Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 1

       The Geography 151: Cities of Social Difference student blog project, Metro Motley L.A., strives to uncover the impacts of social difference within the urban environment of metropolitan Los Angeles, California. This blog will connect my personal exploration of the city of Los Angeles with the material obtained in Dr. Justin Wilford’s Geography 151 course in order to investigate and understand social difference throughout the region. As L.A. possesses a vast geographic expanse, a rich historical background, a dense population and an amalgamation of different cultures and ethnicities, it is the perfect case study for understanding the power of social difference within modern urban cities.

       My interest in this class was sparked because of the focus on social difference and it’s reflection in places. After learning about the evolution of cities and how city models can illustrate how cities are organized, I have always wanted to delve deeper into what causes architectural and physical landscape transformations within cities. Additionally, this class and the themes we will cover are fascinating to me because of a documentary I watched over summer, called The Garden. The Garden centers on a dispute that arose over an important community garden in L.A. This community garden was an inexpensive way for poor families in L.A. to grow their own food. Throughout the documentary, I noticed an obvious display of social difference between the politicians, the garden landowner and the community gardeners, not just in terms of money and education, but also opportunities and power. The Garden gave me a small glimpse of how multifaceted social and political issues within cities and communities are directly related to social difference. Personally, I found this intriguing and I would love to learn more about the interconnections embedded in cities that create and solve issues, as well as the consequence of social difference that determines how others interact with one another.

       Currently, I perceive social difference within the metropolitan L.A. region as simultaneously unifying and divisive. For example, in L.A. it is easy to separate the majority of citizens by the privileged and the underprivileged. When passing through L.A., it is apparent by the buildings, the attitude and behavior of the people, as well as their appearance and clothing that certain areas are wealthy, while other areas have greater disadvantages. In this way, L.A. illustrates how social difference can be divisive. Yet, it is this diversity that also unifies people of similar economic and social standing. Another example includes the distinctive cultural and ethnic enclaves found in L.A., which divide and categorize people based on their cultural or ethnic affiliation, but also serves to bring similar people together in one community.

       Ultimately, I am excited to explore many unique places throughout L.A. that I have never been to before and study the different landscapes, cultures and people. Although I have visited L.A. frequently while growing up, I tended to go to the same places (usually Westwood or Brentwood). I can’t wait to branch out and see where this project takes me! Some areas I have in mind to visit are Venice, Orange County (maybe Newport, Irvine or Santa Ana), Chinatown and Little Tokyo. I can’t wait to start my first adventure!

-Breeanna Bergeron-Matsumoto