Jan 5/10

Hello interested reader! My name is Raquel Denis. I am a student in the college of public programs and I am currently studying nonprofit management.  I care a lot about community and the well being of people; I specifically have a big heart for Phoenix and would like to be of use in bettering it. Thus, I plan on sticking around in this city for a while to see it change and evolve. After the reading, I found that a lot of what I care about pertains to urban policy. I live in a pretty rough area of town, 15th Ave and Van Buren, with a community of Christians who desire to make a difference in Phoenix, especially in our neighborhood. When I ride my bike around the area, I get really frustrated and wonder why there is a such a disparity in livelihood between the neighborhood I live in now and the neighborhood just across the freeway. For a few years I've wondered why certain parts of Phoenix and, more recently, why central phoenix has been neglected in a lot ways. With that said, I am encouraged by the fact that I will be learning the background and answers to such questions. Some of my questions were addressed in the reading.

In the first chapter of Urban Policy Reconsidered, I was informed of just how complex the authority of a city is. Cities don't have a lot of say because of the power States hold over them. However, they are not completely powerless. The problem is that when city officials can make decisions that influence the well being of  their cities, they find themselves caught between what's best for the city and what will keep them elected. For example,  having to please businesses and support developmental policies even if they'd like to help the poor. This explains why when I look around my city I see things that are so obviously in need of change but have yet to move in that direction. Also, another point from the reading that I resonated with was a quote from Grogan: "Cities will thrive when they fix the things that ordinary people can fix in the neighborhoods." I very much feel that way. Apprenticeship to Jesus, the community I intern with, encourages its participants and its neighbors to take ownership of the space through community efforts. We are attempting to do that in very practical ways, like making use of the rec center across the street, going to monthly neighborhood meetings and participating in community work days. Our neighborhood really does care and we are learning that we do have the ability to fix some things that city officials have failed to do. Thus, it goes without saying that I really do believe in the communitarian approach to improve urban cities and especially Phoenix. And it really is true that once a group of people come together for a collective effort, their individual pursuits can flourish. It's exciting! I can't wait to explore and learn more about urban policy.