GGR124 Week 12 Urban Futures Notes

Urban Futurity

  • Focused on the prospects of cities and urban life.

  • Emphasizes the importance of urban life in future considerations.

  • Engages with concepts of social and ecological transformation.

  • Seeks urban futures defined by survival, justice, and sustainability.

Tannis Nielsen's Mural Project

  • Lower Simcoe Mural Project: A collaboration with Indigenous artists over two years.

    • Water Wall (Gchi-twaawendan Nibi) and Elder Wall (N'gekaajig kidowog) as land acknowledgments.

    • Strives for pedestrians to recognize the Indigenous territory of Tkaronto, home of the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee.

  • Elder Wall Composition:

    • 28 portraits of local teachers and elders.

    • Each portrait is large (10 feet high by 7 feet wide) with names displayed.

    • Plans to include teachings from elders related to land and water.

Dish With One Spoon Agreement

  • A historical agreement between Indigenous nations to share land and resources peacefully.

  • Tannis Nielsen comments on the modern understanding and application of this agreement in Toronto.

  • Advocates for the original principles of cooperation and sharing in managing land and resources.

Indigeneity and Urban Spaces

  • Mashkikiiaki'ing (Medicine Earth): Toronto's Indigenous community garden located at Hillcrest Park.

    • Aims to reconnect Indigenous people with their heritage and land.

    • Supports the community’s desire to revive traditional knowledge and practices.

  • Historical Significance: Davenport Road was an ancient portage route important to Indigenous peoples.

Food as Urban Transformation

  • Influence of the Black Panther Party (BPP) in creating community food initiatives.

  • Free breakfast programs began in the San Francisco Bay Area, later expanding to other cities.

    • Direct lineage from BPP programs to present-day food justice movements.

    • Food cooperatives and community gardens emerged from these initiatives.

The Black Panther Party

  • Founded in 1966 in response to police brutality and systemic injustices faced by Black communities.

  • The BPP saw food as essential to community empowerment and began several survival programs, including free breakfasts.

  • By 1969, the free breakfast program fed 20,000 children across various cities.

    • Other survival programs included free health services, clothing, and legal aid.

Federal Response and Legacy

  • The BPP’s programs significantly influenced the establishment of the US Federal Government’s School Breakfast Program in 1975.

    • An enduring legacy that now serves millions of low-income children.

Counterintelligence and Urban Resistance

  • The BPP was a target of government surveillance and disruption tactics under COINTELPRO, which sought to dismantle the organization due to its growing power.

  • This led to tragic events, such as the assassination of leader Fred Hampton.

Urban Planning and Urbicide

  • Urbicide: Critique of urban planning that dehumanizes and displaces communities.

    • Originally discussed in the context of American urban redevelopment.

    • Later used to describe violent acts against diverse urban architectures in war zones.

  • In contemporary analysis, 'urbicide' refers to systematic destruction that undermines communal identities and political elements of urban spaces.