A recent social concept discussed in feminist/womanist communities is involved around this notion of “taking up space”. This idea stems from centuries-old trends in female behavior: dieting, eating disorders, apologizing for asking questions, shrinking ourselves in public spaces. Now a senior at Wesleyan University, Lily Myers’ poetic approach earned her viral internet standing and acclamation from women and men alike:

The issue presented predominantly focuses on the context of male entitlement to public space, particularly in public transport. Blogs like Men Taking Up Too Much Space on the Train and Move the F*ck Over, Bro are getting buzz – highlighting that in a patriarchal society, men will assert their privilege (possibly subconsciously) by sprawling out in trains, buses, and metros.

According to Feminist critique, this is a power move enacted by men in our society to assert dominance. But do you think “man-spreading” is an issue on the over-crowded trains in Bangladesh or Japan?

 

The answer is no. We in the West are privileged to make it inside the train; As a society, we place high value on personal space that just will not be realistic as population numbers begin to rise. Japanese subways are infamous for uniformed personnel shoving people inside – ensuring that each car is packed, not if every seat is filled.

And no, we are not dismissing the feminist critique of men’s behavior in public spaces. Physical assertion of perceived dominance is rampant, and definitely something that should, and will be discussed. Women should never feel threatened by existing, so any measures to empower, we support.

If population continues to grow, we won’t have the luxury to complain about “man-spreading”. As always with today’s social issues, intersectionality is important in this issue, especially voices of foreign perspectives.

Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. What better time to initiate a recycling/compost plan, get involved in a community garden or attend a climate change awareness forum? The options are endless when it comes to environmental outreach, the hardest part is actually committing to it!

This year, the majority of local, regional, and national festivities will be held the weekend prior (17-19), so check your favorite newspaper, magazine, blog, or events site to make sure you can get in on all the mother-loving action!

In D.C., there will be a huge party to celebrate and raise awareness on climate crisis, overpopulation, and poverty. The Global Poverty Project and the Earth Day Network have joined forces to present an amazing concert on the Washington Monument Grounds. Big, household name artists (No Doubt, Fall Out Boy, Usher, Mary J. Blige) have signed on to headline this event.

Not all events will be that massive, though. Parades of all magnitudes are held across the nation: cities in Pennsylvania, New York, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Vermont, Georgia, etc. will commemorate the holiday en masse so if community is your thing, we ensure you’ll find a sponsored event in your area.

But then there are people who think of crowds and shudder. That’s ok! Participate and celebrate in your own way! Plant a tree, a flower, vegetables or herbs. Watch a documentary about the effects of climate change. Read a book in a park. Take a walk and enjoy the resources we have, while we have them.

Heck, even if you just sign a petition or pledge to conserve energy or educate others, our home and our 7 billion + neighbors will be all the better for it.

• Earth Day Network’s Climate Petition
• Browse the Environmental Category at Change.com
• Sierra Club Canada: Protect Communities from Contamination
• Protect Wisely’s Greenbelt in Guilford, England

 

Before we can begin to talk about the issues that gentrification poses, let’s make sure that we’re on the same page right off the bat. According to the brains at Dictionary.com, gentrification is defined as

“the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses”

If this feels a little familiar, your ‘hood might have a gentrification problem – one of the many Catch 22’s of city population surges. You see, even though property values increase (making certain neighborhoods more appealing) these areas lose diversity, especially considering the minorities that contribute to a multicultural urban lifestyle.

Take Austin, Texas for example. Proud weirdos and counter-culturalists. From 2000-2010, ATX saw it’s population increase by 20.4%, the 3rd fastest growing major city of the decade. Even with all that growth, it was the African-American population that was on the decline. The Austin-American Statesman is doing a brilliant job of covering the phenomena that is at it’s heart an economic and political issue.

When cost of living soars because of the influx of wealthy new Austinites, upper-to-middle class families don’t grumble much especially in comparison to the high-cost areas they are coming from: Los Angeles, San Diego, NYC, Chicago, DC.

But for minorities (mostly Blacks and Latinos) who don’t make nearly as much per dollar as their white counterparts, they are literally losing ground. All it takes to understand the severity is a drive around East Austin. Verging on derelict mid-century, one-floor family homes with plenty of life and character spilling out of it’s gates is juxtaposed with brand new, modern studio condominiums or under construction artistically architecture’d  3-level town homes that scream “yuppie” (young upwardly mobile professional). But that’s the issue. There is little economic mobility for minorites in Austin, so they are forced out to subsequently booming suburbs like Pflugerville, Georgetown, and Round Rock.

A perfect case-in-point example is the fate of the historic Rosewood Courts. Built as housing for low-income Black families (“projects”) in the 1930s, the Rosewood Courts (located in, you guessed it – East Austin) is on the verge of being mostly razed and rebuilt. The community is rallying behind the preservation cause with petitions and social media campaigns, but will it be enough to fend off the Housing Authority of the City of Austin who has grant money from U.S. Housing and Development?

The sense of rallying for cultural inclusion in Austin is apparent in the iamblackaustin campaign. This campaign has goals to address Austin’s racial and cultural divides. According to the Statesman, doing so “might produce the greater payoff in terms of economic mobility… these forces are toughest to pin down [but] they’re often the most important to consider because they coincide so closely with many of the other factors that inhibit opportunity.”

Let’s face it, day-to-day life feels different. Not in a ‘seasons of life’ or ‘every day is a new day’ cliché kinda way, either. With the exponential growth rate of accessible tech and the increase in violent acts of terrorism, we’re left with national, if not global, feelings of pressure and unease.

We at Pop Pulse believe that population shifts in major cities could be the culprit for all of this tension. I mean, we could just be four women in our early 20s being suffocated by the reign of patriarchy, but that’s a whole other blog entirely. But seriously, our claims are supported by big name media, independent studies, global organizations, etc. We’re in good company on this issue and our goal is to keep you global citizens informed!

Speaking of the folks who could vouch for us, we were initially drawn in by this article at the New York Times.

They cite the United Nations as the source for the projected shifts. Get this – by 2050, two-thirds of humanity will live in cities! That’s information that surely will send your head for a loop. We can only imagine the challenges that will become of future folk. Living in Austin, Texas (called the #1 Market for Millennials by US News) the gals at Pop Pulse have first-hand witnessed the effects of population growth – which is eighth in the nation for rapid growth and expansion, by the way. We’ve seen traffic backed up for hours, construction at every turn, gentrification and a soar in the cost of living.

The Times mentioned other challenges that add to our criticism like disease, schooling, and food production. Can you see why we need to talk about this! We will keep pulse to the population news: citing problems, reactions, and potential resolutions.