Colors of Harrison Street
I began my walk outside of University Center around 6pm. It was a pleasant day outside, warm and cloudy with some sunshine. The streets were not too busy around this time. With my paint chips in hand, I headed down Harrison Street. My chips were of two dissimilar colors, one a purple-red shade and the other a natural-looking green shade. I was worried I would struggle to find these colors out in the world, so I walked very slowly along the sidewalk, paying attention to posters and storefronts.
The first thing I happened upon was a bush whose green leaves were slowly turning purple. I held up my chip to compare the colors and found they were similar. I took a picture of the bush in case I couldn’t find anything better, though I was hoping for something more creative.
Looking for new sights, I crossed Harrison Street and went to the side where there was a Starbucks. Then, however, I had to cross back over because I spotted a sign for public parking that looked suspiciously similar to the purple shade I had. When I walked over, there was a group of older women walking together. They seemed sophisticated, with nice clothes and expensive purses. I shuffled awkwardly out of their way and went about holding up my paint chip. Satisfied with the match, I took a photo.
As I walked past the fifth-third bank, the streets were still pretty peaceful. Up ahead, I saw some posters near the crosswalk, so I sped up to get a look at them. A group of teenagers walked past me while I examined the posters, and I felt a bit strange holding up a color card. They didn’t seem to pay too much attention to me, though, which I was glad for.
I found what I assumed to be some advertisement for groups visiting the area. A swatch of purple matched mine, so I held up my card and took a picture.
Near the poster, I saw an advertisement for some sort of health company at the bus stop. The image of mountains took up most of the ad, and I searched around to see if any of the green hues would match my card. Luckily, they did, and I captured a photo.
At this point, I crossed Harrison Street again, trying to see if the other side would also have posters. None of the ads or posters fit my colors, but luckily, something caught my eye before I moved on. There was a part of a building that formed an underhang. I held up my card from a distance and was shocked to find such a perfect match. I took a picture and observed two young women who seemed to be good friends. Their shoulders bumped together as they walked, one showing the other something on her phone.
I walked down the street for a short while, not seeing anything good. This led me to cross the road and continue down the same street. I reached an underpass around the Lasalle Station and walked beneath it. It was a bit dirty, with stains and marks on the ground and wall. There were no other people and not many cars. The air smelled just a bit dirty, being slightly smoky.
While walking underneath it, I saw the number “thirteen” sprayed on the wall. I wasn’t sure what it meant or why it was there, but I held up my green card and saw it was similar, so I ended up taking a picture of it.
Right after passing Financial Plaza, I spotted a storefront to my right for some sort of imaging place. Inside the window, there was an advertisement on display. I held up my green card and saw my third match for the color. I took the photo, realizing I had gotten all my photos.
Despite having found my matches much sooner than I thought, I decided to keep walking because I hoped I could take even more or just enjoy my walk further. I passed by a leasing office and saw a woman with pink sweatpants walking a small dog. I still get reminded of my dogs back at home every time I see someone with their dog.
As I walked past Franklin Street, I was approaching a bridge over the river. There was a sign marking a closed-off road, but I wanted to walk on the pedestrian part of the bridge and see the video from over the water. The sun was very slightly setting at this point, which created a nice reflection on the water.
When I reached the end of the bridge, there were several cones blocking off the road. I ended up walking up a set of stairs and venturing around a massive Post Office. I wasn’t sure why the area seemed so abandoned. There were fences and cones set up everywhere, and only a couple of people passed me on this part of the walk. I could see people inside the massive building, but only two or three were going up or down the escalator, so I didn’t quite understand the scale of the building.
When I made it to Canal Street, I started to head down that street. I could see appealing buildings in the distance, including a T.J. Maxx and other retail stores. I always like to see what stores are nearby, so I decided to go in that direction. Since there were so many cones and other objects blocking my path, I ended up having to walk in the big bike lane on the road. Luckily, not many bikes were on it, so I wasn’t too in the way.
When I reached the start of the retail stretch, I saw a few other stores, including Marshalls and Verizon. That’s when I decided to end my walk because not only did I have all my photos, but I was also curious to explore some of the stores and get off the street.
In “Cities Belong to Us,” Hollis cites Henri Lefebvre’s idea of “the right to the city.” How do Hollis and Lefebvre define “the right to the city?” Who has the right to the city? Who has “access” to public spaces? How do the articles by Dumke and Posner help to illustrate the meaning of “the right to the city” and the consequences for public space?
The right to the city is about the idea of people being allowed to exist and experience a city because they are people who are able to be there simply for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment. However, it is increasingly difficult for this to happen. Sometimes cities become centered around money instead of leisure. People must use money to purchase a drink and sit down at a Starbucks, for instance. Malls exist for people to purchase products. Business owners restrict access to public spaces because they turn public spaces for people into spaces that they can manipulate access to. The articles illustrate the consequences, talking about how people are questioned by police or security when they hang around an area without having a clear reason. People suffer because they are not able to have a human experience and enjoy a space like they used to since society is moving more towards profit. Free, public spaces where people can exist and enjoy each other’s company are important for people to be able to exist how they are meant to (179).
