Images of Sprawl: Pro - and Anti-urban Myths

Beatuy is in the eye of the beholder...

 

            Urban geographers employed perceptive mapping techniques to examine a host of issues, including migration, consumer behaviour, residential mobility, residential preferences, perceived neighbourhood areas and images of the city (Pacione 2005, 35).

The behavioural approach sought to overcome the shortcomings of spatial analysis, by highlighting the role of reasoning and decision-making processes in mediating the relationship between the urban environment and people’s spatial behaviour in which these images are created by.

           Though images influence one’s perception of a place, experiences bestows one with the knowledge and understanding of cities.
Each image may give a different story to the viewer and each experience varies according to the person.

 

 

 

A radical change in urban imagery?

This refers to our images of the city and how these affect our behaviour and lifestyle in the postmodern city.

Hence I would be using a traditional concept of the Pro- and Anti-Urban Framework but putting a post-modern twist to it.

 

                                 Laventille

Chaotic or Civilised?
Laventille maybe notoriously know for crime and violence however for the persons living within this sprawl, it is a places of solid community networks and social strongholds.

So I ask again, chaotic or civilised?

 

 
                                                                                                                         Carapo

Alienating or Romantic?

These single family households are common to sprawls however is it a form of isolation or is this the post-modern way of recreating a bonding family unit where basic necessities must be shared in order to survive.

So I ask again, alienating or romantic?

 

 

                            Caroni

 
Dangerous or Exciting?

Often due to the lack of fiscal input to the economy sprawling area are subject to poor services and degraded infrastructure, however coming home from a stressful day at school and having to ‘walk the plank’ to get inside your yard can be quite electrifying or even thrilling don’t you think?

So I ask again, dangerous or exciting?

                                                                                                                     Carapo

                                                                          

Sprawling or Diverse?

Many persons seek refuge on the periphery of CBD due to the ease of access to resources and the belief of a better standard of living. These areas can be of heterogeneous diversity where unique behaviours, such as hanging one’s clothes out on a line, create new dimensions and visual interest to these zones.

So I ask again, sprawling or diverse?

 

 

                             Arima

Polluting or Liberating?

Pollution is consider as contamination of the land or natural environment thereby reducing aesthetic value however isn’t the act of getting rid of waste a form of freedom, emancipating oneself from reminders of the past and moving forward by obtaining new items?

So I ask again, pollution or liberation?

 

 

                                                                                                                  Malabar

Fragmentation or Cultural?

Graffiti is somewhat consider a way of self-expression. This artistic aspect reminds by-passers of the close community cliques that belong to these neighbourhoods that maybe formed due to social similarity.

So I ask again, fragmentation or cultural?

These examples highlight the way in which the managing of urban imagery can shift with the context within which representations are examined (Hall and Barrett 2012, 219).
 

Often one's knowledge of the world is influenced by how it is represented by the media, films and conversations.

Thus it can be assumed that people's interpretations of cities are mostly subjective and though images are often inundated with ambiguity. This post seeks to evoke many stimulating and provocative perceptions of sprawls located outside of these cities and relate them to behaviour to determine if these images can be classed as pro or anti-urban.

Go through each one again, evaluate the pictures.

What do you really think?

Do the pro- and or anti-urban categories match the images?

References

Hall, T. and H. Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. 4th ed. London/ New York: Routledge.

Pacione, Michael. 2005. Urban geography: A Global Perspective. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.