Heaven’s Harbor
The first thing people think about for why people go on walks is to clear one’s mind, but over the course of Discover Chicago the ideas of walkability, social capital, the rights to a city, and many other ideas associated with walking have been brought up and connected. My proposition brings these ideas full circle back to the idea that walks are most generally to clear one’s head and to relax.
Here is the map of the neighborhood I grew up in. It’s a peaceful community that has everything someone needs to live and has several activities and areas for people to relax. The walkability of my area is one of the ways that makes my community such a relaxing place. When referring to the walkability of an area we refer to how accessible and comfortable it is for someone to walk through. My community does this quite well with its assortment of fountains, parks, and social amenities. “Here, maps say, is and instance of such a thing, and here is another, and here are others still. What makes the map’s affirmation so ringing is the implicit challenge: ‘You dont believe it? Go check it out!’ (Krygier 123). This statement rings true as there is only one way to figure out if a map is true, and that is to go explore it yourself. So we will explore my map together.
At the beginning of the walk as headed out it was 9:30 am and it was a cold morning around 45 degrees. You could still see the morning dew. I headed east of my house towards the park located across the street. The park is one of the many ways our community builds up social capital. People with their babies and grandchildren gather here at parks to chat while the kids play with each other. Both the adults and the kids build these relationships with each other and that social capital is starting to build up and strengthen, but past the park lies a view great for relaxing oneself. Behind the park is a view of the wolf river.
It’s a stunning view that adds to the walkability of my community because it has many pleasant views to look at. I turn to my right and go down a trail that heads into the forest which looks to be out of a fairy tale.
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As soon as you enter the forest there is an old swing set that looks ominous at first but is actually quite important to those of us in the community. It is stated in the practice of everyday life, “Memories tie us to that place…. It’s personal, not interesting to anyone else, but after all that’s what gives a neighborhood its character” (de Certeau 108). This statement is quite true as the community has asked it to stay there because of all the memories we have associated with that swing.
I continue along my walk past more parks and beautiful sights till I hit the harbor where the community keeps all the boats.
This is another area that builds up and strengthens the community’s social capital as it’s a great place for people to hang out on the water, but it’s also not exclusive which brings back another idea brought up in this course, rights to a community. The dock isn’t just for those who own boats and for those people to hang out with each other. Anyone can rent out a boat and go hang out on the river with their friends. From there are a boardwalk and small hut for people to hang out on as well and watch people at the docks.
From there I make my way towards the commercial part of our community. On the way there I see beautiful flowers and wild berries, which I didn’t know were a thing until I started being more mindful on my walks.
I hit the commercial area that holds all the amenities one could ask for. There is a grocery store, gym, medical center, and much more. All of this adds to that sense of walkability in your community and the ability to build up and strengthen your social capital.
I leave the commercial area and start to make my way back through the neighborhood where I believe the community truly shines. There are a series of gardens and ponds with fountains, fish, and a generally unusual friend in them.
Here I met a whole colony of ducks which, at the moment, I didn’t know what kind but after some research found out they were mallards. They seemed to be having a pool party and others were tending to their nest. One duck even hatched already.
I make my way back through another path that I would also say is out of a fairy tale, but at this point why not the whole neighborhood be.
I’ve gone past my house and am making my way down to the river on the other side of my house when I see something that I dont see too often nowadays.
It was a lost dog sign. In most of the communities I visit nowadays, especially after moving to Chicago this fall, I dont witness lost dog posters asking for assistance from the community to help find something/someone. I see this as the culmination of the social capital that has been built up in the community since its . . I make my way down to the road that you have to cross before you hit the river. At this crosswalk, there is a nice sign which names our community, Harbor Town. There is also a cool compass on the ground that tells you your cardinal directions if you are unsure about them. I cross the street and on the other side is this huge field and hill right with the river.
There happens to be a barge transporting goods as the pic was taken and you also get a great view of the “M” bridge which connects Tennessee to Arkansas. This area is another hot spot for people to hang out and is the most popular spot for people to take walks on as you get a great view of the Mississippi River and the breeze that comes off of it feels amazing. After taking in the scenery I make my way back home and it hits me that racial stereotyping isn’t really a problem down here. “As I swung onto the avenue behind her, there seemed to be a discreet, uninflammatory distance between us. Not so. She cast back a worried glance. To her, the youngish black man-a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket-seemed menacingly close” (Staples 19). We dont have incidents where people feel uncomfortable with people from other races no matter the time of day. I believe it’s thanks to the social capital that has been built up. We are a tight know community that has created an atmosphere where everyone is allowed to feel relaxed in. With this reflection, I realized I hit my house and my walk is now over.
We have several areas with beautiful scenery and nice amenities for the community to enjoy that give our neighborhood a sense of walkability. We have several areas where people can gather and build and strengthen social capital. We also dont have a single area that is off-limits to others so those rights to public spaces are reserved. All of this adds to our community and makes it the relaxing and healing place it can be where you can truly go for a walk and clear your head.
These are my two sketches. I’m not the best at drawing but I’m quite proud of these. On top is a leaf that looked like it was from Jurassic park and in the bottom is a man that I saw jogging on 3 different occasions on my walk. Kinda funny.
de Certeau, M. (1984). Walking in the city. The practice of everyday life (S. Rendall, Trans.). University of California Press. [D2L]
Krygier, J., & Wood, D. (2009). Ce n’est pas le monde (This is not the world). In M. Dodge, R. Kitchin, & C. Perkins (Eds.), Rethinking maps (pp. 189 — 219). Routledge. [D2L]
Staples, B. A. (1986, December 1). Black men and public space. Harper’s Magazine
