Talk of the Town

The article presents an interview with Rachel Valenziano, ASLA, an associate at TEN x TEN Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, and the first recipient of the Roger Bond Martin Travel Prize. This $10,000 fellowship, established by the ASLA Minnesota Chapter and the University of Minnesota, is awarded annually to an emerging landscape architect. Valenziano recently returned from Rome, where her project concentrated on the city's "everyday and the in-between" aspects. Valenziano explains her choice of Rome, highlighting the city's rich history, politics, and constant change, which she describes as a "lasagna" of layers. Her project intentionally focused on exploring areas exclusively within walking distance, anticipating that every location would offer meaningful narratives for investigation through pedestrian movement. Preparations for the experience involved extensive reading and discussions with individuals interested in walking as a practice. A significant part of her preparation centered on experimenting with various drawing techniques. She aimed to create long, linear drawings to document her walks and refined these methods before her trip to effectively capture her observations. Valenziano details how her experimental drawing approach influenced her perceptions during the walks. She realized the impracticality of creating a single drawing that encompassed an entire day's journey across the city, leading her to concentrate on distilling ideas. During her time in Rome, she also utilized GPS to track her movements, generating a map that visually represented her path through the city. This digital trace, she notes, revealed the main thoroughfares and the underlying urban fabric, effectively becoming a form of drawing with her body in space. She found inspiration in Richard Long's work, which explores the traces left by walking, with her digital tracks serving a similar purpose. She recommends three influential books that guided her project. The first is Francesco Careri’s *Walkscapes*, which examines walking as an aesthetic practice and chronicles its history as an art form. The second, *Through Time and the City: Notes on Rome* by Kristi Cheramie, is noted for its ability to distill Rome's complex, layered history. The third, Will Self’s *Psychogeography*, helped her to frame her role as an observer and a designer, maintaining a degree of detachment from her immediate surroundings. Valenziano acknowledges the inherently romantic nature of her project, emphasizing her desire to find inspiration and delight. She contrasts this with the potential for cynicism, particularly concerning contemporary issues like climate change, and advocates for designers to appreciate intriguing moments and develop a keen eye for detail. Despite the romantic ideal, she admits there were moments of unpleasantness and days when she chose not to draw, opting to engage in the creative process only when genuinely inspired. Timothy A. Schuler, a contributing editor at the magazine, conducted the interview. Schuler's work has appeared in various publications, including *Metropolis*, *Bloomberg CityLab*, and *Places Journal*. #RachelValenziano #RomeTravel #LandscapeArchitecture #WalkingResearch #RogerBondMartinTravelPrize #UrbanExploration #DrawingTechniques #Psychogeography

The Village, situated in the Lower Quarry adjacent to the UCSC Farm and Garden, offers an apartment-style community designed for continuing and transfer students seeking a more independent living experience. This community is characterized by its peaceful setting, surrounded by redwoods and native landscaping, providing a secluded feel away from the main campus activity. The Village emphasizes a co-operative atmosphere through shared houses, a communal kitchen, and a community garden, fostering a strong sense of community among residents. The housing options at The Village include shared residence houses with single and small double bedrooms, shared bathrooms, and one kitchenette per house. A meal plan is not mandatory for residents, though voluntary meal plans are available. Eligibility for The Village extends to continuing and new transfer students. The residence houses are single-story and can be single-gender or mixed-gender, with all-gender bathrooms designed for privacy. Each room is furnished, and specific floor plans are provided to give a general idea of the room layout and configuration, though furniture arrangements may vary. The Village offers various community living options, allowing residents to indicate their preferences during the housing application process. These options include LGBTQIA+ Housing, which promotes an open and supportive environment for all identities and allies, available in mixed-gender areas. Mixed-Gender Housing allows students of any gender to live on the same floor or in the same apartment, with single-gender bedrooms and mixed-gender bathrooms featuring private toilet and shower stalls. Single-Gender Housing is also available, where students of a single gender live together, and bathrooms are primarily used by individuals identifying with that gender, with availability dependent on demand. Beyond basic amenities, The Village provides unique features that enhance its community living. These include community buildings with kitchen stations, a laundry room with washers and dryers, and a TV lounge for community events. A community garden further supports the co-op-like environment. The community benefits from on-site staff, including a live-in Coordinator for Residential Education and student staff who organize activities and assist residents. A nighttime Residential Community Service Partner patrols the grounds, helping with lockouts, policy enforcement, and emergencies. Transportation around The Village is convenient, with access to nearby campus and city bus services, night shuttles for pick-up and drop-off, bicycle storage racks, and adjacent bicycle paths. A staircase provides quick access to shuttle stops, the East Remote parking lot, and walking paths. For mail, Village residents use their affiliated college address. Post-move-in, residents can obtain a Housing Verification letter through the Housing Portal for official purposes. Contact information for The Village housing office and UCSC Student Housing Services is provided for inquiries regarding room assignments, contracts, and billing. The Village underscores a commitment to inclusivity, with all programs and services being accessible and respectful of all identities, in line with the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. #StudentHousing #UniversityHousing #UCSC #ApartmentStyleLiving #CommunityLiving #SharedHousing #ResidentialLife #CampusAmenities #TransferStudents

Red Young, a journalist and lifelong resident of Hell’s Kitchen, discusses his deep connection to the neighborhood and his involvement in local activism. Young was born and raised on W45th Street, a detail he mentions with pride. He describes Hell's Kitchen as his 'heart and soul' and emphasizes that his work there is ongoing. His first job was at the AMC Empire movie theater on W42nd Street, where he earned $7 an hour. Currently, Young works as a journalist, covering culture, technology, and New York City politics. He also founded Down to Earth, a media company that produces podcasts, social content, and a newsletter focused on health, well-being, and community happiness. A significant portion of his time is dedicated to organizing tenants in Hell’s Kitchen, advocating for housing freedom and community ownership, highlighting his commitment to the area's residents and their rights. Young shares a memorable 'New York minute' from his childhood, recalling when a man free-climbed the newly opened New York Times building on 8th Avenue. He observed that the crowd quickly dissipated, with one man remarking that the climb was unimpressive due to hand placements on the facade, suggesting anyone could do it. This experience led Young to realize that it is difficult to impress a New Yorker. He expresses his affection for Hell’s Kitchen by calling it "an engine of novelty and unpredictable outcomes," where people, places, and things are random and memorable. He sees it as the "center of the matrix" and a "living, breathing GTA server." Young personifies Hell's Kitchen as the "kitchen to this hell" if Times Square is the "crossroads of the world," suggesting it's where "the good stuff is cooked up." He highlights the diverse cast of characters from across the globe, each contributing unique qualities and behaviors that might puzzle outsiders but endear them to natives. He notes the architectural variety of the blocks and the distinct mindset of its inhabitants, further stating that the neighborhood’s gritty landscapes and incessant noises become missed when one is away. His personal 'superpower' or hidden talent is being a chameleon, adapting to various situations and blending in seamlessly, along with the ability to wiggle his ears. Young’s life philosophy is rooted in service and sacrifice for the greater good. His primary goals include preserving and developing Hell’s Kitchen communities, ensuring permanently affordable housing, establishing faith and educational institutions, creating parks and green spaces, promoting tech and media literacy, and providing access to reliable healthy nutrition. After achieving these goals in Hell's Kitchen, he plans to extend his efforts to the rest of the city and beyond. The article also lists Young's favorite places in Hell's Kitchen, including Mathews-Palmer Playground, Hudson River Park, Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine, Healthy Market (Abdul’s Deli), his pre-war tenement building, Poseidon Bakery, PDL Vintage, El Mil Sabores Mexican Food, and Kausa, detailing why each spot holds significance for him. #HellsKitchen #NewYorkCity #CommunityActivism #Journalism #TenantRights #LocalCulture #UrbanLife #RedYoung #WestSideStory

The folk song “Little Boxes,” written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962 and popularized by Pete Seeger, critiques the perceived homogeneity of suburban life, particularly in places like Daly City. The song’s lyrics describe houses made of "ticky tacky" that "all look just the same," and generalize the residents as conforming to a narrow, middle-class lifestyle, characterized by attending university, playing golf, and drinking martinis. This portrayal gained traction as an anthem against anti-middle-class conformity, suggesting that mass-produced housing leads to mass-produced, bland individuals. While the song accurately captures the architectural uniformity of Daly City’s tract housing, an urban-planning scheme primarily driven by cost efficiency rather than cultural enrichment, the article argues that its depiction of the residents is now entirely false. The author, having lived in Daly City, asserts that the current inhabitants are far from homogeneous. In the 1960s, the Westlake neighborhood, for instance, was indeed a whites-only suburb, mirroring the conformity observed in places like Levittown. However, over the past 60 years, the demographic landscape of Daly City has undergone a significant transformation. As of the 2010 census, Daly City is one of the most densely populated cities of its size in the U.S. and boasts a highly diverse population. Its residents are comprised of 55.6% Asian, 23.6% white, 23.7% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6% African American, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 0.4% Native American, 11.1% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Notably, Daly City has the highest concentration of Filipino and Filipino Americans among comparably sized North American cities. This multicultural reality stands in stark contrast to the song’s generalized characters. The author’s personal experience further illustrates this diversity, describing living in a vibrant home filled with Filipino art and colors, where housemates were from various backgrounds and spoke multiple languages. This environment was far from the sterile, safe suburbia depicted in the song. The article highlights that while the architectural form of Daly City has largely remained consistent, its social fabric has evolved dramatically, becoming a model of diversity and multiculturalism rather than middle-class conformity. This transformation in Daly City reflects a broader trend across America, where majority-white neighborhoods have seen substantial declines, rendering the social critique of “Little Boxes” less accurate today than it was at its inception. #DalyCity #FolkMusic #SuburbanLife #UrbanDiversity #MalvinaReynolds #PeteSeeger #TractHousing #Multiculturalism #ArchitecturalHomogeneity