Week 3: Phoenix

The lack of public transportation that Phoenix has compared to most big cities, such as New York and Chicago, has lead to the fact that most people drive everywhere. The design of the Phoenix area can be compared to Robert Moses’ bridge because there are so many freeways that loop and cut through the town. This cuts travel time from one end of the valley to the other drastically, making it easier and less of an inconvenience to live farther away from downtown Phoenix. I also think that since public transportation, like the city buses in Phoenix, have a bad reputation to be unsafe, which may also cause people to drive rather than take the bus. Obviously, the Phoenix area is huge; it would take a very long time to take the city bus all the way from downtown to north Scottsdale. This may be an unintended, or intended, political consequence similar to Robert Moses’ bridges. People that live farther away from downtown Phoenix, which have the reputation of being unsafe and crime filled, may feel it is more secure and safe.

I think that the development of the light rail was initially a way to make the downtown Phoenix area more popular, by making it easier for people to get downtown from Tempe to go to sporting events, conventions, and museums. I also think that its development was part of the bigger plan, making downtown Phoenix more of a “big city” feel. The greater Phoenix area is so spread out and there are so many different things going on in different parts of the valley, that besides sporting events (and other events) or work, most people do not tend to venture to downtown Phoenix.

The light rail’s route goes from central phoenix, 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, through downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and ends near Main Street and Dobson in Mesa. This route is beneficial to students in Tempe wanting to go downtown or for students at the Phoenix campus to go to Tempe to enjoy the nightlife there. I also think that it is beneficial for commuters that may live and work near light rail stops, saving gas and money. After reading the article, one can begin to recognize the possible political agenda behind the light rail’s route. It is accessible to those who want to use it and is inexpensive, but at the same time limits where one can go. It does not go up to north Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, north Phoenix, or even Old Town Scottsdale, thus making it more difficult for people whose only means of transportation is public transportation to get to these parts of the valley.

I don’t know if it is possible to have an alternative transportation system or even an improved one to serve a “democratic” function. The Phoenix area is so big, that regardless of the implementation of a better transportation system, most people would prefer to drive on the many freeways than have a longer commute.

Blog #1

Hello everyone, my name is Danielle Schwartz, and I am 22 years old. I have two younger brothers, Kyle, he is 20 and Bradley is 15. I currently live with my brother, Kyle, and my two dogs (which are my children!), in our condo in Old Town Scottsdale.

I am a Justice Studies Major, currently finishing my last semester and graduating (fingers crossed!) in December. I am not really planning on doing anything with that major, I want to go on to business school and get my MBA in healthcare management. I have been working for my dad, a gastroenterologist, for at least 6 years. I have worked every position imaginable in his office and am currently the “assistant office manager.” My grandma is the current office manager, and is planning to retire in January, after I graduate, making me the office manager. My ultimate goal is to run my dad’s office for a few years and then become the CEO of a large corporation of gastroenterologists in Arizona. So those are my dreams and aspirations in a nutshell! Since I have worked for my dad for so long, I have gained a great understanding for how medical offices should be run to produce the most profit and to be as successful as possible. I obviously have an invested interest in how my dad’s business does, along with my grandma, and this has shaped how I work and has made me care more about things than say another office manager that does not have the same relationship with her employer. I know that my work ethic would be the same if I were to run any other office or even the whole corporation because I have worked this way forever!

I chose to take this course because I took a course with Professor Lim last semester and really enjoyed her class. I learned a lot about stuff that I had no clue about going into the class and expect to learn the same this time around. Since I am not planning on going to law school per se right now, I may want to pursue it later on in life and all of my justice classes are setting a good foundation for that. Last semester I was able to learn how technology and justice worked together and formed social movements. This semester, I honestly have not a clue about the correlation between science, technology and injustice, so I am hoping to learn what that means and where it exists.