SOC205: 1. Intro

Question 1

Cities through the ages: common ground and divergent paths

Answer 1

History of Cities
Layers of civilization - groups of people and culture overtaking others
Layering takes time

Question 2

Cities through the ages: common ground and divergent paths

Answer 2

Depictions of early settlements and modern settlements
Technology changing: agriculture, economics, businesses, architecture, size
Size: concern that family life will be undermined resulting in loose affiliations

Question 3

Cities through the ages: common ground and divergent paths

Answer 3

Level of inequality: less inequality in early civilization - did similar jobs, populations threatened with extinction
took time to gain control and overcome conditions and build cities

Question 4

Cities through the ages: common ground and divergent paths

Answer 4

there are dramatic improvements despite the inequality
challenges: nuclear technology that can be harnessed
Human organizations, ideology, politics that drive society
Different stakeholders in city politics

Question 5

Public transit

Answer 5

Widely contested in Toronto
Canadians in general are more likely to use public transit
investments haven’t been made to increase public transit

Question 6

Public transit

Answer 6

Toronto in between: North American focus on planning, but has healthy inner city realm and pedestrian environment akin to European cities

Question 7

Urban idealism and reality

Answer 7

Reality different from ideal

Question 8

Cities are the crucibles of art and culture, which is often often created under duress

Answer 8

High margin on business that boost economy
Wealth effect on creative business
selling vision of creative classes
small proportion of people that create

Question 9

Spatial Disadvantage

Answer 9

Where you live, your social and physical environment (cumulative exposure) determines identity, how we see the world and our spatial disadvantage

Question 10

Spatial Disadvantage

Answer 10

To what extent are we restricted by boundaries and to what extent do we have agency

Question 11

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 11

1953 Vantage of Postwar Problems on Oak St, Toronto Dirty, cold, crowded, unsafe, unhappy, privacy issues
Focusing on the material, Regent Park was in improvement 5 rooms, space for everyone
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Question 12

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 12

Bathrooms, nicer kitchen
Clean, new
Better Entrances/Exits
Assumption that social problems would evaporate with better housing
What would today’s video “Farewell Regent Park” be like? Many demographic and social changes to the residents

Question 13

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 13

Gender roles, family composition, ethnic and racial diversity, role of
television and internet in time use

Question 14

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 14

Optimism
characterized with poverty
street prior to Regent Park
lots of issues portrayed in community - e.g. privacy
focused on material aspects

Question 15

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 15

Doesn’t talk about benefits of the existence of an old street
monolithic developments largely abandoned

Question 16

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 16

more optimistic autocentric thinking postwar - problems and issues were unforeseen at the time
modernist ideal, improving material quality to people’s lives
advocating for improving Oak St.

Question 17

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 17

Globalization occurs in demographics, social changes
We don’t really know the future - technology has created major changes
e.g. single living from extended family living

Question 18

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 18

small streets important for connectivity, safety, location of businesses
areas difficult to police themselves - high levels of fear

Question 19

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 19

new community design addressing problems of design in the 20s
good facilities
more density of residents and businesses
good quality of buildings and public spaces
weren’t many jobs and public spaces

Question 20

Farewell Oak Street

Answer 20

some neighbourly connections were destroyed

mixing in ownership and rental units, greater commercial volume is being done in other cities