Blog # 9: Goal 7 Analysis
The proposal of group 7 to ensure environmental sustainability at the Riverside Plaza was a good idea for conserving energy but I do not think that this would fully improve the slum. This may help for a short time to improve the lives of the low income families who live here to save money and to make things more convenient but I do not think it would completely improve the area. I have seen many public-housing projects that were built to conserve energy but this does not mean that they will improve the area. The McDonough Homes in St. Paul for example were not built long ago but the attempt to improve the lives of the low income families who live in them only succeeded for a time. Now the area is run down with rust stains on the houses, and furniture and garbage strewn around the lawns. Ensuring environmental sustainability is important. It is smart. But creating a sustainable environment will not solve the problem of a slum. A house is nothing but a “shell,� it is the families inside who make it a home and they can chose to care for the home or not.
If only looking at the short run outcomes of creating environmental sustainability in Riverside Plaza, the proposal was good, but I do not think the idea was fully thought through for improving the slum in the long run. The ideas that were thought about for conserving energy were good and the slideshow was also nice.