Reading One, Reflected

Throughout the reading of Urban Policy Reconsidered, I kept the image of downtown Phoenix in my mind.  I kept referencing back to the people, places, and things contained within downtown when reflecting on the information presented in this chapter.  The prompted question of what needs to change, be it individuals or communities, is what really stopped me and got me thinking in regards to how to solve the issues facing urban areas.  I could answer this question both ways.  On one side, I can see how the individual needs to change.  There are some individuals who are raised in privileged circumstances with access to resources that would ensure success in whatever desired path they have.  Yet, if their individual motivation and intrinsic desire for that success does not exist and they instead value less moral avenues of recreation, it doesn’t matter what fancy gated community they live in, they won’t be a productive member of society.

  Likewise, a city can attempt to revitalize and fix up a certain area by building a new shopping center or stadium, but if the surrounding demographic can’t afford the goods and services offered, these places become pointless.  Also, if the facilities don’t appeal to the values or personal interests of the individuals, there lacks a reason for going there and maintaining these places and offering any type of upkeep into them.  I think this also ties into the communitarian ideology that if a group of people bound together according to where they live, as determined by their personal values and interests, there will also exist a collective concern and desire to care for and respect the aspects of the community.  The community attracts the personal interests of the individuals, which then creates a group of people bound together by their similar interests.  There is power in numbers.