You may (maybe not) need to watch both of them for the assignment (available on YouTube)

Taken for a ride – 1996 documentary

Let’s go to town – GM produced video from 1950s

 

Respond by writing 3 paragraphs, one for each question. Combine answer for a, b, c into one paragraph.

 

 

1. Ethnic enclaves are areas or neighborhoods with a concentration of an ethnic minority in them. Many ethnic enclaves developed during the period when the United States was undergoing rapid and massive industrialization.  Find an ethnic enclave that developed in the U.S. in the late 19^th/early 20^thcentury and describe in terms of the following questions:
2. Where is the enclave located? Who were the original inhabitants? From where did they originate? Why did they settle in that particular location in the U.S.? What elements of their culture did they establish in the U.S.?
3. What does that location look like today? Is it still an ethnic enclave?  If not, why not? If so, what ethnic elements still exist? What is happening in that area today? Who lives there now?

 

2. The skyrocketing sales of both automobiles and busses, aided in part by manipulation of consumer choice in both deceptive and straightforward practices, obviously benefitted General Motors economically. Considering and referencing what you learned by viewing Taken for a Ride and Let’s go to town, answer the following questions:
3. Did society in general benefit from the shift from streetcar public transit to individual automobile use and bus based public transit? Consider society in general to include residents and the municipal governments, as well as any other groups you consider relevant.
4. Do corporations have a responsibility to consider the public good when making financial decisions, particularly in relation to urban development?
5. What role, if any, should municipal governments play in regulating the impact on society of urban development that results from financially oriented decisions made by commercial entities?

 

3. Cities are complex places within which many competing interests interact. These interests represent a diversity of people, each with different degrees of wealth, power and access to the city that results in them experiencing the city differently.  Unsurprisingly, for every urban issue that arises, there is a multitude of conflicting perspectives and competing solutions. How an issue is resolved can indicate the economic, political and social dynamics of a place at a particular time.
   1. Identify and describe an urban issue for which there are or were multiple and conflicting perspectives.
   2. Identify the stakeholders in the issue and describe the position that each takes regarding the problem.
   3. Describe the status of the issue. Has it been resolved? Who “won”? What impact has this had on the area and the stakeholders? If it hasn’t been resolved, what do you think the outcome should be?