Bigger and Better!

My, my, my is has been a while since my last post. As far as updates go: I am in the last and final semester of my M.A. in Urban Planning and Policy. I have been offered and have definitely accepted a position with Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs as their Fair Housing Advocate. I am still standing!
I am really excited about this new position as I will be able to utilize my research and various other planning skills working in a rural community. In addition, I will be exposed to various strategies and networks utilized to deal with fair housing issues in the northern suburbs.
So, carrying four classes, working 10 hours at school, working 30 hours at the new job, continuing with two previous projects and being a mom, my plate will be full.
The good news: I am STILL excited!

Is it Over Yet?

Forgive me, school has taken over my life and I am ready for the semester to end. We only have about 3 weeks left and I am looking forward to it! I have been swamped with final projects, doctoral applications, and cover letters and resumes. I have decided to apply for jobs far in advance so I don't get caught without a job after graduation should I decide that school needs to be paused.
I have found a couple of fascinating positions with FEMA (yes, I know) and HUD. The positions with FEMA are centered around disaster management which is an absolutely perfect match since my studies have been focused in this area for the past year. Time to start putting some theory to practice here. When I began updating my resume, I was shocked to learn just how much it had expanded over the last year. I now understand why degrees are important again, they're not all just for show after all. My academic experience almost makes it sound as though I have been in the field rather than the classroom. Experiences like gutting houses in New Orleans seem to add the perfect topping on the cake too...glad I took that trip with classmates over spring break.
Well, just one more semester, but now comes the fun part. I can utilize all the tools that I have learned and complete a master's project/thesis and then move on. Needless to say, I am excited!

Affordable Housing

...are two words that drive me absolutely crazy!!! I am currently taking a housing class where groups are formed to create a housing plan for a community in Chicago. My group has chosen Englewood on the south side of Chicago. These housing plans encompass data on virtually every aspect of the community's housing needs: low-income residents, handicapped, persons with HIV/AIDS (health issues), elderly, ex-offenders, homeless, families vs. non-families, etc. After reviewing some of the data, you have to wonder what in the world happened to this community? How do you rectify some of the basic, underlying issues that have plagued this community into such disparities?
CHA, HUD and the city of Chicago have been active in attempting to create programs for individuals to become home owners. But, how do you become a homeowner when you lack resources? When you lack the basic fundamental needs to survive day to day, week to week, how can you afford a home? Most of these programs are designed to place the individual into debt almost immediately. Classes that the Department of Housing, and various other first time home buyer programs, sponsor navigate the individual through credit issues, where to buy a home, what to look for in a home to fit your needs and what financial institutions to contact to aid in financing options. However, we are looking past what the underlying issue is: lack of money, lack of resources. It is through these types of programs that every day working people drown themselves within. They create a cycle where one is forced to work two to three jobs just to manage the upkeep of themselves, their families and their new home.
It is quite possible that we should assume a different approach. We should be more focused on decreasing unemployment, poverty and homelessness.
After rambling on, the point is that the words "affordable housing" just do not cut it anymore because after all, who is the housing affordable for?

Totally off subject but...

As a planning student, I am taking a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) class this semester. I know this software will be useful in my career, however, it is highly challenging! May I just reiterate that this class is getting the best of me...creating maps and trying to pull data from certain files to get an end result that can tell you something of importance about the needs of a community...sounds like fun, right?

Disaster Event Sequence

In my Disaster Analysis class, we are currently discussing ten bullet points that should be considered in disaster planning. Among these points are: preparedness, recovery, rebuilding, mitigation, evacuation, and disaster event sequence (not necessarily in this order of course). Of these points, disaster event sequence has been the one that has attracted me the most. A heated discussion regarding first responders took over the 1.5 hours of the class.

Considering the history of the United States coupled with my own experiences with emergency situations, I am uncertain how comfortable I would feel "trusting" first responders. During the 9-11 attacks, the first responders were in abundance and helped everyone that they possibly could. (I guess there is no need to mention that most of the responders are now suffering from serious health conditions at this time). However, citizens of New Orleans sat and waited for almost one week before they could get the help that they needed.

This discussion brought to light how important/urgent it is that each individual have their evacuation plans written out and shared with people in their lives. Just as a family should know the quickest route to leave their home in case of a fire, a parent should have a schedule set up with their child's daycare just in case they cannot get to their child in time. In the event of a disaster, do we have plans of what to do? Do we know the evacuation plan for the buildings in which we work? Do we even know the evacuation plan for our own cities? This is important information to know.

Well, I do have much more that I want to say about disaster event sequence and first responders but I have to get back to class...

9 Who? Katrina What?

So...as an urban planning student, I am constantly in discussions involving disaster analysis these days. Not just in the sense of what do you do if this happens but more so on the page of analyzing what happened and what conditions existed to exacerbate the tragedy. Here, on the 5 year anniversary of 9.11, I drove to work hearing "what were you doing on this day 5 years ago?" Please forgive me for being insensitive but ummm..."what were you doing on August 29th just 1 year ago?" While the Pentagon was immediately repaired and the WTC has been designed and redesigned with hefty funds, New Orleans still sits as it did over 1 year ago. With minimal efforts to rebuild the city, the citizens are still suffering. Could you imagine the WTC still laying as it did 5 years ago or even 1 year after the attacks? It just would not happen. Is it because politics reigns over value of life? It just seems quite disturbing to me that in both cases, lives were lost and families still continue to feel the effects yet the reactions were completely different. The WTC and Pentagon attacks were smaller but the impacts were heavy and a bit more preparation for such a "powerful" country may be something to look into.

Where to begin?

I have started research for my thesis in the area of Urban Disasters/Disaster Analysis. This has been so difficult for me as the term "disaster" and what constitutes has changed about thirty times since I began in late May 2006. I started with the idea of wanting to research the aftermath of Katrina in the Gulf Coast and as I started to find different literature on the topic, I decided that I wanted to expand past just natural disasters. This became a real challenge for me because I began to understand that New Orleans was a city that was suffering tremendously prior to Hurricane Katrina. What concerned me the most was the possibility that the physical aspects of the city would be rebuilt but with the same issues that had plagued it before the hurricane. It seems impossible, right? It seems like the mayor, governor and other various participants would have the sense to not create the same problem twice but this is the road that it appears to be taking at this time.

Another light bulb went in my head to consider this idea of "community development." I have a concentration in the area in my academic program and I have worked with various community development organizations but the definition, the ideology has really transformed in the last year or so. My previous thoughts on community development were linked to that of Operation Rainbow PUSH and MOVE Organization to name a few. Although I still hold these organizations in high regard, I do think that community development moves past these types of groups. Community is a broad word, yes, and what it encompasses is broad in and of itself. By this, I mean that community development transforms, as it continues to do, and should not be limited by differences in race, class or gender. To limit the process of community development because of such differences would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. (If that makes any sense).

So, to ask where to begin? We begin with our own communities, in the broad sense of the word and we collectively create value and realistic plans that can secure some type of well-being. If we don't do it ourselves as individuals, who will?