Journal
GoogleMaps image of my site.
I visited Allston this past week to grab some dinner with a couple of friends. We took the GreenLine to Packard’s Corner, and we walked along Brighton, where the 57 bus runs through. I remember reading about the “Automile” portion of Allston, which runs along Commonwealth, on the path of the GreenLine. The car dealerships that once lined the T are now replaced by new Asian restaurants and small furniture shops. I started noticing the age of the buildings around me. They seem very old, unrenovated, and wearing down. All of the buildings are around one or two stories tall. I passed a couple of building walls that had graffiti or drawings on them. Next time I come out, I’ll bring my camera and photograph them, as I am very interested in the art culture of Allston. I plan on talking to store owners and talking to them about how long they’ve been here, and get a personal history of a part of Allston. I am really pleased with the site that I chose, I feel like I can learn a lot about its history in different aspects, and also get to explore more restaurants!
Journal | Week Two
I noticed the natural processes of Allston on my visit there this past week. I first looked through Google Maps to find my site on there and printed out a copy to compare with the way it looked in person. I noticed the Google Maps view was very similar to its current state, but slightly friendlier. There weren’t leaves on trees so I rarely saw any green vegetation. There were a couple of shrubs, or naked ones at least, and a couple of naked trees planted by man. On Brighton Ave, there seems to be younger trees, probably planted later, than ones that line the sidewalks of the restaurants/ residences. I also notice that it is particularly still in this area, compared to other parts of Boston. There isn’t much wind movement, and it’s a pretty pleasant walk. There aren’t many shadows cast as most of the buildings are low lying, except for a few of the residences. On the day that I went, the snow was still melting, so I watched for where it went. Most of it evaporated, but for the excess water, I noticed it collected in puddles rather than flowing into one direction. Thus, I noticed that the area is relatively flat. I also noticed as I was walking, that there were bits of moss seeping from the cracks in the sidewalk, kind of disrupting the smoothness and clean look of the walkway.
Journal | Week Three
After completing my second paper and reading parts of The Granite Garden, I learned a lot more about my site. I learned about why the observations I saw occurred. I learned about the importance of soil compaction on a lot of natural processes that occured. For example, due to soil compaction, many trees do not take root and thus, can easily be broken by strong winds, and also results in the lack of air flow within a site. It can also affect the water management of the site and can lead to higher chances of flooding, which I saw signs of when I visited my site.
While visiting my site, I also started to notice things about my site that I never paid attention to before. For example, I always saw Allston as a primarily korean site. However, I noticed many traces of the Automile along Brighton while visiting, such as Auto Zone and smaller vehicle accessory stores. I also saw that the area had many unique, exotic restaurants such as Moroccan food, Spanish food, etc. All in all, I started noticing a lot more of about our site more than just the Korean food. I'm excited to do research about the history of the area and how it plays into the demographics of the area. Journal | Week Four
After the workshop on Wednesday, I felt like I had a better idea of how to approach the third assignment. We worked in our groups and analyzed maps ranging from the late 1800s to present day. I never worked with maps this in depth, and learned a lot from my experience. We first looked at the oldest maps and compared it to the second oldest map to note any changes. We then repeated that with the other maps until present day. Through this, we noted when buildings were torn down and replaced, when roads were built, and when residential buildings turned into commercial buildings. We also noticed when MIT took ownership of the Cambridge area and what changes were made to the land use under MIT. (We noticed that MIT turned many private owned residences into labs.) After viewing different maps, we did some outside research on the history of the area and found interesting information regarding the companies that used to be a part of our site.
Looking at our third assignment, I feel like I have a lot more direction than before. I plan on looking at the oldest maps of Allston and noting the changes and continuities of the land use. I will first look at what buildings that currently exist were present in the oldest found maps, and then note when the upscale residences of my area turned into commercial sites. I also find it a worthy point to note when immigrant and minority companies started and why they prevail today. After, I will do research and find the reasoning for all of this.
Journal | Week Five
I started to search for maps of my site from as old as available to the most recent. I found that it was much easier to find maps for the early 1900s and late 1800s than for maps of the late 1900s. I am still in search of finding a map from this time period.
After having my maps, I was able to do some preliminary comparing and contrasting of the maps, and take notes on it. I mainly noticed the development of certain roads and buildings, and if they were removed, when it happened. I noticed that the frame buildings which seem to be built first, remain until this day as a residential area. I also notied that the newer, brick buildings are currently used as commercial buildings. I also noticed that one owner would own three to four brick buildings, which suggest that they were bought for the purpose of investment and business. I want to do more research as to what businesses thrived there and if they are preserved until today.
Journal | Week Six
I have continued to study the maps that I have found. I've finally found a map from 1970 that I can study. I have also found a useful map of present day land use of my area, so I can determine if the land use has changed since the early 1900s, and when the shift happened. After talking to Louise, I have more guidance of where I want to go with my thesis.
I have always noticed that there has been a unique cultural presence in my spot, but I didn't know how to tie that into my maps of land usage and building development. However, now I believe the way to tie the two in are to discuss how the residential areas have catered to immigrants and the businesses they may own. I can start discussing if the apartments are higher end or lower end and again, if demographically they house many immigrants who may or may not own businesses in the area.
My area has recently shifted to catering to students. I want to notice when this shift occurred, and whether it was before, after, or with the establishment of a university in the area.