Walking Tour Report, Westside PDF

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mandatory walking tour on Westside...

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HON- 210 -City Planning Report

March 15, 2021 Spring 2021

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Walking Tour Westside Jersey City The main campus of New Jersey City University (NJCU), has a combination of old buildings as well and new buildings. When looking at the buildings, all the differences can be noticeable. For instance, some buildings have specific features that indicate that they have been made at different times and not at the same time. The only two buildings that seem to have similar textures and similarities are the library and Rossy Hall, while the Karnoutsos building and Hepburn Hall along with the science building and others represent different features. However, The first building that was built was Hepburn Hall, and since then NJCU kept growing, after that, the Karnoutsos building was then built in 1955, then was the Grossnickle Hall which was built in 1962. Followed by that building the dormitory Vodra Hall in 1964. The school, however, kept expanding, and in 1970 the Rossey Hall was built, making NJCU develop more. NJCU kept increasing quickly and six years later the Student Union Building was built. Then the second dormitory was built which was the coop dormitory in 1989. After that, the Science Building. Which it can be noticed that it is the only building at NJCU that has a lot of glass on the exterior replacing walls, besides, the building is not similar to any of the other buildings. This building was made using the idea of Le Corbusier because his vision of future houses was a structure without walls, instead just the structure inside the house. All of these changes from the last to the new are great in not only expanding NJCU but we can also look at the history behind it by looking at the buildings. Of course, once you get to the main campus it can be noticeable where the main buildings are because each of the buildings represents different expressions. For instance, Hepburn Hall seems like it is the main building, and most important, seems that it is not open for someone to spend time there. Now, one thing that could be missing on campus could be some signs which indicate the locations inside the campus. It could be a map

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on the entrance that indicates and briefly, says something about each building. This because NJCU has been continuously growing and it keeps growing. The one thing that NJCU provides is safety, security guards can be seen around campus, and right in the middle of campus, the main security guards are located. Now, the best thing about the NJCU campus is that there are no places that are more crowded than others, everything on campus is equally distributed. Therefore, the campus should not be expanded inside of the campus because if more buildings are made inside the campus, then it would not be a lot of space, and then it would be like more stock with people.

Now, the university seems to fit into a great area that is rounded with small-family houses, as well as some apartments that appeared that some people were just renting. These apartments are in a good place and besides it could also be expensive because it is near the university and also the bus stop is near these houses and apartments. . Some houses that can be easily noticed have been fixed and some others have been there for a while. Walking down Culver Ave, it could be observed that on the side of the gym, some houses have the same texture, the same look, although the houses were made at different stages, the overall look at the house was the same. I also noticed that there were some types of road mounds that make cars slow down. The place seems overall clean which indicates that everything is taken care of in the area, the road was clean it was quiet, and there is no traffic at all on the road. Coming down the street, it could be noticed that there was no snow in the street and it was clean to walk, no pedestrians were walking in the street, although it was near to the university. This is probably because of COVID-19 and because it was cold. However, when coming down the street, we passed by the building of visual arts which belongs to NJCU, although it was on the main campus it was just a block away from NJCU. Walking down, we then arrived at the gym of NJCU which was also not

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on the main campus but it was just two blocks away. Continuing the same side of the street, we arrived at Miss America restaurant which was right on the corner from Culver Ave and West Side Ave.

Once we arrived at Westside Ave, there started to appear more stores and the street was busier. Many more cars were passing by the road. However, the sidewalk was clean and clear, but instead of houses, there were just stores of food and buildings where people live. There seems to be more entertainment for people than in Culver Ave. However, some stores seemed to stand out, for instance, the subway which seems to be a new store. Walking down towards Virginia ave, we started to see more people walking around, and the streets were busier to cross to the other side. Since it was one of the main streets. Walking down to the railroad, there were many stores around which were selling different types of food. And the houses were replaced with apartments instead of single houses. Which provided more space and more area in the place. It was a street, which had a laundromat and shops as well as daycares. There were different types of shops along with churches and a sort of bank that was on the street. I also noticed that the streets were not as any city planner would plan a city. I also noticed that there were a lot of one-way streets and the streets were not connected like a cross.

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All the places that are there seem to fit on the road because it is a busy road which appears to be one of the main streets where all the people come to get their needs and where they do some of their shopping. This planning did not follow Lewis Mumford because it had little parks where kids can come to play, besides, it was not in the center, and the roads are not planned as Mumford planned the cities. I also noticed that the main street was where all the stores were, while in the “small streets'' we could observe all the apartments and houses. I noticed that stores, churches, and the apartments that were in front of the streets were different, and they were not like the houses that were in the one-way street that almost looked similar except for some of the houses. It seems that there were a lot of parking lots in the area, although the parking lot was not in between the houses or the businesses however the parking lots were somewhat close. The area seems to be somewhat clean even though it was like the main street. Although it is an area that has some traffic, the road has a good volume because the traffic is not that heavy and it seems safe to walk at any time because the sidewalk is nice and big. Besides 4

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that, there was also street parking on the road. The street seems overall safe and calm to be walking around.

Once we enter Virginia Ave, the whole environment seems to change because there are no stores, the only noticeable thing was that there were only houses and it seems that there were not only one family houses but they are houses that have multiple families in the same house. However, the houses seem to be different from one another, at least some of them right at the entrance. The houses seem really close to one another which it is clear that the houses do not provide a parking lot behind the house. This street was a one-way street that allowed residents to park their vehicles on each side of the street. Few houses provided parking or a garage. I noticed that all the houses were about the same texture and that most of them have similar appearances. The only way they were different from one another was the way they were painted. I believe that most of the people that live here are not owners, they seem to be renting these houses because the houses are not well-taken care of. I noticed that the streets were not clean, they were more garbage in this street than on Westside Ave. Continuing down the street, I noticed that some of the texture of houses started to change, and instead of wood, some of the houses were made of brick and these houses were like in the middle of other houses but it seems like single-family homes which also had a garage. Although

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the streets were full of cars, the street seems safe to walk in a sense because although the neighbors in that area do not interact with one another, they know who lives in the area and who is new to the area. After all, there are always people outside such as kids playing outside of the houses or older people in the entrance of their homes looking or having fresh air. Overall, the area seems safe to walk around, however, the area in this street is not taken care of. In the area, a lot of cables can be noticed to be almost together and it seems somewhat dangerous if a hurricane came by, the homes nearby can go out of electricity because there are a lot of trees on the street that can fall and cause damage to the whole neighborhood. Looking at the streets it can be easily noticeable that it is not very prosperous, however, when getting down after crossing Mallory Ave, more houses seem to provide more parking and garages in the houses, even the sidewalk seems to be more repair than before than Mallory Ave.

Once we were arriving at the Rt 440 it seemed that the streets were much cleaner, however, it was really loud due to the traffic on Rt 440. The roadway feels to be loud and overwhelming compared to when we entered Virginia Ave which was a silent and peaceful area to an area where it seems that we are not welcome because to cross to the other side of the street, felt like we were strangers walking on a place that people do not usually walk. The street’s sidewalk seems not familiar to be walking around although there is a sidewalk. On the sidewalk, no people were walking, except in the stores that seem to be nearby, however, to get there appears that people usually drive. Those stores are stores that are usually found on big roadways because of stores such as malls, auto vehicle stores, gas stations, restaurants, and others. Since this area is a whole new environment, walking here feels unusual and you feel like you are doing something wrong because there is no one else walking but you. Also, in this street appear not to be any house nearby or any apartment. The stores were not close to the street as they were on

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Westside Ave they were far away and that might be because of the heavy traffic and to be safe in case an accident happens.

In the shopping mall at Rt 440, there were a lot of stores that appear to attract people from nearby areas including those who live in Westside Ave because although there are a lot of stores on the Westside Ave, the stores that are on Rt 440 are not on that street, therefore different from Westside Ave. These stores are more varied when buying. Although there are a lot of stores around the area, it does not attract pedestrians because crossing the roadway is a little complicated besides that, the stores that are there are for big shoppings. The sidewalk on Rt 440 is not very often cleaned or fixed.

Continuing down the road, there was a place of construction which is clear that more business will be made, however, there is another business across the street which are the predominant business in the area which are Homedepot as well as other similar stores that attract people from nearby neighborhoods that need those types of supplies. These types of stores are good for the area because that way people do not have to go that far to get those supplies, besides, it is in a good area because it is easy for people to see these types of stores this is because it is on one of the main streets and people can easily see it when they are traveling by the area. Although there are many stores nearby, it seems not friendly to walk because the traffic is heavy and there are not a lot of people walking in the area due to the heavy traffic and the unfamiliar sidewalk because is not that clean. Even though there is a sidewalk for pedestrians to walk, the environment does not feel like Westside Ave because of a lot of factors such as the traffic, the sidewalk, the overwhelming sound, and others. When walking down the Rt 440 I did not felt like a stranger walking down feeling like I was lost because a group of students was

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walking at the same time. However, if I would be walking by myself I would feel that everyone would be asking themselves what I was doing and I would feel like a total stranger by walking where people do not usually walk.

Now, when walking on Kellogg Street, the feeling of walking in an area where we were not welcome was even worse than walking in Rt 440 because there was not even a sidewalk. We had to walk right on the street and there was a lot of trash on the ground, even though the street had a good width where three cars could easily fit on the street. Right at the Junction left, towards the entrance to Society Hills, the pavement of the street changed; Also, there was a gate that separates the outside from the inside

The reason for this gate is to ‘keep’ everyone safe inside Society Hill because this is around the area. Besides this gate, the place also has cameras, and it has a security guard who is supervising who enters and who goes out of the private community. It appears that the people who live in this private area are people who live a good lifestyle with more communities because, besides the good looking of the apartment and houses, it provides security to the whole community. As 8

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stated before, Society Hills is a private community that appears to provide a lot of advantages for the people who live there. I believe that this is not only a community of only adults living in these houses, although the appearance of the place does not seem like kids are living in this area, this indicated that in this place live people of different ages and families. This is true because going to the center of the area, some little parks can also be observed which include some swings and slides for kids to play as well as some tennis court, basketball court, inground pool, and a tot lot. Unlike the houses in Virginia Ave, these houses provide parking space for each of the houses and the houses were not as together as they were in Virginia Ave. There is a whole new environment when entering inside, which cannot be compared with Westside Ave because although the sidewalk was clean and the street was as well clean, no pedestrians are walking around and there are also no stores around it.

The houses in this area seem to be somewhat new, however, the area in Society Hills has about 26 years. Provably called Society Hills because the area is more developed than any other area around it, and it provides a secure and safer living environment. Now, all the businesses that are in Rt 440 are integrated with Society Hills because they have everything they need really close,

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even though most of the people in this place have cars, to go somewhere else, they can find everything in these businesses. I believe that the private community offers more opportunities to the community because it allows residents to chose where they prefer to live. In this community, people can either rent or buy, whatever they prefer. This community seems stable, it seems like a beautiful place and an enjoyable area. Overall, the architecture of these houses seems to be the same, all the houses have almost the same appearance and the same texture of the houses. Although it is a nice community I would not like to live in this place. Apartments seem to be too big and although it seems secure, I do not see myself living in an area like this.

Walking towards NJCU dorms, on Westside Ave, all the buildings on that side seem to be somewhat competent to Society Hills because of the architecture of the buildings and the way the sidewalk and the street were made. Besides, the new buildings that are making are going to look so much better and it will provide Westside Ave with more value and a busier street, at least in that area. Now, I believe that these large buildings do not really integrate into the area because there are smaller businesses and houses that placing some large buildings into the area do not really fit in the area. However, the reasons for placing these large buildings in the Westside neighborhood is because they may have a plan to develop the area so it attracts more pedestrians to the place and therefore provides all the small businesses that are in the neighborhood to grow and make more large buildings. This is because the development of a city requires a lot of factors which include the economy, the environment, which Westside does provide, and the transportation which Westside has and helps for any development plan.

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Bibliography Gordon, Ellen W. n.d. “An Historical Timeline of New Jersey City University.” Jersey City Past and Present. https://njcu.libguides.com/njcu. Shalhoub, Patrick, and Carmela A. Karnoutsos. n.d. “Explore Jersey City's History.” Jersey City Past and Present. https://www.njcu.edu/community/jersey-city-past-and-present. “SOCIETY HILL @ JERSEY CITY.” n.d. http://www.society-hill.com/home.html. “Society Hills Near Jersey City, NJ.” n.d. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Society+Hill+Dr+N,+Jersey+City,+NJ+07305/@40. 7071995,-74.1042727,421m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c2516b5fd6bc63:0x4abffa 3698d9234!8m2!3d40.7072534!4d-74.1026478.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/68-Virginia-Ave-Jersey-City-NJ-07304/38917085_zpid/

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