Lakeview Neat
Between Oakdale and Surf on Clark
According to Jacobs, why are “punctuations” and “focal points” important to the life of the street and downtown? What are some “punctuations” and “focal points” around DePaul’s LPC and/or Loop campuses?
“Punctuations” and “focal points” give the walker something to look at as he or she travels down the street. They prevent boredom and keep the pedestrian engaged on what’s in front of him or her. DePaul also makes use of some of these “focal points” on it’s campus. In Lincoln Park, trees and flower gardens line some of the sidewalks. Things such as the statue of Monsignor Egan can be included as well. The Quad is an interesting thing to consider because it does distract from the monotony of walking along Fullerton, but it also can be walked on. In addition, I am unsure if the plethora of people on the Quad at any given time could be considered “punctuations” as well. People do make places what they are. In the Loop campus, things like the “L” track and stations catch attention as well as the seating area in front of the Student Center. There are trees and a statue there that offer respite from looking at the sidewalk and skyscrapers.
171 Words
Chicago is, among many other things, still extremely overwhelming to me. Each neighborhood is intensely different than the one next to it on a level deeper than the just the buildings that reside there. Because of this, I struggled with trying to determine a “favorite street.” Time of day and the current company affect how much I enjoy and remember where I’m walking, so trying to rediscover an area I had previously been to at night with a group of people again by myself during the day was more than difficult and pointless. I refused to return to the dorm empty handed, however, so I continued until I found a street I did genuinely like (I came across a section of N. Clark St. in Lakeview East) and tried to determine why I did like it. This is what I could identify:
- Nice, but not posh, apartments are available on this fairly main road. This gives me the idea that the population of the area is middle-class, something that is familiar to me.
2. These outdoor seating areas were on opposite sides of the street and owned by separate restaurants. The flower pot (middle) gave off the impression that it was managed by the city. All of these things offered something nice to look at other than the wide road and showed an attempt at involvement and interaction with pedestrians.
3. The sidewalks and curb are generally clean and well-managed, especially by Chicago’s standards. This gives the idea of a community involved with its neighborhood and vice versa. In addition, the road is obviously made for cars rather than pedestrians given by how wide it is. This contributes to the theory that this is a middle-class area.
4. The people I saw were generally well-dressed. This was helped by the fact that it was the evening on a weekday, and many people were (I assume) returning home from work. Again, people are typical middle-class here. The safety of the neighborhood was reestablished by the large amount of young children with parents as well as elderly-looking citizens walking around.
5. There were some examples that this particular block wasn’t thriving. It’s a street meant for the residents, first and foremost. This is an aspect that didn’t really appeal to me, but it isn’t supposed to.
6. That isn’t to say that there weren’t a decent amount of thriving and interesting businesses on this street as well. The block was an interesting combination of young and old with offshoots into residential areas on both sides, and it attracted me.
7. The people living here were comfortable and relaxed. As evidence on the far right, jaywalking was fairly prevalent on this street, proving that the traffic is generally not aggressive here.
8. Brownstone still provided the area a Chicago “feel,” though obviously different than the atmosphere found somewhere like the Loop. Another piece of the buildings is that none were more than four or five stories high, giving the area a more residential or suburban idea.
9. Though their not uncommon in Chicago, I noticed the ratio of bikers to pedestrians was pretty close on this street. These seems to add more evidence to the middle-class idea. I preferred it because I think it shows a population of people concerned with their health or the environment or both.
10. All in all, the block was distinct and unique in it’s own way. Heavily affected by gentrification, it made me safe to be alone there. Maybe, I’ll live there someday. I’d like to visit the area at least and get to know more than it’s surface.
