WELCOME to the SLAG GLASS CITY

We are a digital journal of the urban essay arts, engaged with sustainability, identity, and art in built environments. The living city is broken and blooming. How will our roof gardens grow? THIS IS OUR BLOG. Please check out the magazine at: www.slagglasscity.org

[allthingseurope]

Athens, Greece (by David Curry)

[retrocities]

Beirut, 1960s

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PHOTOS: Across The U.S., People Protest The Violence In Gaza And Israel

From Dearborn, Mich., to the gate of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, to the Federal Building in Los Angeles, protesters expressed their anguish and anger at the fighting and its toll.

“Every single Palestinian life matters. Every single Palestinian soul that was taken matters.” 

 Protesters across the country have gathered together to express their anger at the U.S. administration's policy towards Israel, as well as to demonstrate their support for the Palestinian civilians. 

Check out NPR’s photo-article, “PHOTOS: Across The U.S., People Protest The Violence In Gaza And Israel,” by Jason Breslow (May 19, 2021) for a look at how protesters in cities across the U.S. are demonstrating their solidarity with Palestine. 

[darkmacademia]

st. paul’s cathedral / melbourne, australia

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Cities can help migrating birds on their way by planting more trees and turning lights off at night

Cities are danger zones for migrating birds, but there are ways to help feathered visitors pass through more safely

“Our findings show that cities can help migrating birds by planting more trees and reducing light pollution, especially during spring and autumn migration.” 

Here in the Slag Glass City, one of our major concerns is the livable city, and this concern certainly includes the preservation and well-being of wildlife. The real change begins through the greening of urban spaces, and the efforts put in place to make cities livable for all forms of life. 

Check out The Conversation’s article, “Cities can help migrating birds on their way by planting more trees and turning lights off at night,” by Frank La Sorte (January 15, 2021) in order to see how lights-out programs, reducing cold stress on birds, planting more trees, etc. can help the natural migration of birds through urban spaces. 

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Tramping the city to find enchantment in a disenchanting world

Walking all parts of Melbourne before and after the pandemic hit was eye-opening. It brought home just how much change is possible if we wish for a better, more sustainable way of living.

“We describe this as ‘urban tramping.’ We urban tramps were to be free-thinking, free walkers of the city, encumbered only by the duty to absorb what the city had to teach.” 

Here in the Slag Glass City we ask ourselves what it would be like if we were to wander our city streets as urban tramps - walking with a clear mind and ready to absorb what the city has to offer. It is through the process of urban tramping that one can become truly enchanted by their city, and, at the same time, acknowledge the ethical and political problems that plague cities across the globe. 

Check out The Conversation’s article, “Tramping the city to find enchantment in a disenchanting world,” by Samuel Alexander (December 10, 2020) for a look at what it means to be an urban tramp before and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

[fusiondesignvintage]

Chicago et voitures, années 1950. 

Le design architectural et automobile américain en plein boom !    

American architectural and automotive design booming!

(Source : ACN)

[slagglasscity]

The Real Problem Facing American Cities

It's not that people are moving out in a pandemic. It's that nobody new is moving in.

“Think not about those who have come to the end of their time in the city, but those who are yet to arrive.” 

Cities across the country have always faced the issue of people moving out of urban spaces and into the suburbs. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only contributed to the increase in people moving out of cities, but it has also shown a sharp decline in people moving into them. In order for cities to see an influx in inhabitants amidst this pandemic, practices must be put in place to help make urban life safe and secure for current and future city dwellers. 

Check out Slate’s article, “One-Way Traffic” by Henry Grabar (February 22, 2021), on how implementing practices to ensure safety and sustainability in urban spaces might put an end to the decline of people moving into cities and encourage them to inhabit cities once again.  

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Libraries and Pandemics: Past and Present | JSTOR Daily

The 1918 influenza pandemic had a profound impact on how librarians do their work, transforming libraries into centers of community care.

“But perhaps one of the biggest roles libraries played was in asking them to do what they do best: To connect people to the information they need.” 

Here in the Slag Glass City, we recognize the importance of libraries and the ability they have to spread information to their communities, especially during dangerous times. During the influenza pandemic of 1918, the public relied heavily on their libraries for resources on how to keep themselves safe. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we find ourselves seeking vital information from our libraries, whether it be in the form of digital works or requesting books for curbside pick-up, proving just how essential libraries and librarians are to their communities. 

Check out JSTOR Daily’s article, “Libraries and Pandemics: Past and Present” by Julia Skinner (April 14, 2021), for a look at how the practices put in place during the 1918 influenza pandemic influenced libraries’ abilities to relay information safely to the public during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. 

[slagglasscity]

COVID: The End of Big Cities or the Dawn of a New Era? - The Progress Network

What permanent effects will the pandemic have on cities? Penny Abeywardena and Richard Florida assess the future of cities in the short- and long-term.

“Urbanization is stronger than pandemics, pestilence, or infectious disease.” 

Here in The Slag Glass City, we are familiar with the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has altered aspects of urban living as we once knew it. Cities across the globe have made accommodations in order to help inhabitants adjust safely to our “new normal.” We are living in unprecedented times, but our cities have shown great resilience in the face of uncertainty. 

Check out The Progress Network’s article, “COVID: The End of Big Cities or the Dawn of a New Era?” by Zachary Karabell (March 3, 2021), for a riveting conversation regarding the future of cities post-pandemic. 

[slagglasscity]

Compliance Will Not Save Me

Black and brown people’s defiance is not the problem. Our compliance is not the solution.

“But the question is not how many good or bad cops exist today. The questions we should be asking are: What are police officers empowered to do to me by policies and practices? Why are they given military training, weaponry, and near-total impunity? Have racist narratives trained them to fear my dark body?”

The Slag Glass City stands in support of the verdict regarding the case of George Floyd’s murder. At the same time, the American people must keep working to ensure justice for the lives of black and brown Americans throughout the country. Although the guilty verdict was a step in the right direction, we must realize that there is an immense amount of work to do in order to properly abolish the institutionalized racism embedded in America’s policing system. The only way for justice to exist is if we create communities in which people of color do not have to live in fear for their lives. 

Check out The Atlantic’s article, “Compliance Will Not Save Me,” by Ibram X. Kendi (April 19, 2021) to see how the notion of black and brown people’s compliance towards police is deeply rooted in America’s history of slavery. 

[slagglasscity]

Hundreds join Minneapolis high school walkouts: ‘Police don’t care about us’

Teens gather in Twin Cities to condemn the killings of Daunte Wright and George Floyd as Chauvin trial continues

“At 1:47 p.m., the time Daunte Wright was shot eight days before, hundreds of Minneapolis teenagers sat together on the ground to mark three minutes of silence. A light snow had been falling, and their faces were grim.” 

Here in the Slag Glass City, we acknowledge and applaud the hard work and effort that people across the country, primarily young people, have done to demand justice for the brutal killings of black and brown Americans. 

Check out The Guardian’s article titled, “Hundreds join Minneapolis high school walkouts: ‘Police don’t care about us,’” by Amudalat Ajasa and Lois Beckett (April 20, 2021) for an in-depth look at how America’s youth is taking the issue of police reform into their own hands, urging lawmakers to take action. 

[about-usa]

New York City - New York - USA (by Wally Gobetz)

[slagglasscity]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-14/how-to-get-safer-streets-minus-the-police

“Traffic stops - the most common interaction between police and the public - disproportionately affect Black people.” 

Here in the Slag Glass City, we mourn the recent deaths of both Daunte Wright in suburban Minneapolis and Adam Toledo in Chicago and urge all Americans to rethink the role of policing in our cities. We must ask ourselves what it could mean to reimagine the police.

Check out Bloomberg CityLab’s article, “The Road to Removing Police From Traffic Enforcement” by Laura Bliss (April 14, 2021) for a discussion on how removing or disarming police at traffic stops could help prevent countless deaths throughout America. 

Photography by: Chad Davis 

[breathtakingdestinations]

Hong Kong (by johnlsl) 

[slagglasscity]

Are you a writer? This is your sign! Send us your essay during this special call for nonfiction prose in the Slag Glass City!

[slagglasscity]

The case for raising kids in the city

America’s major cities are turning into playgrounds for childless professionals. It shouldn’t have to be this way.

“It’s of course a ridiculous cliché to note that there are a lot of interesting things to do in New York City, but it’s as true for children as it is for adults.”

Thinking about what we miss about being out and about in the city. Laughing children playing is high on the list in the Slag Glass City. 

Check out Vox’s pitch for why cities where children live are more blissful than not.