Final Gallery

This is a photo of downtown Chongqing. As you can see there are a lot of people crowded into the area which shows the population growth. This photo was taken in May of 2012 by photographer Archey Firefly.

This is a photo of the corner of my block. You can see several students with their backpack on getting ready to go to class. I believe this photo matches the student theme of my block. This photo was taken by Nick Willingham on January 17th, 2017. 

This course has taught me a lot about the area that I have lived in over the past couple years. Not just about my block, but the entire University District as a whole. Whether it be how things came about in certain areas, or what was there over one hundred years ago, these site reports, lectures, and readings have educated me on the development process of areas all over the world. Chicago on the Yangtze, written by Christina Larson, is a great example of an area that I have never heard about but got to know what it was like to live there. For example, when talking about the development of the city, Larson explains that “Chongqing’s economy has grown at an ever steeper rate since it was made a direct city. But though the area is growing rapidly, most of its residents are hardly rich.” (Larson, p.5) Without even hearing about this city beforehand, after reading this article, I am amazed on how this city is transitioning into becoming one of the biggest cities in the world. It is readings like this that have made me see the world now in a different light.

When I walk down ordinary streets that I have grown accustomed to visiting, I start noticing the rhythms of people and how they interact with the area. I had not done this too often before this course but now it seems like second nature. When looking at my block, I see students who are striving to be great. This area is so student friendly with all sorts of coffee shops and a brand new dorm located at the corner of the block. Although many people think school can be boring, this area gives the students a positive vibe that they can take into the classroom. Overall, after researching my block and the entire university district, I can start to notice the themes of urban development. The main one I noticed was culture. Developers try and find the style or culture of people in certain areas and match that with what they put into that area. A great example of this is found all around the University District as developers have catered their developments towards students. Throughout this course we have been examining all sorts of developments, especially those in the Seattle area. Through this I have gotten familiar with the themes behind developing areas and I will notice these wherever I go.