Non-digital Element / Map of neighborhood

Elsie, Eduardo and I are tracking the energyshed along Islais Creek. We have decided to hone in on a slice of Islais creek that is the Glen Park neighborhood. For the print portion of our project, we will create a two-sided, full-color 11x17 map of the neighborhood. This is roughly the area we are focusing on.


And this is the style of map we will be creating. We will be tracking social/cultural activity, capital/business activity, sound and architecture.

Social / Cultural / Spiritual Life in Glen Park

Last week I went to Glen Park to interview people on the street about the neighborhood. I had seven questions I asked and I definitely noticed some trends. I will go out again tonight, my goal is to get a sample of 20 people at least, from all walks of life. I've listed a few of the interviews here.

The seven questions are as follows:

1. What impression do you get of the ways people practice spirituality/faith in this neighborhood?
2. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, what faith?
3. What is your impression of ethnic diversity in this neighborhood? In your immediate vicinity?
4. What kind of social activities are most common in this neighborhood? In the park?
5. What kind of cultural activities are most common in this neighborhood? In the park?
6. How long have you lived here?
7. What impression do you get of community here?
   

Interview #1
Jim and Anna O'Keefe
Filipino couple, late 50s to early 60s

1. Mostly a variety of Christian faiths
2. Catholic
3. Mostly white, but more Asian in the last few years
4. Sports, block party, Halloween (trick or treating), holiday events, events at St. Johns, crabfest. Residents volunteer to clean park, dog walking.
5. Not so many cultural activities
6. Since 1964
7. Strong community feeling, Glen Park Assoc very active, meetings in immediate neighborhood for Neighborhood Watch other issues related to immediate neighborhood

Interview #2
Ian
31 years old, British

1. No idea
2. Agnostic
3. Not many African Americans, mostly white/Asian
4. He is outside social circles in this neighborhood. Visits the park occasionally to take a walk, but says it's generally quite sparse, not much activity.
5. Didn't know of anything
6. 1+ year
7. People are out and about a lot, at restaurants and cafes

Interview #3
Ralph
Caucasian, 60s, homeless

1. Middle of the road Christian (religious but not too invasive)
2. Considers himself the same ("laid back Christian")
3. Pretty diverse, but white middle class is most prominant
4. Social activities including eating and drinking out (La Corneta, Glen Park Station)
5. Live music
6. 10+ years
7. He likes the neighborhood

Interview #4
Linda
Filipina/Chinese/White, 50s

1. Catholic
2. Christian
3. Latin, Filipino, Caucasian, African American, Asian - It's a mix, but less African American
4. People gather to watch sports (baseball, soccer, basketball)
5. Filipino, Asian, Latin activities, church bingo, bus trips to other places, park
6. 30 years in this neighborhood, SF native
7. Good community, people watch out for each other

Buried Waters - Midterm Proposal

Group 4:

Alisa Highfill
Elsie Tozier
Eduardo Ribeiro

For our midterm project, our group plans to focus on the many ways that Islais Creek provides to move through space. From the very intimate ways of moving along the creek, such as the walking and biking paths, to the very distant and disconnected ways, like Alemany Road and Hwy 280, this creek has provided a pathway for all different types of transportation.

The modes of transport along Islais Creek that we will be exploring are as follows:
- Walking and biking paths
- Alemany Blvd.
- Hwy 280
- Muni bus route 44
- Bart

We will explore the varied ways that people use these different modes of transport and what effect these have on the Glen Park Canyon environment. We plan to explore these through personal use, sound and photo studies, comparisons of today's landscape with the original landscape, GPS mapping, and whatever other tools we can think of.

This project will use methods from both the studies of physical and human geography. Psychogeography may also come into play, as well as some aspect of spirituality and how people connect with their surroundings.

The depths of our beings are not all sunlit; to see clearly we must be able to dive into the dark, inner abyss and Acknowledge the creatures we may find there.
- Miriam Starhawk

Buried Waters - Midterm Brainstorming

I'm still not quite sure what direction I will be going in for the midterm project. I've been finding the Wiggle very interesting, which led me to think about bike paths in Glen Park. But I'm not a bicyclist, and was actually drawn to the Wiggle more because I live on it. So, it doesn't really make sense for me to take a bike focus. This led me to think that maybe I could just explore something with movement and pathways through the space. I'm very interested in the mapping and definitely want to do something in that direction. I was also interested when Paula mentioned the garbage angle.

I'm still formulating it all and have still not been able to actually get to the park. I will be doing this this week and will continue to let my ideas solidify.

After today's lecture I would like to focus more on Human Geography, so still unsure what path that will take.

Buried Waters - GPS Points Plotted from Panhandle to the Mission

GPS Points plotted by Elsie Tozier, Eduardo Ribeiro and Alisa Highfill:

Divisadero btw Page & Oak
005 N 37 46 21.2
W 122 26 14.4

We met for a drink at the Page:


Fell & Broderick
007 N 37 46 25.6
W 122 26 22.2

Then walked up to the panhandle:


Fell & Baker
008 N 37 46 24.6
W 122 26 27.8

Then walked to Elsie's house:

Baker & Hayes Elsie's House
009 N 37 46 27.7
W 122 26 25.7

Scott & Oak
010 N 37 46 23.8
W 122 26 09.4

Then to my house:

Pierce & Waller Alisa's House
011 N 37 46 14.3
W 122 26 01.4


Then the long walk to Eduardo's house:

Duboce Park
013 N 37 46 10.6
W 122 25 59.0

Market/ 14th/ Church at Safeway
014 N 37 46 03.3
W 122 25 44.5

Dolores & 15th
015 N 37 45 58.2
W 122 25 36.3


16th in front of the Roxy
016 N 37 45 53.3
W 122 25 20.6


Valencia & 16th
017 N 37 45 53.0
W 122 25 19.7

Mission and 16th
018 N 37 45 54.1
W 122 25 11.4

Capp & 17th Uptown
019 N 37 45 48.9
W 122 25 05.8

S. Van Ness & 18th Whiz Burger
020 N 37 45 43
W 122 25 03.2

Folsom & 19th Fire fighter
021 N 37 45 37.6
W 122 25 54.1


Bryant &19th on the new development
022 N 37 45 37.7
W 122 25 35.5


Hampshire & 19th Eduardo's House
023 N 37 45 37.6
W 122 25 28.8

Buried Waters - The Wiggle and the Combined Water Treatment Facility

I was so interested to learn recently that the wiggle, a bike route in San Francisco that only uses streets with minimal incline, is actually the location of an underground creek. This makes sense, as water always finds the path of least resistance to make its way through the landscape. This valley was actually flattened by the run of the stream.

Since I live on the wiggle, I'm fascinated by the culture of this famous bike path. I've seen every type of person imaginable ride by my house - young, old, naked, costumed, rich, poor, you name it. Lots of naked people! Lots of bikes that haul a little trailer for a huge sound system.


The wiggle takes the route of the paved over Sans Souci creek. This valley has been used as a transportation path since at least the mid-1800s. Joel Pomeranz states, "In the historic photos that I got from Greg Gaar, in 1856, farm fences went in a wiggle shape along a creek, separating the land that way. The easiest way to get from Mission Dolores to the Presidio (the earliest European outposts here) was right through there, the flattest way."


"A friend at the SF Bike Coalition clued me in to a secret tribute to the vanished waterway, hidden in the mural behind the supermarket. I studied it for about ten minutes before I discovered the words hidden, appropriately, in the brushstrokes of a stream."
- The Bold Italic, Watershed Moment by Matt Baume, June 7, 2010

I was also interested to learn a little more about the pros of cons of the combined water treatment facility. It definitely seems wasteful to put the storm water through the same cleansing process as our sewer water, since the storm water is not as contaminated. At the same time, however, other cities are now thinking about doing the same thing, as storm waters are becoming more and more contaminated with oil runoff and other chemicals.

There does not, at this time, seem to be any clear answer to the issue of combined vs. separate water treatment facilities. Most cities migrated away from combined treatment facilities, but San Francisco opted to not take on the expense or the inconvenience of opening every street in the city.

Oh, blog - I didn't even realize I missed you!

I've recently been inspired to get back to blogging, however sporadic it is. I was reading a friends' blog and remembered how fun it is to hash things out in writing. I've been journaling more over the last couple years, but my journal is for private thoughts. Why stop there when there are so many thoughts that can be shared?

In general, I'm feeling pretty amazing right now and have so much goodness going on!

• Back in school (two summer sessions)
• Burning Man in August
• Just went to Yosemite w/my housemates
• Had an amazing Sacramento weekend last weekend (Mom's 60th, Baca family reunion, RT peeps, friends)
• Quit smoking
• Doing lots of yoga w/Steph

= Feeling strong, confident, bright and shiny!

On that note, my friend Dalano recently shared this quote with me, so I will leave you with it:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love"


Wow - that is the Truth! Feel it!