grow?” She might be saying that change is inevitable, and that by understanding the forest and its acceptance of change, we can understand our own lives.

In the Old Growth ground work, It is stated that the canopy lichen lobara oregana makes nitrogen usable for the entire floral ecosystem. I’m sure this isn’t the only species without which the forest would not exist, and I wonder how ecosystems develop so fully while depending on so many fragile links in a chain that would fall if one were broken.

Part II- Change and Continuity

Although we generally think of change happening over long periods of time, the most drastic changes in the forest are in some ways the short term ones. Barred owls are replacing Spotted owls, but they will occupy the same niche. Swap six of one for half a dozen of another, and the forest will endure just as it has for thousands of years. The ground work about forest practices tells about the change in mindset from clearcutting to preserving forests, but also the change from focusing on what has been taken in a clear-cut site to what is left over that can thrive.

 

Jeff Fearnside admires the power of a flood to alter the landscape and create new beginning in his poem New Channel. While appreciating the ruin that the flood causes, he also discusses the life starting anew as the “moss gorges itself” and “a stand of willows waves gently”. As disturbance ecologists observe changes caused by floods and fires with changes in data and landscape, Fearnside questions why we focus on destruction and endings instead of regeneration and present life.

 

I expect to see much more diversity on the ground than in the canopy. When I hear of a diverse forest my mind goes immidiately to the imposing trees, but the region is dominated by less than a dozen species. The animals and plants on the floor, though, give the ecosystem its diversity. I hope to see the interactions between all these small organisms. I expect to see barren land where clear-cut forest has not yet started to recover.

 

I wonder how often now species enter the forest. Are invaders like the Barred owl a rare occurance, or do species swap places often? When invaders come does it disturb the ecosystem or do the settle in as the author thinks the Barred owls will take the niche of the Spotted owls? Is the old-growth forest, as a diverse and ancient ecosystem, more or less likely to be threatened by invasive species?

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Part III- Borrowing Other’s Eyes

In this section, the focus is again on the long view. As Jane Hirshfield quotes, “we percieve acutely changes that are relatively quick, but are blind to the gradual”. It takes research seen from the eyes of generations before to piece together a story and observe change in a forest that’s on a completely different time schedule than our short lives. The theme also references the goal of resident writer project- to help both scientists and writers experience the forest in new ways with the help of a different perspective.

 

Robin Kimmerer uses hydrology to explain her own outlook on the passage of time. She observes throughfall and stemflow, and after deducing what controls the size of water droplets she wonders how time passes for plants that produce drops at different rates. Like a researcher she focuses on the individual moments of the forest, but with a less scientific outlook- the falling of a tree from the river’s perspective instead of transpiration from the tree’s stomata. To Robin, life is only experienced in moments that are nothing to the eternal flow of a river.

 

I now expect the lines between water and land to be blurred by the everpresent rain and the hyporheic flow beneath the ground. I expect the sounds to be as diverse as the flora and fauna, and to create a background noise to the forest.

 

I want to know what changes they’ve witnessed in the parts of the forest least touched by humans. Are the measurements of water and land stagnant, do they vary greatly in the short run and equalize in the long run, or do they trend toward a certain direction? Are they free of humans’ pollution, or have manmade chemicals permeated the deepest areas of the forest?

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Portlandness

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

Portlandness

Portland I.

Geographic “place” is the intersection of one’s subjective interpretation of a location (past experiences, comfort) with the location’s objective, physical characteristics. I’m working at a Boy Scout camp called Raven Knob this summer. It’s in a valley in western North Carolina, near Mt. Airy. There is a lake, a dining hall, program areas for each area of scouting, many wooded trails, a disc golf course, and several mountains. For a week, it is the entirety of 700 boys’ lives, and then a different set of boys, and then it fades away until the next summer. I don’t love this place, but it feels natural to be here.

 

I expected a focus on the “Portlandia” side of Portland, including hipsters, microbreweries, and young people. I also associated the city with environmentalism, although not as the “ecotopia” described in the atlas. I didn’t know the geography of Portland, so I didn’t associate it with the Willamette and Columbia rivers. I didn’t know there were such distinctive neighborhoods within the city, each with their own distinct populations and color palettes.

 

The authors present seven separate definitions of Cascadia to emphasize the point that a city can’t be defined by just one explanation. None of the definitions of Cascadia are incorrect, and they all represent a different part of Portland as a place, whether as part of an economic region or as an ecotopia. A  Cascadian city is green (both environmentally and physically), on the West coast, progressive, and independent.

 

The essence of Portlandness is the way the city’s people feel about it. The authors make the point that culture and place are not rigid; they change with people’s changing thoughts and opinions. Maps are useful because they are “representations of how people see places” (9), and so they can show both the concentrations of what is currently defined as Portlandness (liberal, green, bike-friendly) and the changes over time as people’s definition of Portlandness changes.

 

  1. Urban Landscapes

An Urban Landscape is all of the manmade parts of a city that make it more inorganic. It is arranged much like a forest in a natural landscape. The skyscrapers and industrial buildings in the Central Eastside Industrial District are the large trees. The smaller buildings, individual shops, sidewalks, and strip clubs that make the city unique are the undergrowth that supports the urban ecosystem. It isn’t stagnant; it changes with its people and with changing architectural and landscaping views.

 

I chose the Ruins of Taylor Electric. To me, it demonstrates the conflict between the citizens’ desire to “keep Portland weird” by expressing themselves through graffiti and the government’s desire to maintain order. When the Doug was described, the atlas quoted Martin Patail as saying, “Political nonexistence might be Cascadia’s greatest asset.” There seems to be a conflict between the graffiti artists and eco-geeks, who stand for independence and expression, and the government, which is supposedly representing that same population. It’s interesting how a government should do its job when the people for whom it’s established are against the order that governments exist in part to maintain.

With the Taylor Electric building in mind, I would map what has happened in the last 15 years to buildings that have been vacated- whether they’ve been bought, repurposed, torn down to leave an empty lot, or replaced by another building (and what purpose a new building or company serves). This would show the path of development in places where there are buildings either old enough to be vacated or unprosperous enough to be sold/abandoned. I would call the map Old Ends and New Beginnings.

 

 

III. Wildness

This section focuses on the intersection between the natural and urban environments of Portland. Some perspectives, such as “Stumptown”, “Oaks Bottom”, and “The City Chicken and the County Cayote”, reveal how Portland has encouraged, or at least accepted, wildness within its borders. The Oaks Bottom section again shows the conflict between Portland’s government and its citizens. Others, such as

“Heterotopia” and “Lost waters and Phantom Streams”, demonstrate the ways in which the city has altered and reduced the wild landscape in order to urbanize. The dystopian side of Portland described in the Heterotopia perspective acknowledges the environmental and racial consequences of making the city perfect for some at the expense of other people and landscapes.

 

In the Stumptown perspective, the more progressive neighborhoods of Portland have embraced wildness within an urban setting by planting trees. These neighborhoods have gone as far toward the urban side of the spectrum as they’re willing to go, and are now moving away from it. It’s interesting and encouraging that after a community has sufficiently developed, it wants to transition back towards wildness instead of becoming more and more urban. Portland is embracing wildlife and the Cascadian scenery that surrounds it. However, the tree cover is far from uniform across the city. I wish the atlas mentioned if there was a correlation between tree cover and affluence of a neighborhood, and if tree cover changed as a neighborhood became gentrified or impoverished.

 

This concept is what I would map in order to witness a change as neighborhoods change. It might even turn out that encouraging the planting of flora is a strategy to improve an area socially and make it more safe/welcoming.

V. Social Relations

This section has three main topics- the amount of video surveillance in Portland, the complexity of the city’s “green” moniker, and the city’s past and present relation to poverty and homelessness. Depending on one’s interpretation, all the streetlights and surveillance cameras could be seen as a welcome safety measure or an intrusive and unwelcome method of spying. The other two sections are in part cautionary tales about what the dangerous influence of money. LEED certification is also a certification of a company’s willingness to pay for it. When the minority populations of Portland were redlined and displaced, the culture of neighborhoods like Boise was hurt, along with the lives of its residents. While Portland preaches inclusion and diversity, the potential revenue of a stadium or an area experiencing “urban renewal” pushes its government and well-off citizens to ignore their neighbors.

 

It’s both important to remember and easy to forget the poor and homeless when helping is not required. The Invisibility of Homelessness perspective was interesting. The Right 2 Dream Too settlement makes homelessness salient while still focusing on helping the homeless rather than focusing on that salience. The social relations of this community contrast with those of the gentrifying and redlining community by solving a problem rather than moving or removing it. It’s also a reminder that in a city with Platinum LEED certified buildings and bioswales, there are still basic needs that have not been met.

 

The perspective noted that although many opposed the central location of Right 2 Dream Too, the community is in an ideal place to form a support network and have walking access to the infrastructure that allows people to stop being homeless. With this in mind, I would map the low-income communities of Portland based on their access to a list of amenities such as medical clinics, washing and showering facilities, and quality food. This map would show the ease of access to help and to the infrastructure necessary to create a successful community.

 

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HJA

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

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Research and Revelation

HJA 1: In the introductory material (pages 1-14) the author asks the fundamental question, “What’s the story here?” After you have read the first chapter, answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What do you expect to observe when we visit the forests of the H.J. Andrews?

I expect lots of green, damp plants and trees everywhere. I expect humid, earthy smells lofting through the forest. We would probably walk on set paths and see the trails as we go through the forest. I also imagine a small stream bubbling in the distance while we walk and hike through this area.

* What are some different ways of telling the story of these forests? How do methods of creative reflection support scientific inquiry and vice versa?

There are many different ways of telling the story of these forests. There are creative ways such as photographs, anecdotes, essays and poems. And there are scientific ways such as through data and graphs.

“It’s our belief that creative writers and those who undertake other types of arts-and humanities-based inquires can be especially adept at bringing scientific information and insights into conversation with the complex emotional and cultural relationships that humans have with both wild and managed landscapes”(9).

Scientific inquiry can bring us realistic, hard data insight into creative minds and draw on scientific inspirations in their works.

“Creative writers draw on rich vocabulary and conceptual insights of science to help people understand and value the world” (11).

* Why is the long-view critical to understanding the role of humans in the natural world?

The long view helps remind us that we can never find a permanent conclusion because societal and environmental context constantly changes around us. As humans of the natural world, we have to be attuned for the past, present and future to see out ever-changing world around us.

 

HJA 2-4: For each of the main sections of the book (Part One, Two, and Three), read the Ground Work essays and at least three other entries for the section. Then answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

The writers conducted the research by entering the forest and collecting data for their stories, just as scientists do. From the  research of entering the forest, they experience, write down their data, and translate data in forms of poems and stories instead of hard numbers and facts like scientists and researchers do. Writers express in words and sensory imagery while scientists analyze and get hard data.

* What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

I expect the landscape to look mess and chaotic (which is the way nature is), but I expect it to look chaotic in an organized matter. There would be a variety of trees(Douglas-fir, western hemlock, true firs, etc.) scattered throughout with different little insects and beings inhabiting these trees. I expect fresh green moss on logs and everything having a damp touch to it.

* Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

In the chapter “Varied Thrushes”, it talks about Oregon Robins. The author uses great detail by using sensory imagery to describe what the bird looks like and the distinct movements made by the bird. In the end, it describes their contact calls to be “subtle, metallic, yet sweet”(29). And in the Groundwork, it describes how there are over 170 bird species reside or visit the Andrews over the course of the year. Also, animals provide “a limited choral complement to the wind soughing through the evergreens and reverberation of streams cascading over boulders.” So I imagine that the forest would be mostly quiet, with the occasional bird call every once in a while.

* What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

As described in the groundwork, there are thousands of species of invertebrates in a variety of living conditions. How, and how long did it take for researchers to gather all the information about those small invertebrates?

 Change and Continuity

HJA 2-4: For each of the main sections of the book (Part One, Two, and Three), read the Ground Work essays and at least three other entries for the section. Then answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

Change and Continuity is to explain how forests change after periods of disaster. The environment around us will never be the same or stagnant. The world is constantly changing and never stopping.

* What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

The H.J Andrew Experimental Forest , or an forest for that matter, will never look quite new. It will always be filled with newborn trees, old deteriorating trees, and varieties of types of trees. The forest will look run down from the periods of natural disasters that it probably faced over the years.

* Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

In the Groundwork “Disturbance”, it talks about how forests suffer and researchers can see how disturbance changes the forest and the life in the forest. So the lookout creek flood revealed what species survived, such as the cutthroat trout by finding refuge in slack water close to the stream banks. In the poem “New Channel” by Jeff Fearnside, he writes about his experience of walking along the creek and describes vividly how many fish died, and how other creatures have died such as spiders, caddis flies, waterskippers, etc.

* What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

I wonder how many other species survived the lookout creek flood other than the cutthroat trout. And if so, how they did so. What about the invertebrates? I imagine it must be difficult to document the smaller insects. 

Borrowing Others’ Eyes

HJA 2-4: For each of the main sections of the book (Part One, Two, and Three), read the Ground Work essays and at least three other entries for the section. Then answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

The section “Borrowing Others’ Eyes is attaining a new perspective or a new lens to view the experimental forest.

* What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

I expect it to be very damp, since it does rain about a hundred inches per year on average. Even without rain, there seems to be lots of moisture in general. In the trees, in the flora, and in all the life in general. I also expect it to be quiet with small, quiet nature sounds in the distance.

* Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

In the piece “Denizens of Decay” by Tom A. Titus, he writes a piece about the Oregon Slender Salamander and how it it has skin so thin that “the oxygen made by green photosynthetic needles int he canopy movies easily into her body, so thin that the carbon dioxide flows freely outward”(210). The author paints this beautiful picture with words. In the Groundwork “Water”, it explains how water from the soil can move upwards into trees, through the stomata and into the atmosphere.

* What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

If water is pumped to the atmosphere through many ways, one way being that it is soaked through soil, up the trees and into the atmosphere, what are other ways water is pumped to the atmosphere?

In the Groundwork “Soundscape”, it talks about how stream sound can be used as a cover for some species and deflect other species to quieter locations where stream noise doesn’t complicate communication. What are other uses of stream sound other than this?

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Portlandness

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

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Portland’s food carts!

Portland 1: Read the introductory material (pages 1-29) and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer): * Both books emphasize the study of place. Define the geographic concept of “place”. Illustrate the concept by describing the place where you are this summer.

The geographic concept of place can be described as what is physically around you, how everything around you is placed, and sensing this “place” through your senses. In the summer, I went back to my suburban home in Corona, California. My area is close to a desert region in the sense that it has relatively high temperature particularly during the summer. I live on a mountain and I am surrounded by mountainous regions, but also has shops and food places nearby.

* Before reading this book, think about your preconceived idea of the City of Portland. From this introductory material, describe two things that matched your preconceived notion of Portland. Describe two things that you had not previously associated with Portland.

Before reading Portlandness, I didn’t know much about Portland.The extent of my Portland knowledge would be seeing a couple pictures on Facebook and Instagram from time to time. I knew that Portland was geographically and environmentally green in a sense that the area had many forest areas and that the people were environmentally friendly and aware of their actions. I had no associated Portland to be such a politically liberal city and to have it be famous for food carts, especially vegan-friendly food.

* Why did the authors choose to introduce Portland as a Cascadian City? What does it mean to be a Cascadian City?

The authors chose to begin with Cascadia because they wanted to introduce from a different context from conventional and stereotypical views of Portland. Many of those, including myself, who read this book will have a preconceived notion of what Portland is like. The book portrays the culture of a Cascadian as more than an alternative west-coast lifestyle. Cascadia, according to the authors, is to “learn to live with less…develop deeper cultural and spiritual formulations for the kind of existence we seek to map out for ourselves in this particular corner of the continent and of the planet”. To me, a Cascadian city seems to be a place striving to be a utopian society such as having more bike roads and having a multitude of vegan options, but it has its faults like existing tensions between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

* What is the essence of Portlandness? Why are maps a useful way of presenting this idea?

The essence of Portlandness seems to be a very liberal culture with an environmentally conscious community with many delicious food options and beautiful green outdoor places. Maps are useful because they can depict certain aspects of  Portland on a visual scale. As humans, we are naturally very visual creatures, therefore maps can aid us in visualizing various aspects of Portland. For example, we can see where more liberals are concentrated near Portland and spreads out slowly and becomes more sparse along the outskirts of Portland.

Portland 2: Food and Drink: For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives represented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges,Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The main concept of “food and drink” is how food and drinks are a key element of Portland. In fact, food and drink would be key in any city a traveler visits. The food you eat and the beverages you consume is all part of a city’s culture and the way people live. Though according to the book, coffee and beer seem to have a good reputation. But there are other foods that are good as well, such as their various fun flavors of ice cream.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose “Anything you can do, I can do vegan” because I am a vegetarian, and as a vegetarian, I find it difficult to find places to eat that offer vegetarian options, especially while traveling. To see that there are not only vegetarian, but vegan options delights and amuses me. Environmental and human rights are integral to the Portland culture, so vegan culture seems to go hand in hand with these Portland values. With many vegan options at places ranging from supermarkets dedicated to vegan life to barbershops, being vegan seems to add on and go along with the Portland stereotype. Vegan life is a key part of the Portland culture.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like?

Richmond has some food culture, but not many vegan/vegetarian friendly options. After living in California and being surrounded by amazing food places everywhere, Richmond seems incomparable. I would call Richmond the “so-so vegan friendly” in places such as Carytown.

Portland 3: Views of the City: For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives represented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges,Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The main concept is to talk about the city in relation to psychogeography, or how we experience the city through our sense and our own particular unique perspective.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read “Street Emotion” because I never heard of anyone describe a place using street emotion. The time of the day can influence one’s emotion. For example, the morning is associated with calmness. As it gradually turns night, a person can feel more and more stressful throughout the day. More industrialized places faced more negative emotions and stress while nature places had more pleasant emotions.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like?

Richmond would be calm throughout the day. There is not much crime in the city (that I know of), and it is not as stressful or fast-paced like New York or LA. I would name the title of the map “Richmond=calm and mellow”.

Portland 4: Social Relations: For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives represented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges,Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The main concept of social relations explores relationships between the people and the city throughout time.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose Green Paradise because I heard about Portland’s “greenness” and I wanted to read more about it. Portland seems to be a leader in environmental and sustainable movements with it’s  many bike paths, public parks, and environmentally sustainable transportation methods. Most of the residents use bikes and Portland also has the most vegans per capita.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like?

I would say Richmond is environmentally friendly, but not as much as Portland. Richmond is physically very green with many trees, which definitely has more trees than California does. Our school itself recently started gradually using solar panels, but I don’t know how environmentally friendly Richmond is as a whole. I would label the map “Richmond’s somewhat green area”.

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HJA 1-4

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Parr

https://flic.kr/p/LjJXbt

Parr McQueen

HJA 1: In the introductory material (pages 1-14) the author asks the fundamental question, “What’s the story here?” After you have read the first chapter, answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

What do you expect to observe when we visit the forests of the H.J. Andrews?

One thing that stood out for me from the introduction was the prevalence of old growth conifers. I have never been to a forest in this section of the country before and I imagine it will be quite different. The trees and all around them will be full of life, but different than what I have seen.

What are some different ways of telling the story of these forests? How do methods of creative reflection support scientific inquiry and vice versa?

There are many different ways to tell the story of the forest and that is the idea behind this book. While it may be quite easy to perform scientific studies and publish data, that is not what the normal person sees. In this book are poems and essays and reflections about people’s time in the forest. It is this humanities work that allows us to make the connection between the data to our experiences, and better understand the world around us.

Why is the long-view critical to understanding the role of humans in the natural world?

The long-view is critical to understand because change always happens, but not always for the better. Protected forests were not originally for scientific research or enjoyment. They were protected as a way to manage profit and make sure that business could keep logging. Some of the changes that we do can have a long term affect. A relativity minor fault might magnify over time to become something larger than anyone thought possible. The forests will be here for way longer then a single person’s life. It is much harder to clean up a problem than not to start it in the first place so we must first stress the importance of learning the long-view of the human impact in the natural world.

For each of the main sections of the book (Part One, Two, and Three), read the Ground Work essays and at least three other entries for the section.  

HJA 2

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

“Research and Revelation” is the theme for part one of the book. This is a fitting topic for the first section of the book, because it defines what the purpose of Andrews forest is. Andrews is an Experimental forest, and is focused on providing access to research and experiments. Its not a place for only site seeing or enjoying nature, it has a more serious purpose. The use of the word “revelation”, tries to explain how much we have learned about the inner connected nature of life. Inside and outside of the forest things are more connected then people think, and one small change can have a larger affect then thought before.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

From these passages I imagine that the forest will be full of very tall old trees; lots of tall 500-year-old undisturbed nature. Yet next to this I think there will be many of the scientific experiments and modern tech. The section on decomposing and the 200-year log study gives me the impression that the ground will be very squishy, simply because I think that it will all be undergrowth that’s rotting away.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

One example I found is from the “Each step an Entry” response. Here Linda Hogan stresses how much life she experienced in the forest. Hogan describes how much the life is almost palpable in the air. She goes on to say how “micro filaments of life passing around and across one another”, and there are millions of things moving in and among the soil.  This all sounds very weak to me, but the science does actually support it. The ground work essays talk about how interconnected life is in the forests, and simply the immerse abundance of it. It will be hard to walk in the forest understanding every single thing going on around me.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

One question I have is the level of activity of scientific research. I understand that the purpose of the forest is mainly scientific research, but is there actually that much research going on at once? It almost seems that the book is glorifying how many discoveries come from this forest.

HJA 3

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

After talking about what we have learned about forests, the book gives us “Change and Continuity” which focuses on how much this forest in in particular has changed. Disturbances in the forest always happens, sometimes manmade sometimes not. Flash floods and fire have always changed the landscape of Andrews Forest. Sometimes these disturbances can be small, but other times change can flip the entire landscape upside down. Andrew lets us study these large change events, in order to draw parallels to how man made disasters can change other places. So far it has shown the reliance of the forest as a whole.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

Section two focused a lot on the human impact on the forest. While section one stressed the untouched nature of old growth forest, this explained clear cutting experiments and other scientific setups. I imagine that in the forest there will be a hard line between the natural and unnatural. It will not always be a hard line between clear cut and not, rather subtler things like compacted leaves. The contrast however will always be there, because this is an experimental forest, where people need to change things for their own studies often.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

Every story has two sides, and the essay titled “the otherside of the clear cut” shows this exceptionally well. Here owl protection and forest conservation battles loggers and profits. Although not a literal warzone, the author reminds us how there is always a winner and a looser to one situation. Then concludes with how the forest will always survive and adapt to what have happened to it. Much of the science in the groundwork supports this, although it is not as simple as it may seem. Even in the clear cut sections, new organisms may thrive in the open land where they did not enjoy the covered forest as much. The science supports that the small plants will be able to use the never before seen sun and raise to new heights. Even in what may appear to be all bad good can happen. Through all of this change, the forest will keep on living to another day and hopefully century.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

Regarding the clear cutting method for logging I wonder what percentage of the timber industry uses this method? In the media I know there are anti clear cutting articles but how much has this translated to actual practice. This question is slightly less about Andrews itself, and more about other less known forests and how lumber is harvested in modern times.

HJA 4

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

Concluding this book is, “Borrowing Others Eyes”. This refers to how different people interact with the forest and how their experiences differ. There is only one Andrews Forest, but a thousand different people who walk through it. Every single one looks at the forest in a different way, hearing different things and never observing it all. Different people focus on different things and not one person can process all the information out there. It is important to listen to what stands out to other people, because it may differ from your own.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

The main thing I took away from this concluding section was the amount of pure sounds the forest will have. I have been in deep caves where you cannot hear anything at all, and it is almost an alarming feeling. Being surrounded by not only tall trees but also the sounds of birds and insects will remind me how much is alive in the forest. All that life needs to be protected, but that can only happen if we observe it is there.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

Watershed hydrology is one of the topics presented in the ground work essays, and this is the study of how water moves in its environment. The reflection titled “Listening to water” best shows this key role water holds in the ecosystem. Here the author tells the story of the stream next to him. He presents the water as the life force behind the entire forest. Every drop of water on each leave, all the water in the stream, or dripping down his neck is connected. Every drop of water has the most stories to tell because it has traveled through the forest playing the most important role. For the author it is this water that supports the forest, not sunlight or other important nutrients. Yet much of this romanticized view is supported by the science in the ground work essay. Water does play one of the most important roles as it travels from the top of the mountain to the lowest valley, carrying important minerals and nutrients to living things that need it.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages

A more open ended question I have about Andrews forest, is how is the best way to preserve its legacy? Each person who wrote an essay came away with a totally different perspective. Everyone thought different of the forest. Yet most people agreed how special it was, and this makes me think that it needs to be shared with others.

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Portland 1-4

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Parr

Parr McQueen

https://flic.kr/p/L1eL5q

 

https://flic.kr/p/LjJXbZ

Portland 1:

Both books emphasize the study of place. Define the geographic concept of “place”. Illustrate the concept by describing the place where you are this summer.

Place is what makes a location different. There are many distinctions between locations that may have very similar characteristics. When looking at certain statistics many different geographical regions can seem to be exactly the same, when in reality they are very different What makes up the place are things that make these locations different from the places. Every place is unique and includes the people and things that cannot be found anywhere else. Most of my summer was spent on campus for research. The UR campus exists in a relative bubble of isolated learning. Sometimes it is hard to remember that there are real things going on in the outside.

Before reading this book, think about your preconceived idea of the City of Portland. From this introductory material, describe two things that matched your preconceived notion of Portland. Describe two things that you had not previously associated with Portland.

I enjoyed reading more about where Portland is described as an “Ecotopia” where alternative lifestyles flourished. I was again reminded of the common use of bicycles for transport and function, instead of simply recreation, this is a great thing. Similar to this is the commonness of renewable offsets for electricity, as I know this is something my family does because it costs very little but can have a big impact. One thing I was not aware of that has connections to Portland is the Cascadian Independence Project. I knew that many parts of Oregon are very rural and almost self governing, but I never made the connection that the more liberal city of Portland would be connected to this. Another thing I did not associate with Portland is their seeming obsession with beer, I pictured that as more of a Midwest thing.

Why did the authors choose to introduce Portland as a Cascadian City? What does it mean to be a Cascadian City?

The authors chose to introduce Portland as a Cascadian City because this is the best way to note the geographic location, without drawing in similarities to other cites. Other descriptors like north west or American would be too broad and non descript. It would make the reader try to imagine what that descriptor means and then assume Portland is exactly like the other cities which are described in that way. The word Cascadian allows the reader to see where Portland is, but it also shows how Portland is different. This in turn invites the reader to try to learn more about Portland. A Cascadian City is not defined by any straight lines on a map. One could define it by its water shed, or the tectonic plates or mountain range, but it is more then that. A Cascadian City is flexible, and it is this uncertainty and uniqueness defines Portland.

What is the essence of Portlandness? Why are maps a useful way of presenting this idea?

Portlandness is all of the things that make Portland a different place then other cites; from the eco-hippies and the public transport, to the craft brewers and the old fashion loggers. To understand Portland one cannot rely on “default interpretations” and instead need new perspectives. This book attempts to do that by collecting all the different maps, with all the things that define Portland as a place, and make it special.

For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives presented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

 Portland 2

 What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

This first section of the book focuses on the “Urban Landscape”. Landscapes traditionally refer to natural settings of foliage and assorted plants, but an Urban Landscape is different. Inside the city there is not much untouched by man. Everything was brought in, placed or created, for a reason. Changes could be done for the purpose of more housing or the light rail system and other public transport. Even simpler the Urban Landscape could be the trash on the sidewalk. But every city, and every place has different trash on their sidewalks, and different styles of buildings. These manmade differences between locations help form the Urban Landscape.

What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

The “Stop! Writing on Stop Signs” is an intriguing section that raises a few questions for me. I chose this section because the idea of stop sign graffiti is puzzling to me. The examples shown in the book are all supporting one cause or another. Someone cared enough to go write on the stop sign in an attempt to share their views with others. But this is still vandalism and I personally think would make the city less attractive, but it is not tagging or thoughtless destruction. For these reasons I would start to describe Portland as a place where its residents really care about issues. Then I would spoil that statement by adding that while the residents have great passion, they don’t always have productive ways to express that.

What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can. Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

Following the general idea of stop sign graffiti, I think a compelling map might be one of different bumper stickers on parked cars in Richmond. People love expressing their opinion on their cars, and I feel like mapping where different political or social view points are more common would be a fun way to describe Richmond.

Portland 3

 What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

This section is called the “The once and future city”, describing the fact that Portland can not be described with a single snapshot. Portland is always changing, as soon as someone takes the picture, it has changed already. Anything from street names, township organization to the political views of the residents. Cites are dynamic and Portland is no different. If anything, it seems that Portland is able to evolve at a faster rate, and respond to new and improved trends than other comparable cites.

What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

The section I focused on for this was “From Isle to Peninsula Swan Island”. Here the focus is on Swan Island, a place where extreme changes have happened. The city physically changed the landmass from an island to a peninsula, in order to improve transport and better use it as an airport. I chose this because it shows an extreme case of “The once and future city” physically changing their landscape. Most of the changes the city makes are minor, but the change that is happening right now has always been happening, and sometimes at an even larger scale. From this perceptive I would describe Portland as a place that is always looking for perfection, always looking for a better way and evolving into an improved form.

What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can. Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

A good way to illustrate this concept in the city of Richmond is to map out the the old rail road bridges that are no longer active. Over the James river there are a handful of old rail road brides that that are no longer in use. Many have degraded so much they are just concrete pilings in the sand. I have to imagine at one time these bridges were very active and carried thousands of tons of cargo or many people. Over time transportation trends have changed, and now Richmond has much wider highway bridges over the James. Comparing the new to the old shows the changing nature of the city by mapping out the important and very busy transport routes that were used at one time, but shifted to new locations.

Portland 4 

What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

This section is called “Views of the city”, which dives into the more qualitative aspects of Portland. Very few people care about statistics. Normal people don’t stay up late at night pouring over census data. What matters the most is how people feel about the city they are in. How the people there experience it, what stands out and how does it make them feel is much more important than population density.  It’s the using one’s gut to get a feel for what’s its like. These are the things people share with friends, not how many billboards there are per street.

What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

The perspective I chose to illustrate the concept is “Sounds of the city”. I chose this section because it is the perfect example of unquantifiable data. There is no way to describe the differences in how streets sound without recording hours of audio and listening to it back to back.  Its not just total decibels that matters, its what stands out, and what people hear. Maybe the cars on the street are louder, but when walking downtown one hears the street performer instead. After reading this section, I would describe Portland as very diverse. The map in the text shows many different sounds coming from very different sources all within the same close area.

What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can. Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

Building height could be used to represent this concept in Richmond.  A person walking downtown and next to buildings like Federal Reserve sees a totally different view then someone walking in the the suburbs sections. Building height is also a way to visually see different statistics like population density and maybe even rent without looking at plain numbers. If someone was just dropped in to different parts of the city and was not aware of the others he would think very different ideas about what Richmond is as a whole.

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Portland 1-4

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Yi-Hsin Lin

Portland 1

  • Place is a location that one associates a unique meaning or characteristic towards in order to distinguish it from other locations. However, Banis and Shobe argue that there are many different framings and viewpoints that can be associated with a place. For example, this summer I am situated at Miami, Florida which is a place generally associated with year-round summers, beautiful beaches, and a diverse Latin setting. Although these characteristics are not wrong, Miami, Florida for me is much less glorified than what the populous thinks. I think of Miami as constant blistering heat wave, with overwhelming traffic roads, and the home of some of the rudest people in the states; I frame Miami in a way that sounds much more negative, yet also true nonetheless.
  • I have always stereotyped Portland as a city of hipsters and all things weird, as well as a city with a great appreciation for the outdoor scene and wildlife. Banis and Shobe support both of these assumptions in the introduction. Portland is referred to a city containing high densities of food carts, breweries, coffee shops, carless commuting, and a unique art. The people are much more relaxed and adopt a “countercultural lifestyle that puts quality of live over material possessions and social status which definitely strays from the norms of most cities (Callenbach). Moreover, Portland is also viewed as an “ecotopia” where its residents are extremely ecofriendly: cycling heavy, high renewable energy usage, low waste emission. There is also its association to the distinct Cascadian area.
  • Introducing Portland as a Cascadian City is just one of many perspectives. However, Banis and Shobe felt the need to frame Portland this way because it is a view that is not well known and can also be seen through many different lenses. Often times, people like to view Portland in conventional ways as part of Oregon, the Northwest, and/or the West Coast. By calling Portland a Cascadian City, viewers can understand Portland in “different contexts and starting points.” To be a Cascadian city is to be recognized usually through geographical factors rather than through sociopolitical boundaries. According to Banis and Shobe, the determinants of a Cascadian City can be its bioregion, subduction zone, its proximity to the Colombian River, the people’s mentality and lifestyle, and its location towards the competitive free-trade region.
  • The essence of Portlandness is the combination of its most iconic traits and how true to scale it represents the entire city of Portland. The maps can highlight which areas in the city certain traits appear to be more prominent such as food carts, breweries, and environmentalist. Moreover, Banis and Shobe combined these traits onto one map and created a visual representation of Portlandness in relation to the actual region of Portland. Maps are ideal in presenting these ideas because it displays which characteristics actually embody Portland’s image and which are more of a cultural subset.

Portland 2

  • The Once and Future City: The main concept behind this section is how present day Portland came to be and explores the city’s rich history. Banis and Shobe explain Portland’s first emergence as a city in 1845 and what led to some of the distinct characteristics of Portlandness today. For instance, several immigrant residential areas have left its mark on modern day Portland such as Chinatown. This is because many immigrants flooded the area either due to the excitements of the gold rush in the late 1800’s, the convenience of a temporary home before moving further east, or the opportunity of cheap housing.
  • From Isle to Peninsula: This perspective highlights the modification of Swan Island to accommodate Portland’s expansion and progression. By following the Swan Island’s drastic changes throughout the years, one can see how the times have shifted Portland’s necessities and requirements.

Portland has made great efforts to develop its city in the past. For example, it has transformed Swan Island from an island to a peninsula, a ship building site, an airport, and back to a ship building site. Even despite the failed peninsula airport, Portland remained resourceful and recovered; “Immediately after the airport’s closure the island became a ship building center” (Banis and Shobe). Thus, I view Portland as a city with a very forward mentality.

  • Title: Richmond’s Time Machine

Richmond definitely has a deep and rich history. It was the capital of the confederate states, home to several historic landmarks, and city of iconic architecture. A map that shows the history of some of these landmarks and areas would effectively show the shift in trends and mindset- especially after the Civil War. The map would be an appropriate visual representation to understand why certain buildings were replaced with others while others were preserved.

The map will portray the areas of Richmond that has undergone the most drastic development. These areas will be dotted with a color that represents the changing characteristics over the years. A key will be used to identify the new development that occurred. For example, Belle Isle and Brown’s Island would show a high concentration of dots which would represent its radical change of purpose- from a munitions manufacturer during the Civil War to a hydroelectric plant during the industrial age.Something like this but with P.D landmarks as well

Something like this but with P.D landmarks as well

Portland 3

  • Views of the City: This section expands on the idea of psychogeography through the popular reimagining’s of certain areas of Portland. Depending on the environment, certain senses and impressions are imprinted in us. For example, neighborhoods and districts such as west of the Willimete River generate a more positive buzz, while the east side is commonly viewed as dull and isolated. People often generalize an area together based on its location and proximity to other areas despite being completely different in reality. As a result, these preconceived notions impact the way one views an area.
  • Third Graders Illustrate the City: Most people tend to link an area with a distinct building or feature to distinguish it from others. This section portrays the characteristics most people associate Portland’s topography by and the features that left the strongest imprint on the city’s people.

Portland seems to be a very family friendly, suburban area. Some of the more common stores such as Wendy’s, Starbucks, and Target give the impression that certain areas are pretty gentrified. This shouldn’t be surprising as it ranks the 6th whitest city in the U.S. However, other features such as the race track, Voodoo doughnuts, and the Rose Garden contribute to the city’s hipster and outdoorsy vibe. Furthermore, given that this is taken from a child’s perspective, Portland definitely has a wide array of entertainment options.

  • Title: Richmond More or Less

Similarly, a mental map would be ideal in portraying the most prominent and distinguishable characteristics of Richmond. The city is very diverse, from the family friendly neighborhood, Carytown, to the downtown district that hosts it’s famous “First Fridays”. The map would be useful in determining which part of Richmond sticks out to most people and leaves the strongest impression.  The map will display Richmond’s topography according to my interpretation. The UR campus will be my starting point as I begin to plot the other areas around it. To the NW from there is the heavily gentrified area of Short Pump where I would depict the movie theater and mall. To the SE is the quaint neighborhood of Carytown where I would draw the local hipster shops and restaurants like Shnydigz and Carytown Burger and Fries. Further SW is the downtown district where I would draw the health center where I intern and UR downtown. Further south from there is the James River and the Brown Island- my favorite place.

Portland 4

  • Social Relations: This section explains the social dynamic between the inhabitants of Portland (government, residents, and the different races). Banis and Shobe depict the actual reality between the people of the city: the increasing surveillance on the streets, the overestimated green impact, the neglect of its homeless, and the gentrification of black neighborhoods. It is easy to idolize a city such as Portland from afar: its eco-living, the friendly people, and a general countercultural movement, but it’s these relations within the community that puts the truth into perspective.
  • Redlining and Gentrification: Redlining is a very prominent issue in the Richmond area. There are still many areas in Richmond that are predominantly black because of redlining. It not only impacts the living condition of its inhabitants, but also tied to educational opportunities and job access. From my short time in Richmond, I have learned of the flawed Richmond Public Schools and the faulty transportation system. Both issues are centered around the limited neighborhoods accessible to the black population. Redlining creates a slippery slope for African Americans and only continues to contribute to racial inequality.

Portland remains a very gentrified city and can still improve on reducing its racial gap. It doesn’t come as a complete surprise because Banis and Shobe have hinted that the Cascadian city and its beautiful outdoor scene tends to attract upper-class white residents. Furthermore, Portland ranks the 6th whitest city in the U.S which gives the connotation that racial equality is not a priority and that African American residents are often left behind. Only once Portland acknowledges the severity of this issue and not brush it off like with their homelessness situation, will they be able to progress.

  • Title: Richmond’s Racial Gap

I would create a map that represents the housing disparity between African Americans and other races in Richmond. There is still a high concentration of predominantly black neighborhoods within the city. The map would portray the widely separated racial neighborhoods between African Americans and Caucasians. The east side of the city will be highly colored to represent the higher concentrations of African American residents due to redlining practices in the past whereas the west side will be lightly colored to represent the Caucasian dominant gentrified areas of Richmond.

More or less what I had in mind

More or less what I had in mind

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HJA 1-4

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Yi-Hsin Lin

HJA 1

  • Although I have never been here, I’d like to assume that the forest will be very similar to the Hammock Habitats of Florida: dense and thick vegetation that block the sun, humid and cool atmosphere, and the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Nonetheless, I am still excited to see conifer trees that protrude through the sky and the famous Lookout Creek.
  • Like with any topic, not everyone will interpret the forest the same way as others. People best digest information that is suited to their interests. To a hunter, the forest may be broken down to a more physical set as he maps out a series of routes and obstacles that can efficiently trap game. On the other hand, a writer may interpret the forest through how it makes them feel in order to express that feeling into their work. Often times we often see creativity and scientific inquiry as mutually exclusive; one view supports abstract ambiguous expression whereas in the other, accuracy and validity reign supreme. In reality, these two ideas go hand in hand and paints a clearer picture. Scientific inquiry needs character to give its findings meaning; it’s not enough just to take notes on what you see. However, creative inquiry needs to be based off of some physical inspiration or feeling. In a sense, looking at something through a fixed mindset is superficial.
  • The long-view predicts the future that humanity’s actions are currently leading to. As a result, we can remedy and prevent an undesirable outcome from occurring such as Global Warming. Most importantly, the long-view simply makes people consciously aware of what they can improve upon. In doing so, we can make gradual changes in our lives to eventually correct this issue. For example, I never would have reduced my meat intake if I hadn’t known how much CO2 is emitted to produce a pound.

HJA 2

  • “Research and Revelation” is an appropriate title for this section because it presents the forest in a way that most people overlook. The research is the observation of the forest’s system and being. The revelation is the understanding of such mechanics and functions. The section gives the forest its context and shape as it translates its hidden “language” (47) for people to understand. It expands on the forest’s overall identity: its history, its ecosystem, its relationship to other beings, and the rest of its complexions. The forest is gradually revealed to us through a new lens and “revelation.”
  • From the text, I’m definitely expecting to see the feathery conifer trees, the iconic Douglas Fir, and red cedar. However, there will probably be stretches of land that are clear due to past wildfires and/or clear cut logging. At the same time, I’m hoping to see some of those tree stumps sitting on slopes. Furthermore, as it rains fairly heavy in this region, thin layer of water droplets will probably cover the topography of the area.
  • The forest’s features, characteristics, and history is elaborated upon in the Ground Work essay “Natural history of the Andrews Forest Landscape.” It explains which plants are dominant, why parts of the landscape look the way they do, and what contributes to the forest’s overall temperament. However, through creative storytelling, the information becomes a much more relatable experience as seen in the essay “Interview with a Watershed.” The speaker addresses the forest as an alien being that humanity has lost connection to. He views his work as translating the forest’s language (measuring clarity of the streams, charting its temperatures) and re-bridging this divide.
  • I’m curious as to the approach researchers such as those in the essay take to minimize their impact on the field. What tools do they use, and which ones are they allowed to purposely leave on site? Is there a specific clean-up procedure at the end of their research?

HJA 3

  • “Change and Continuity” explains the natural occurrences that affects the forest. Change is explained as “decades of boredom punctuated by chaos” (120). There is the common conception that change is negative to an environment and the forest must endure the “chaos.” Yet at the same time, it is necessary to fluctuate the ecosystems development and progress species evolution. Wildfires, landslides, and floods have and will only continue to alter the forest. However, they offer a new understanding for the terrain and promote new growth.
  • There will probably be very drastic differences between areas in the forest. Some areas that have recently been affected by a disaster may look much newer with fresh growth sprouting. However, other areas may look untouched and much older. At the same time, I’m also really hoping to see a Northern Spotted Owl.
  • The Ground Work essay “Northern Spotted Owl” explains the radical decline of these endangered species due to habitat loss. Despite being a tragedy, these owls are represented as mere statistics -as faceless beings without any character. As a result, it becomes harder to sympathize and relate to these creature. Thus, creative story-telling is necessary to truly understand the issues at hand. From Maloof’s poem, Clear Cut, the reader sees the perspective of an owl witnessing the loss of its home. Despite gradual recovery, many owls are displaced and perish in the meantime.
  • Are there any intentional man-made changes applied to the forests such as a controlled-burn? If so, how does one weigh the cost and benefit of such actions to the ecosystem?

HJA 4

  • The section “Borrowing the Eyes of Others” addresses how people often generalize and perceive something from just one perspective. However, there is so much more going on around us that people commonly overlook such as the calls of native birds. The central message in this section is to go into something with a new mindset and fresh perspective. Relay ideas and views off of others because it will lead to a fuller experience.
  • The experiences we will come across in the forest may not be as clear-cut as I once thought. Everyone may -and probably- will interpret each scene and subject much differently than the other. For example, I know I’m probably going to focus on which plants are the “bullies” and outcompeting others when I look at the trees, whereas others may focus on the kinds of organisms that these plants attract. The takeaway here is to hear everyone out because it will add to everyone’s experiences.
  •  The Ground Work essay “Soundscape” explains the subtleties and sounds of the forest. There are many tones that people cannot hear and thus, we must rely on external machines to detect them. Despite our progression at understanding these sounds, we are still “very new to sensing and understanding the whole soundscape” (221). The essay, “Mind in the Forest”, paints a personal account of the speaker’s interaction andpsychogeography with the forest. His appreciation with a large Douglas Fir and the questions he has for it closes the distance between humanity and the wild. It’s soothing and creates an anodyne situation. The creative story-telling portrays the forest’s appeal and interaction with an “outsider” such as the speaker.
  • If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Just kidding- does adapting a malleable and varied perspective encourage the notion that there are no definite, correct answers?
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HJA

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Rachel Lantz

HJA 1

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Pacific yew in the Old Growth Forest

What do you expect to observe when we visit the forests of the H.J. Andrews?

I imagine I would see mosquitos due to the excess rain, the trails will be neat while the rest of the woods will be cluttered with plantlife and wildlife. The forest will also be unlike anything I have seen before due to the various data collection methods by scientists in the forest and the authors that are welcomed to the forest to reflect on their observations and find inspiration.

What are some different ways of telling the story of these forests? How do methods of creative reflection support scientific inquiry and vice versa?

The story of the forest can be told through imagination, metaphor, direct experience, and research. Since scientists and professional writers are present in the forest, their perspectives are both unique. The various thoughts in the forest bring the arts, humanities, and science together. These different viewpoints of reflection in the forest help to protect the land and to become closer to it.

Why is the long-view critical to understanding the role of humans in the natural world?

Committing to long-term observation and reflection in the H.J. Andrews forests will hopefully keep the forests alive since they will have someone to speak on their behalf. Two hundred years of commitment to this program will likely help the forests and give people hope that the forests will still be there in the future.

HJA 2

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A device collecting stream flow data in the Old Growth Forest

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

Research and Revelation was chosen as the theme for this section because each of the pieces are related to the impact of science on understanding the forest. The authors each showcase how scientists, their equipment, and the data impact the forest in unique ways. Scientists use this forest as a space to collect data and it is important for the authors to reflect on this relationship.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

Upon entering the forest, I would expect a mountainous terrain, evergreen conifers, and Douglas fir trees. The land suffers from floods during the rainy seasons which is almost year-round and landslides can happen occasionally. The trees will be newer due to a forest fire in the 1800s. Additionally, there will likely be wet and dry meadows, a quiet “biophonic landscape” (Brodie, et al. 36), and data collection by scientists.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

On pages 63 and 64, the author first explains the ecological “stem maps” and their use in the H. J. Andrews Forest and second reflects on the maps’ contributions to understanding the forest. While the first paragraph is an exposition of the tree mapping, the second provides commentary on the impact of these maps. This style of writing is important to understanding the impact of the science taking place in the forest. Also, instead of a textbook-like style of writing, the author takes a much more interesting route. The Ground Work chapter on decomposition begins by explaining that “decomposition is not very sexy” (Brodie, et al. 84). This hook’s the reader immediately and provides a different type of experience for the audience than reading a Wikipedia article about the forest.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

This chapter on Research and Revelation frequently refers to the data collection taking place within the forest. To what extent do the scientists’ devices and materials take away from the beauty of the forest?

HJA 3

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Overturned logs in the Old Growth Forest

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

The author chose the theme Change and Continuity for this section because each piece discusses both the changing and constant aspects of the H. J. Andrews Forest. For instance, the author discusses the disturbances that occur in the forest which include floods and landslides. There are many changing pieces of the forest that are emphasized in this section.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

After reading this section, I imagine that the forest will be filled with Douglas fir trees, shrub fields, rocky patches, and streams. There will also be many elevation changes that will prove to be exhausting. Along the path, we may see barred owls, white trillium, redcedars, spotted owls, and possibly the sounds of coyotes.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

In the chapter Ground Work: Disturbance, the author describes a flood that took place in the Andrews Forest. He describes the storms as “wet ‘pineapple express’” ones. The author provided specific details of the flood, especially the observations of the “stalwart” researchers (Brodie, et. al 120). Additionally, in the chapter Ground Work: Northern Spotted Owl, the author explains the declination of the northern spotted owl population and current solutions to saving the species. The author uses an expository writing style to discuss the owl species and its current status in order to fulfill the common theme of change and continuity.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

Are there certain species in the H. J. Andrews Forest that have been declining in population over the years?

HJA 4

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Making observations of the forest

Why was this theme chosen (e.g., Research and Revelation for Part One) to tell the story of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest?

The theme for this section of the novel is Borrowing Other’s Eyes because each piece is written in order to place the reader in the observer’s shoes and to imagine what the author sees. The purpose of the theme is to connect the reader to the forest and to create a sense of belonging for the reader. Most readers have not visited this forest or are about to and it is important that they are able to picture themselves in this environment.

What do you expect the landscape to look like from the passages in this section?

I expect to see water everywhere. In the Ground Work section on Water, the author describes the damp landscape and the excessive rainfall each year. Although in August there may not be as much rain, it rains the rest of the year. There are also likely to be mosquitoes since the forests are damp.

Provide an example or two of how the scientific context presented in the Ground Work essay is reflected in creative storytelling for the section.

In the Ground Work section on Water, the author illustrates the extent of rainfall the forest receives. He walks you through the forest and explains the feeling of dampness in the air as well as the sweat from trekking into the forest. Through the specific descriptions, one can truly imagine how much water is in Portland. The author’s style is similar in Soundscape since it is extremely vivid.

What’s a question you have about the forest from reading these passages?

Since the forest receives so much rain most of the year, are there times when the forest does not receive the proper amount of rain, thus affecting the wildlife and plants?

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