A Different Kind of Car Culture

Posted by Chandra Ward, ATLANTA, GA -- The Krog Street Tunnel is an ever changing one-of-kind landmark where those passing through are greeted with a colorful social networking platform. The tunnel is a town crier, a concrete community newspaper, as well as a space for artistic expression.   Anytime you need to know what's happening in the city, take a trip through the tunnel. But what makes the tunnel most intriguing is that it could have been just another relic of all-too-familiar car culture -- a slab of ugly concrete through which automobiles pass back and forth. The fact that it evolved into an visual sound check for ideas, emotions, events, and communication demonstrates that even products of urban renewal can become spaces of organic expression. To me Krog Street Tunnel represents the humanization of what could have been an emotionless, sterile structure of the urban landscape.   Modern structures and technology can isolate communities from their natural and built environs.  The Krog Street Bridge is a reclamation of urban space where people just happen to be generous enough to permit cars to move through it. 

Chandra Ward is the Assistant Editor of Social Shutter and a Doctoral student in the Sociology Department at Georgia State University. She can be reached at chandradward@gmail.com.





Made in America

Posted by Deirdre Oakley, THE BALTIC REGION  --  Concerns about the U.S. trade deficit have been swirling around since deindustrialization began in the 1950s, and perhaps felt more acutely since the more recent passage of NAFTA in 1994.  Today many people believe that the already embattled manufacturing label Made in America is on its last legs. But there are still products made in America -- and symbols of Made in America continue to permeate every part of the world, even though they do not necessarily help the domestic economy.  Perhaps fast food chains are the most notable. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article there are now 32,737 McDonalds and 33,449 Subways worldwide, with Starbucks not too far behind. There are many other symbols as well.  During a recent trip to the Baltic Region, I saw McDonalds, Subways, and other more surprising symbols of  Made in America -- some of which probably were really made here.

Gdansk, Poland

Riga, Latvia

Stockholm, Sweden

Tallin, Estonia

St. Petersburg, Russia

Well...I had to bring my Hummer with me! Actually, unknown Hummer in St. Peterburg.

Deirdre Oakley is the Editor of Social Shutter and an Associate Professor of Sociology at Georgia State University. She can be reached at doakley1@gsu.edu.

Priced Out of Chinatown

Posted by Deirdre Oakley, SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Chinatowns in cities around the country may still be great places to go eat and buy gifts but their Chinese population is declining. According to a recent NPR article, the rising costs of inner city living associated with gentrification coupled with the emergence of "satellite" Chinese enclaves outside the city have meant that immigrant families are far less likely to reside in Chinatowns, choosing the more affordable suburban satellites instead.

This trend may threaten the traditional composition and organization of Chinatowns,  but it certainly hasn't stopped the steady stream of tourists. I was recently in San Francisco's Chinatown and it wasn't uncommon to walk by long lines of people waiting to get into restaurants. Similarly, the brightly-coloured Bazaars appeared to be doing a healthy business. But intermixed with all the hustle and bustle there were some signs of decline: graffitti-clad closed lounges and shops, as well as empty spaces. Still, I don't think Chinatowns are going to disappear anytime soon -- they remain home to many Chinese households and businesses -- and continue to attract all those tourists.

Deirdre Oakley is the Editor of Social Shutter and an Associate Professor of Sociology at Georgia State University. She can be reached at doakley1@gsu.edu.

Don't Honk?

Posted by Deirdre Oakley, NEW YORK, NY -- The Big Apple has had a "Don't Honk" law on the books since the 1980s but the ordinance hasn't stopped the sound of car horns that so famously characterize this city's streets. A few years back the city decided to put up "Don't Honk" signs in about 1000 locations. As the signs indicate the penalty is $350...if you get caught. In fact, according to a recent Gothamist article by Jaya Saxena, police give out a mere 400 tickets every year for honking and many citizens find the signs laughable.  I have to admit, the first time I saw one of these signs not too long ago my first reaction was "you've got to be kidding!" I even asked my cab driver if anyone pays attention to them. Over the din of car horns he said, "well...occassionally."

But some are taking the law seriously.  Last fall NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission Chief, David Yassky, reminded 13,000 cab drivers about the Don't Honk law. And authorities are encouraging drivers and passengers alike to call the city's 311 line to report honkers.  A recent Sodahead post reported that the step up on anti-honking happened around the same time that the city decided to take all the trash cans out of subway stations in an effort to curtail the rat problem. Well, as an ex-New Yorker myself I find it hard to imagine a silent Big Apple with no rats. I don't think I'll miss the rats, but I have always found something comforting about taking a cab from the airport to my old city listening to the rhythmic sounds of diversely-pitched car horns.

Deirdre Oakley is the Editor of Social Shutter and an Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at Georgia State University. She can be reached at doakley1@gsu.edu.