Satan is from Barcelona

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Subject Two: Bike Lanes on Madison

The bicyclists would like bike lanes to be installed on Madison because bike lanes would improve their safety while biking and allow greater ease around midtown. Madison was chosen as a bike lane because of it's central location and traffic. However some home and business owners think this will negatively affect there business or home. Drivers do not want to share the road with bicyclist and object the bike lanes. The drivers believe decreased speeds on Madison will ruin there beloved driving experience.

I am in favor of bike lanes because I enjoy the safety a bike lane projects. It is a comforting thought thinking that I can sue the fuck out of any one that may hit me while biking. There is also proof positive that drivers pay more attention to bicyclist when lanes are present. Personally a bike lane on Madison would make my commute twenty times easier, I both live and work off Madison and it is a common road in my travels.

Opposition
Support
Facts

Subject One: Urban Blight

Urban decay or blight is defined as the social and physical decay of a functioning area of an urban enviroment caused by economic and social disturbances. The result of this process is large areas of abandonments, whether they be buildings, plots of land, public parks, etc., in a populated functioning area that negatively effect economic standings, crime rates, and unemployment rates along with many other unwanted functions of a society.

This doesn't have much debate it seems that successful endeavors to buy up the land and create useful new spaces out of them has worked positively for communities, this can also create gentrification which I don't care much about and is another story, but moral of the story the issue of urban blight is a solvable one. However if you are an artist these spaces becoming something of a source of inspiration and an awesome addition to a city. I think without these spaces of emptiness the city itself looses its historic importance. Mostly though it gives people the chance to study the buildings, historically and architecturally, to gain the opportunity to enter the buildings. Basically I want these empty buildings to stick around so I have someplace to explore and be inspired by.

Artists using empty spaces.
Public repurposing of blighted areas.
Artists and explorers interactions with these spaces.