Urban Vitals?
The launch of my Urban Vitals blog coincides with my journey to gaining a graduate degree in city planning. Though at the ripe age of 24, I have sought intently to make productive use of my collegiate and professional career to garner a variety of experiences in the sphere of “public service.” This is blog is my conscious effort to collect and articulate my thoughts about cities, their inhabitants, my learning process and the academic and professional field of Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED) that I dedicated my life to in March of 2010.
As of the 2000 US Census, roughly 80% of the US population was residing in urban areas. It was the 1920 Census that saw this percentage eclipse 50% — when for the first time there were more Americans living in urban areas than in rural areas. Urbanization has been indelibly intertwined with racial and socioeconomic inequality, and thus much effort remains in corralling various government, philanthropic, community and private sector resources that can correct this legacy.
Vital signs represent the fundamental indicators that doctors use to gauge the health of their patients. Cities have their own vitals, depending on the observer, that could include safety, the availability of jobs, inequality, private sector revenue, the level of education, youth and so many more.
The Urban Vitals Blog is a manifestation of my immersion myself in the theory, practice, politics and existence of urban communities that will hopefully prepare me to assist them (and their residents) in studying and effecting positive changes to these indicators.
In short, who knows where this will go…
Rance
July 2011
