Research Blog

This past week I had to submit my first research blog for the Global Urban Lab class.
I was initially frustrated because we were given very little instruction on what was required. There were very little instructions on the length or format or what we needed to include. It just seemed general. But in the end I put something together.

Here is the link to my Research Blog: London Olympics 2012 and Policy

I had to put it on the Rice blogs website, otherwise I would have just included it here. Make sure to check it periodically for updates! It won't have as many....only 4 or 5 posts during the semester.

I also started my Research Lab Book. This is where I will keep detailed information about the progress of my project. It will have sources, hopefully transcribed interviews, and other information that I gather. I would put it up but I'm not quite sure how to do that because it is a word document.

Also....
I wanted to share my working paper for Dr. Emerson. This paper was optional but I had already started it. However, I haven't sat down to finish it. I will eventually. The assignment was to read all of the articles/chapters that Dr. Emerson sent us (more than 100pgs) and connect concepts of urban theory to London and/or the Olympics.

---------------------------------------------------WORKING PAPER----------------------------------------------------

In the late twentieth century, the transformation of the economy into a more globalized network renewed the importance of major cities as sites for markets, production, and innovation. One consequence of the rise of the global city has been urbanization, or the “development and extension [of the] complex traits which make up the characteristic mode of life in cities” (Wirth 1938:148). With urbanization, nations have also witnessed social and cultural changes that go beyond the cities’ administrative boundaries (Wirth 1938; Florida 2003). Today a global city like London is much more than just an international economic nucleus. London is also an intellectual and creative center, a “luxury resort” (Glaeser 2011), a multicultural city of immigrants, and the host of the 2012 Olympics. Particularly in light of the Olympics, London has captured the world’s attention. For London, however, the importance of hosting the Olympics will go beyond the sporting events into the transformation of a once overlooked area. As the East End witnesses a surge of growth and revitalization, it will be important to take notice of the legacy of the Olympics. The presence of the games and hence the extension of urbanism will be sure to bring lasting effects to the multiethnic community of the East End. It is yet to be determined, however, whether these effects will be overwhelmingly positive or negative for the surrounding neighborhoods and those who live there.

Place Matters: London

Though many predicted that cities would become obsolete due to the globalization of economic activity, it is still clear that place matters when it comes to international cities (Sassen 2006). Firms and markets still require central places and with them comes urbanization, unconventionality, and societal changes (Fischer 1975). London, for example, is both a leading center of global finance and a cosmopolitan capital. It is a playground for the rich (Glaeser 2011) and also home to large numbers of the “creative class” (Florida 2003). As in other global cities, the creative class has flocked to London to take advantage of the economic opportunities, the stimulating environment, and the varying amenities for different lifestyles (Florida 2003). London pulls people together, drawing from both the richest members of society and the poorest of the immigrants. This array of diversity has enriched the city and contributes to the magnification of humanity’s strengths (Glaeser 2011). Thus, globalization has created changes in society, culture, work, and immigrant economies of global cities (Sassen 2006). For this reason, understanding London as a city is important if one wants to understand urbanism and the cultural changes of our time.

Urbanization and Multiculturalism

Urbanism as a way of life has had varying social effects on cities and surrounding communities. Originally, urban sociologists saw the city as a study of human ecology, where critical masses of people resulted in the alienation and anomie of individuals (Wirth 1938).  Although people today may not see urban cities as places of anonymity, many studies still describe cities as places that break down social mores, where people can be free from social conventions (Fischer 1974; Glaeser 2011; Florida 2003). Fischer (1975) described this “unconventionality” as deviance and invention. Unlike Wirth (1938), Fischer (1975) believed that crowding does not derange people. Instead, it creates unconventionality that stems from the variety, strength, and diffusion of subcultures. As urbanism increases, subcultures within a city are strengthened. This subcultural intensity in turns encourages and tolerates unconventionality (Fischer 1975).

London is certainly an example of subcultural intensity and toleration of unconventionality. People from all over the world have settled in different London neighborhoods, ranging from ethnic enclaves like Brick Lane to multicultural boroughs like Newham. Over 300 languages are spoken in London, and the city has “at least 50 non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more” (Benedictus 2005). Furthermore, the 2001 census found that 30% of London residents were foreign born (Benedictus 2005). Such a numerous presence of immigrants and varying ethnicities have given rise over time to policies of multiculturalism. British multiculturalism is a philosophy that legitimizes diversity and attempting to foster both cultural differences and a sense of unity (Abbas 2005). The question of multiculturalism, however, has been at the forefront of politics since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the London bombings of 2005. Political leaders have begun to question whether multiculturalism has caused fragmentation instead of integration into the mainstream British life (Abbas 2005). These issues of multiculturalism will continue to be important as London grows as a city and prepares to host the Olympics. This is so because the borough that will host the Olympics, Newham, is located in the East End and is one of the most multiethnic but poorest boroughs.

The London Borough of Newham is located about 5 miles east of central London. With a population over 270,000, it also has one of the highest ethnic minority concentrations of all boroughs (Greater London Authority 2007).