Nottingham Observations

1. Reducing single-use hot drink cups:

The coffee shop we went to used plastic cups if you were taking them out of the shop, and glass or ceramic cups if you were staying inside the shop. They did use paper straws instead of plastic for drinks. There was an incentive to bring your own reusable cup and you would receive 10% off of your drink.

1. Assisting mobility (walking and biking):

In the city and in the area we were assigned, The Meadows, Nottingham was designed to assist pedestrians, bicycles, and buses. With walking in the city, there was a great deal of signage to show you street names and a T sign at intersections, indicating what street you were on and what the streets lead to. The sidewalks were accommodating for pedestrians with crosswalks, “Give Way” signs, speed bumps in high traffic areas for cars, and a small median in double lane roads for people to wait in temporarily while crossing the street. Bike lanes and paths were present and Lime bikes were available for use throughout the city. Some of the signage was confusing in the city because it did not specifically tell you what streets were what but they did point to bus and tram stops. In the residential neighborhoods, street names were high up on buildings to indicate which street you were on. 

2. Assisting Navigation:

If you planned on using the bus, it was extremely accessible. There were multiple bus stops within one block that buses ran through at least every 5 to 10 minutes. Once you boarded the bus, they made it easy to understand where you were going and what the next stops were; It was announced and also on a screen in the bus. It was easier to know what bus to take with the use of a phone however, they had signs indicating where there were bus stops as well as maps of bus routes to help you decide what bus to take at bus stops. Each bus stop had an electronic sign indicating when and where the next bus was coming and going to. 

1. Historic Housing Estates:

The housing in the Meadows were in a grid pattern. The streets were smaller and street parking was common. Because the streets were smaller, when cars parked on the streets, they were often on the sidewalk which slightly blocked pedestrians walking paths. Many bus stops could be found in and around the subdivision and were easily accessible. The buildings ranged from 2 to 4 story buildings with the housing units in the middle of the subdivision having more green space and yards than the ones surrounding them. There was one big field at the side of the subdivision for some sport; half of it semi-well kept and the other half neglected. There were a few places of worship on the outskirts of the neighborhood that were Muslim and Pentecostal. By the Pentecostal church, the houses were significantly nicer than in the Meadows. There was a lot more diversity within the community with African American and Muslim families walking around. The area was moderately run down and not very well kept as there was trash along the streets and street signs were blocked off by overgrown foliage.

London Parks Quest

The park we explored, Primrose Hill, was rectangularly shaped with many paved walking paths. People who were in the park were walking around, running, walking their dogs, or sitting and relaxing. The park had a path leading up a hill with a clear view of London’s skyline. The park consisted of locals— mainly white young adults— and tourists— middle class of all ethnicities and nationalities. Navigating to and from the Generator seemed extremely intimidating and overwhelming at first. However, once my group worked together and took note of the signs posted, getting around proved to be quite easy. There was signage posted everywhere to locate your destination easily and when on the tube announcements— verbal and written— of where you were, what the next stop was, and where the train would be terminating were present. The only thing that was slightly unpleasant was at certain times the amount people on the tube and the heat.

The Embankment

Between the early 1800’s and mid 1900’s the docks housed working class people and were a place of transportation of goods. The river was a source of work where ports were made to expedite shipping goods. In its prime, certain docks were expanded to accommodate the supply and demand of the trade. During World War II, the docks were attacked during the London Blitz and reconstruction began with a new purpose of the land.

The Embankment shifted to a place of recreation and leisure for the middle class as new forms of technology surfaced. The Embankments restructure created a space for parks and business. The Thames is now used for sight seeing tours and is an attraction rather than a source of goods and jobs. The Embankment had places to sit and relax as well as ping pong tables and statutes for historical educational purposes. 

The museum was designed to simulate what the docklands looked like back then and what its main purpose was during the era of transport. It was for the working class and was worn down. Now the docklands pose a new era of money with not only attractions and leisure spaces but middle and upperclass housing as well. 

London Transport Museum 

Borough Market

Most food was packaged in paper, cardboard boxes or plastic. Baked goods were out on display but packaged in cardboard boxes when purchased. Produce was out as well but was packaged in plastic containers. Cheeses and meats were open and on display and packaged in a sort of parchment paper. Spices, sugar or flour was prepackaged on display in glass bottles, foil pouches or plastic containers ready for purchase. All of the food was pre-portioned and was not customizable.  There were labels for all products as well as signage and prices near the food or on a board.  Shoppers were carrying their purchases by hand and every so often in a bag they had, but was not given to them. Most people visited multiple booths. The people were from all different demographics and the majority if not all were tourists. The customers consisted of couples, some families and friends. 

Herrmannsdorfer Farm 

Upon arrival at the farm, immediately I wasn't a fan of how the pigs were being kept. There wasn't enough space, some were fighting and the older ones were separated from their mothers and one another. The farm I worked at in Berea had multiple fields that the pigs were in and were rotated once the field need break to recover, they had so much space where they could just be a pig, and they were never separated from their mothers or their litter later in life. I soon came to realize the way the farm was set up was a happy medium of servicing animal and human needs for a meat farm. Before I wasn't comparing to industry and mass production, I was just comparing my experience at Berea. 

I had to realize not all farms are like the ones I worked at and most of the meat farms in America are mass production where the conditions are 100 times worse than what was seen at Herrmannsdorfer Farm. Something this farm had that others I know lack is the slaughterhouse on sight. This definitely reduces the amount of stress an animal goes through because they don't have to experience long transports and it is also a place they are already familiar with. This farm shows that there are other ways of doing things in small spaces and that its possible to break away from mainstream industry but it just takes a little creativity, money and effort. 

Christof Mauch Lecture

I found many things in this lecture very interesting. One of my favorite things was about the shift of poverty to wealth in certain areas. It emphasized the importance of accessibility and the impact trains had. People live differently depending on what the ground looks like and what resources are readily available however with easier access, an area can go from peasant poverty to alpine tourism when people from different backgrounds come and use the land for various reasons. Another thing I found interesting was the culture and refusal to build up with a rapidly rising population. It makes me wonder what solutions they plan to go with to accommodate for the increasing population. Will it be possible to make everyone happy and stick to the old ways to solve the issue or are new and innovative ways going to rise up? This lecture showed that you can make use of even the most unpopular and non fertile lands as well as have green spaces in a big city. However, with that rising population will they be able to keep these green spaces if there is a refusal to build up?

Cycling in Munich

Although today was a fun experience, many problems arose in relation to the ability to cycle in the city. It was difficult attempting to navigate while also having to pay attention to signs, cars, pedestrians and other cyclists. People are more aware in Munich as opposed to Cincinnati, however, there are still deaths that are evident from the ghost bikes that were seen. Most of them were by intersections which makes me believe there needs to be a better system for cars and cyclist. Possibly a raised road for cyclists or cars so there is more separation or more places where cars and bikes don't share the same road so there is separation. A raised road for cyclist would be ideal so there is no constant stopping and starting.

 I do like how they are working on a biking path around the outside of the city but that doesn't address the issue for navigating on the inside of the city.  I could potentially see myself riding to school and work on a bike if it was in Munich but not Cincinnati. Things are spread out so much more in Cincinnati and you would have to take a highway or backroads in order to get where you need to go resulting in taking a lifetime to reach your destination. Because it is more accessible and popular to bike in Munich, people are also more aware and conscious of said bikers. Biking in both cities is still dangerous but there are more cycling deaths in Cincinnati than in Munich.