Introduction
As from the early 20th century, reformists in New York started demanding for physical reconstruction of the city with the aim of making it better than that of the 19th century. For them, the 19th century New York was compounded with numerous problems that were carried forward to the 20th century, that had greatly affected the residents of the city; therefore, the reformers together with professions from the fields of planners, civil engineers, and government officials contemplated much on issues that involved the provision of adequate housing, transportation, recreation and other municipal services to the heterogeneous population of the city that was almost 3.5 million (Biles 171). Additionally, transportation was a problem, with only one of the five boroughs located on the mainland and it lacked the capacity to accommodate the increasing number of commuters’ and this necessitated the need to construct more bridges, tunnels and other public works (Biles, p. 171).
Should a monument be built to honor Robert Moses?
First, the discussion on this particular debate will be elaborative and will be dwelling more on the opposing view. Robert Moses was born on 18 December 1888 in New Haven Connecticut; his parents were of Jewish origin but had acquired citizenship of Germany. For education, Moses went to Yale University and Wadham College for his undergraduate and graduate studies before obtaining a Ph.D. in political science at Columbia University. Starting his public life, Moses became attracted to New York City reform politics and being an idealist he developed numerous plans for the city of New York. In 1924, Moses was appointed by New York Governor, Al Smith as the head of Long Island State Parks Authority and in 1929, he was behind the building of Jones Beach on Long Island and other two parks (Epperson Para. 2). Upon entering power corridors and exerting much influence, Moses was to become a perfect player in the art of using the independent, quasi-public agency in centralizing control and limiting public and legislative scrutiny. By the early 1940s Moses was holding twelve separate offices that ranged from the state, city to regional offices (Epperson Para. 2).
Many writers have described Robert Moses in different terms and perspectives, for example, many historians have referred to him as “a brilliant and arrogant man” (Epperson Para. 1). Ballon and Jackson, writing in ‘introduction to Robert Moses and Modern City: The Transformation of New York’ observed that “Moses works are so indispensable that it is impossible to imagine New York without them” (Epperson Para. 2). But not all days were sunshine for Robert Moses; he received much criticism especially for his ambitious projects which were seen to disregard the popular opinions. In 1974, Robert Caro published a book, ‘The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York’ which brought out the dark side of Robert Moses (Teaford Para. 1). The book went ahead to win the Pulitzer Prize which indicated how Robert Moses’ superhighway and slum-clearance policies had brought harm to many people. In the book, Caro shows how Moses was insensitive especially during the construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway and also how intentionally he neglected the public transit (Teaford Para. 1).
Moses at the same time is seen to have been obsessed with power and this came to be important to him than anything else, for example, he ruthlessly destroyed many neighborhoods by constructing thirteen big expressways and huge urban projects while paying little attention to the urban fabric or human scale. Caro’s goes ahead to indicate that Robert Moses exhibited racist tendencies together with other New York City planning commission where they refused and opposed the decision to move black war veterans to Stuyvesant Town. While in public life, little was known about Robert Moses background and family, but it was Caro who with evidence indicated that Moses had done little to help his brother Paul and instead Paul had lived in abject poverty. To show further how Moses was inhumane natured, Caro’s book indicates how he influenced his mother to change the will in his favor.
Although Moses early life was full of reformation ideas and true public service, upon gaining confidence among political leaders, he became obsessed with power that later tarnished his image. He disregarded other peoples’ opinions, exerted force where he saw opposition and manipulated where it was appropriate. To sum up, he was more full of egocentrism and selfishness, and therefore blisters he left in some people are still fresh every time his memories comes around and building a monument will be like institutionalizing and immortalizing those bad memories about Robert Moses
Should New York State separate into two states?
The debate to split New York State into two was sparked off by Senator Joseph E. Robach, a Republican senator from Rochester. He tabled the bill with intentions to legislate and conduct a referendum in relation to that issue; however, was such a proposal viable? My suggestions and propositions tend to disagree with this proposal. The proposal, rests on the assumption that separating the state would result in “separating the distinct social and political concerns between upstate and downstate New York” (Chan, Para. 6). Such assumption is just a promotion of the misunderstanding and suspicion that has existed between the various parts of the state and cannot be the basis for the state’s split. Looking at the two regions, one becomes content that there exist differences that are portrayed in population, socioeconomics and representation; but the bitter truth is that upstate and downstate rely on each other and for them to succeed they need each other (Handelman Para. 7).
County Legislator, Vincent Bono accepts that disparities do exist between the two regions but he is totally unsure if splitting will provide the answer to the problems and that it is impossible for upstate to survive without downstate funding (Handelman Para. 8). On his part, Valesky observes that splitting the state will not be a solution to the current unfavorable economic conditions and he asserts that, “New York is one state, a complex web of independent parts” (Handelman par 9). What should be noted is that upstate and downstate possess a unique and very important symbiotic relationship that it is impossible to find in other states of the USA and there any split would result in dysfunctional of many things in the two regions. Furthermore, in the case of drawing boundaries, division and allocation of key assets, there would be numerous problems that as people we would not want to experience. What can be important in my view is that the debates should focus on how to revamp and accelerate the economy of upstate by instituting key infrastructures in the region. Hence for a split, I stand to oppose such views and regard the notion as a very intricate puissance that would degenerate the state into a lot of problems.
The American dream: Is it the city or the suburb?
The American suburbs have been described by many writers to be dying, for instance, Rogers writes that “the suburban American dream is dying, helped in no small part by the subprime mortgage crisis and perhaps set to be finished by ever-rising energy costs” (Rogers Para. 2). What is becoming evident is the fact that living in the suburbs is not what it used to be. In the past, suburbs were favored by many as places that were less disturbed from the hassles of the city and as a result, many elites retreated to the suburbs; but viewing many of them today, one would describe them to be “dotted with abandoned buildings, overgrown grass, graffiti and caution tape” (Rogers Para. 1). Mostly, the design of suburbs is to human scale and they greatly create a sense of special enclosure, hence can be seen to be selective. Such instances make the city to be appropriate to most people because of its openness and great association.
Today, the city is turning out to be a favorite to most suburban dwellers. As Rogers describes, “many Americans are seeing a better future in urban living and that urban life offers a sustainable model of living that will help to cut back on pollution and preserve the suburbs” (Rogers Para. 2). Additionally, CNN, commending on this trend stated that well educated and young people were relocating to the city and had no desire to live “in a detached single-family home typical of suburbia where life is often centered on long commutes and cars” (cited in Rogers Para. 3). Instead, these young people were looking to what Leinberger described as “walkable urbanism” which can refer to relatively small communities and big cities that are characterized by “efficient mass transit systems and high-density developments enabling residents to walk virtually everywhere for an everything-from home to work to restaurants to movie theaters” (cited in Rogers Para. 4). Many of those who moved to the suburbs were convinced of the good life in the suburbs, but as Aaron Renn notes, many moved to suburban by default and if they could be provided with another opportunity on how to achieve their aspirations they would be willing to accept the city back (Block Para. 6). Renn, further observes that the nation has only provided one definition to normal life and that is ‘suburbs’ and at this point, there is a need to provide another version of the normal and good life in the context of urban (Block Para. 7).
Conclusions
Traversing the history of New York especially on the debate topics, one discovers there are many issues that need attention. Primarily, the New York split debate invites key stakeholders to analyze and formulate better ways of bringing economic infrastructures in the region and also ways of reducing the tension between the region and downstate. On the other hand, the American dream largely leaned towards suburbs at the expense of the city needs reassessment. Moreover, recent trends among young people showing preference to the city indicate that the city can still provide opportunities for the fulfillment of the Dream and therefore attention in terms of policies should refocus on the city.
Works Cited
- Biles, Roger. The human tradition in urban America. MD, Rowman & Littlefield. 2002. Web.
- Block, Alex. “Rethinking the American Dream.” Rethinking the American Dream. 2009. Web.
- Chan, Sewell. “On the Road: Should New York State Be Split?” The New York Times. 2010. Web.
- Epperson, Bruce. “Eminence Domain: Reassessing the Life and Public Works of Robert Moses.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 48, No. 4. Chicago. 2007. Web.
- Handelman, David. “Senators ponder state split into upstate, downstate.” Observer-Dispatch. 2009.
- Rogers, Stephanie. ”New Urbanism Taking Over the Suburban American Dream.” Earth first. N.d. 2010.
- Teaford, Jon C. “Caro versus Moses, Round Two: Robert Caro’s The Power Broker.” Technology and Culture, Vol. 49, No. 2. Chicago, 2008. Web.