Community Description Terminology

Outdoor Market - a place where there is a trading of goods between vendors and consumers. It is an open air market comprised of a variety of vendors selling a range of products.

Enclave - a small, tight knit community of people that have something in common. In this case, it is a cultural and ethnic connection that brought Italians together in this area of Philadelphia. Most of the Italian immigrant activity in Philadelphia was in the area that is currently called the Italian Market.

Settle - to move into, reside, and maintain a living in a certain area in time and space. Comfort and confidence follows after one is settled. Immigrants would settle together in one place to provide support for one another.

Accessibility - the degree of ease with which an area or place can be reached by a range of individuals. Accessibility is measured by time, barriers, and physical output necessary. In the Italian Market area there is a problem with handicap-accessible entrances, small walkways, too much automobile traffic, and cars and trucks blocking walkways. The lack of accessibility can make an area impossible to navigate by a certain group of people.

Geographic Outline - can also be called a boundary or border. A geographic outline has rigid and defined lines which can be found on a map or aerial photograph. Geographic outlines can be useful in planning, zoning, GIS, and map-making, but not so useful with sociological or environmental issues.

Environmental Ethical Dilemma Terminology

Ethical Framework - a complex structure of concepts and ways in which we ought to handle certain situations. An ethical framework is heavily based on moral determinations at a personal and social level. A person's ethical framework is learned throughout life and affects nearly every aspect of decisions they make through time.

Environmental Issues - any issue in society at any level that has a relationship with the environment. Nearly everything can be traced back to being an environmental issue. Some examples would be water rights, pollution, deforestation, global warming, and habitat destruction.

Greenspace - an open space, especially in an urban area, that is comprised of grass, trees, shrubs, and other flora. A greenspace is undeveloped and provides opportunity for recreation, wildlife habitat, and relaxation. Greenspace can also be referred to as a greenbelt. Greenspace can increase property value for those around it and improve quality of life.

Continuum - a set of thoughts or positions that can be organized along a single plane. An example of an easy continuum is a series of opinion that could be situated from not likely to highly likely. Every respondent would be able to place themselves on this continuum.

Urban Settings - the context and surroundings around a particular urban area. To be urban is usually defined as being in a city. Some typical things found in urban settings are high density living, high numbers of residents, many businesses, large buildings, harsh structural landscapes, and little naturally growing vegetation.

NYC Horse and Carriage Controversy Terminology

Right - that which is socially, lawfully, or morally correct. In most cases this term is defined by one's personal experience in life. What is "right" to me is not necessarily "right" to someone else. To make a right decision is to weigh the costs and benefits of all alternatives and make a decision that is the most beneficial to all of those involved.

Congested City - an urban area that is filled with a high level of automobile traffic, pedestrians, and mass transit where there are not enough outlets to comfortably support such high levels. Congestion causes mental stress on humans and animals and physical and biological stress on the environment and health. There is also a greater contribution to pollution.

Economy vs. Environment - the classic competition between environmental issues and economic issues. The environment in this equation can include human health, wildlife health, or environmental quality. The economy can be at any level, either micro or macro. Environment usually loses in the equation, because people can identify with other people losing their jobs or homes. To fight for the environment usually means to look to long-term goals rather than the short-terms views that economic benefits provide.

Health Environment - those conditions that dictate the overall health of a living organism. In the case of carriage horses, the working and living environments have a great impact on the physical and mental health of the horse. Having to breathe noxious fumes, constantly walk on hard surfaces, and wear heavy leads lead to the horses only being able to work for 4 years.

Environmentally-friendly - any service, act, or product that does not contribute or contributes minimally to further negative impact on the earth. Some examples of being environmentally friendly are recycling, reusing, electric autos, riding bicycles, and organic farming.

Urban Landscape Juxtaposition Terminology

Landscape - the visual image of a defined area in a certain space and time. A landscape is comprised of all of those layers that make up that visual image, which includes natural and cultural features. The urban landscape that is described in this blog includes those things starting at the ground level and working up that interact with one another and can be seen in the same image.

Gentrification - the process by which a neighborhood or area is transformed from lower to higher values. This process often displaces the lower income former residents to make way for high income residents. Gentrification is not merely a real estate or economic transformation, but also involves the social and cultural changes that occur as a result of the process.

Urban Environments - in an urban setting, the environment includes a very wide array of disciplines, including sociological, geological, geographical, and biological aspects. It is the surroundings that make up a given area. The environment involves constant interaction and manipulation from natural and human actors.

Open space - any publicly or privately owned space that is either undeveloped or purposely planned to serve as a park or natural area. An open space is an area that is devoid of buildings and the like. An open space serves the purposes of agriculture, natural buffer zone, wildlife habitat, or recreation that help to increase the value of life for those in the area.

Pocket parks - small plots of land set aside in urban areas that usually are planned to improve the environmental value of a neighborhood. Pocket parks are usually used by dog owners and residents that need a place to relax. They also provide a habitat for wildlife such as squirrels and birds.

My Community Terminology

Community - the places, people, and things, including businesses, streets, residents, services, visitors, and natural environment, that I interact with on a daily basis. A community is the area, not necessarily a rigid geographic area, where one feels most comfortable. Those people that also share the same community have at least one thing in common. The commonalities can be geographic, cultural, or personal. A community goes beyond the physical structures of a defined area.

Area - a physical, geographically defined place without solid borders. Area is a measurement of space and can be used to define a variation of sizes. The scale of the area for this purpose is large scale in geographic terms. The area geographically encompasses a few square blocks and only hundreds of people.

Juxtaposition - the placement of two or more objects, situations, or settings next to or in close proximity of one another. For this purpose, a juxtaposition has a negative context and provides a shock value. One of the objects for comparison usually serves a greater importance than the other, but are not usually comparable at the same level. A juxtaposition in the environment usually pits health against economic benefits, but not always.

Environment - in an urban setting, the environment includes a very wide array of disciplines, including sociological, geological, geographical, and biological aspects. It is the surroundings that make up a given area. The environment involves constant interaction and manipulation from natural and human actors.

Cultural history - the historical process based on cultural determinations. Cultural history is heavily dependent on traditions and interactions within a certain cultural community.