kretchitecture

Kelly & Broc
Millennium Goal 8- Develop a Glodal Partnership for Development
Focusing on Somalia, and comparing it to Kenya, they discussed the importance of new technologies in advancing the lives and culture of residents of Somalia. Somalia, which they stated is "behind the technological curve" in Africa, and was the last country on the continent to offer the internet. They discussed how communications via cell phones and over the internet improves the economy of the country and increases social possibilities. A quote that really stood out to me was, “Developing nations don’t have to catch-up, they have to embrace their own technologies.� Essentially, they argued that in order to catch-up and maintain continual growth, Somalia must leap-frog older technologies such as land phones, in order to improve economically and socially.
They believe that the wireless internet and the availability of cell phones each are key to advancing a culture. The two benefits they discussed were ease and cost. However, the most interesting gain in implementing these two forms of communication was the impact they have in the progression of education in Somalia. Dr. Mitra said, “Technology should be designed for education, not adapted for it.� Technology directed towards education systems have several strong benefits, among them access to information and resources. The technology having the most impact on education in Somalia is the $100 laptop, in which a consumer buys a package deal where they receive one laptop and a student in a country such at Somalia receives another.
This was a very compelling presentation that explored a breadth of information, addressed many issues, and presented solutions as to how those issues could be dealt with. Overall I felt this pair did a very good job in assessing the Goal and focusing on a selected area.

Anthony, Laura, Angie
Millennium Goal 7- Ensure Environmental Sustainability
This group brought their study a little closer to home, studying the issue of sustainability in relation to low-income housing in Minneapolis. They stated that low-income housing in a crisis because there is a growing need for it and a lessening in availability. Problems also arise when the following are taken into consideration, also in relation to sustainability: NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard), redevelopment problems, over-crowdedness, homelessness, and poverty.
The group considered how building with “Go Green� in mind would help address these issues in low-income housing. Buildings cost a lot of money to build, to maintain, and to remodel or to demolish. They consume a lot of energy and produce CFC’s (chloral-floral-carbon) and vast amounts of CO2 emissions.
They proposed changes to Ralph Rapson’s Riverside apartment complexes that would address low-income housing and environmental sustainability. Such changes would include installing KONE elevators, replacing the windows with triple-pane glass windows, changing the light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, installing recycling chutes, recycling of rain and shower water, and installing efficient appliances.