Tax Increment Financing Contrasting Effects Essays - Urban Planning

Tax Increment Financing: Contrasting Effects suburbanization in america Limmer (1) AHousing is an outward expression of the inner human nature; no society can be understood apart from the residences of its [emailprotected] That is a quote from the suburban historian Kenneth T. Jackson, from his magnificent piece on suburbanization Crabgrass Frontier. Suburbanization has been probably the most significant factor of change in U.S. cities over the last 50 years, and began 150 years ago. It represents Aa reliance upon the private automobile, upward mobility, the separation of the family into nuclear units, the widening division between work and leisure, and a tendency toward racial and economic [emailprotected] Overall it may represent the change in attitude of the American people. Suburbanization has been occurring for the last 150 years in this country and in Europe, although the Europeans haven=t had the change that the United States has witnessed. The causes of change on such a larger scale can be pointed at four aspects of metropolitan areas also pointe d out in Jackson=s work on suburbanization. The first on is that Americans have such low density residential areas, and often their is not a distinction between urban and rural. Our cities were laid out over space, with even New York City and Philadelphia not as densely populated as some cities in Europe. The next distinguishing factor is a want to own a home. At least two-thirds of all Americans own their own home, with rates less than half of that present in cities in Europe. Next, is the average length that American travel to work, also being much higher than in other countries. Finally, the last distinguishing factor is that social status and income correlate with suburbs, the further away from the central business district, the higher the income level. It is believed that the average income in cities goes up 8% every mile away from the CBD, with their being many exceptions. Such an economic shift is identified as being a result of Awhite [emailprotected], where the urban Limmer (2) whites fled to the suburbs after WWII, with the immigrants, blacks, and rural dwellers moving in. The economy switched from an industrial economy to a post-industrial or service economy, with the older factories being replaced by smaller factories (computers, airplanes, appliances), requiring higher skilled workers. In effect these new factories were located outside the city in the suburbs. The central city would be left with nothing, and virtually no opportunities of any magnitude. Detroit is a city that I believe can be identified as the city which went through the greatest amount of change, being heavily relied on one industry. During the first half of the twentieth century, Detroit was probably the most economically booming city in the United States. Since about 1950, Detroit has gone from Aarsenal of [emailprotected], having one of the fastest growing populations and was home to the highest paid working-class workers as well, to losing nearly 1 million people. Many jobs we re also lost with many business leaving the city of today empty and sometimes complete city blocks left completely empty. Detroit has also been home to a host of infrastructure woes, as can be reflected in many other cities in the Industrial Belt of the northeast with decaying roads, sewers, and other physical features. What could cause a city to go from such a center of economic activity to a decayed, depopulated, and unemployed? Where did all of the poor come from? Why has racism played such a powerful role in Detroit the last fifty years? What happened to all of the activity and where did it move to? First, I will discuss the period before the great suburbanization process began, to get an idea of what type of shape the city was in. Then I will discuss how Detroit and it=s central city suffered from the process of suburbanization, movement of center of economic activity into counties to the north like Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston. Suburbanization is a complex process with many components, however I have identified four physical things and one Limmer (3) psychological factor that changed American cities. The wave of technological innovation such as the automobile, changes in government policy which brought about the

Gods Attributes Essays - Conceptions Of God, God In Christianity

Gods Attributes Essays - Conceptions Of God, God In Christianity Gods Attributes According to Christianity, the attributes of God can be organized into two categories: Physical and ethical or moral. Some terms address Gods transcendence of physical ideology, others address Gods Devine intellect and will. There are a multitude of terms from which to choose when labeling the attributes of God. Therefore, this paper will only deal with the fundamental terms that are put forth by the sacred scriptures. God is, according to the Old and New Testaments: Omnipotent, eternal, Immense, Incomprehensible, and infinite in intellect and will The omnipotent characteristic of God is often referred to in the Bible. God is said to have all the power for the benefit of man . According the John, God said that men could have no power against him . Christians believe that god has the power to free people from the most trying circumstances and single handedly defeat great nations . God can, in the eyes of Christians, do anything. Numerous biblical personalities have said that God is eternal. The Lord is said to be and ever lasting father that will reign forever . God is said to be a king in an everlasting Kingdom . God has always been and always will be. He coexists with time; he does not exist in time. The Omni presence of God is one argument that is difficult to uphold; it is extremely reliant upon peoples interpretations of the most elementary Biblical passages. Most Christians will testify that God is always everywhere. There are no shortages of passages that say that Gods eyes are here and there, and that his eyes are everywhere . There are also several scriptures that say the Lords kingdom is in the heavens above and those who believe will be in his presence . However, as far as I can see, there are no passages that say that God is always everywhere . Is the Holy Trinity the Only way to support the Belief in the existence of an infinitely immense God? No. The Trinity is based on the idea that God can manifest himself through various mediums. Gods presence may be in burning bushes; it may be in the body of mortal beings such as Jesus of Nazareth. God could, according to the Trinity, be in many places at once, being in many beings . However, we will run into a problem when we use the Holy Trinity to explain the words that God said in Genesis 1:26. This passage proves, not that there is more than one god, but that there are two or more beings that are a part of one God. These beings, according to Genesis 1:26, share a common image. Most Christians who believe in the Holy Trinity believe in an omnipotent abstract God, the Holy Ghost or Spirit, and the Son who is, according to the Trinity, the manly manifestation of the omnipotent God. In the Bible it says that no man may see God and live to tell of it, so how could Jesus Disciples spr ead the good news and speak of Jesus and still manage to live? Furthermore, the Holy Spirit (Ghost) is a gift from God, not God himself. We cannot, with the Holy Trinity or any other ideology, explain the literally omnipresent God. However, if one believes that God spreads his seeds by giving the gift of life, than we can say that, in a sense, God is everywhere, because man is, in a sense, everywhere.