Sunday, April 12, 2009

Recetas Urbanas / Urban Prescriptions

Recetas Urbanas exploits loopholes in the bureaucratic system of city planning to reclaim parts of the city by those who it really belongs to.

From hidden housing to reclaiming empty lots for use as a playground, Recetas Urbanas has engaged in artistic and architectural civil disobedience and semi-legal strategies since 1996. The collective’s strategies create autonomous and liminal spaces, which are frequently nomadic, so as to adjust to the city’s ever-changing environment. Other projects, including this collaboration with Democracia and Todo por la Praxis, are as appropriative, but more permanent, providing residents with infrastructure and facilities that governmental bureaucracy has deemed low priority.

From Groundswell

31 comments:

Unknown said...

This is great!!! Now the people can take back their cities instead of contractors building fancy apartments for millionaires.

Anonymous said...

yeah millionaires aren't people! and don't deserve to succeed with their efforts! Let them suffer. Let the poor pay for the all their own hand outs!!!

Anonymous said...

BASC postpones bike map due to "stalling," is that productivity in action?

Anonymous said...

obvious troll is obvious.

Bello Velo said...

Stay on topic "richie rich", the topic is not BASC on this thread.

I find it difficult to believe that these millionaires are victims. You and your golf buddies are actually the real minority. The world has figured it out, lock you gates.

pretend urpoorsocoboy said...

we mustnt talk about basc. word might get our that they are seemingly ineffectual & its just another non-funded politico scam to calm the angry hoards. nut surely you see it as govt as its finest.

Anonymous said...

obvious troll is obviously pretending to be many trolls.

identity fail.

Anonymous said...

"Trolling" is the word du jour that people use when they are incapable of a rational response, or down right afraid they truth will come out making them look even more foolish than they are. screaming troll, use to be fire! or wolf!

Merely a cop out and a cover-up.

Yup, never criticize your gov representatives, hehehehee.

Bello Velo said...

I will make it simple for you. The title is the topic or thread, your comments are to reflect the topic. The topic in this thread is Recetas Urbanas / Urban Prescriptions not Basc. Basc is a couple of topics or threads below. feel free to say what you like there.

We don't censor you here we are not that insecure, but you do need to STAY ON TOPIC. Maybe you are new to the internet or blogs and I hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

he tax system in Alabama is arguably the most troubled in the United States and relates directly to the high poverty level in the state. The income and sales taxes place a disproportionate, heavy burden on low-income citizens, which is combined with significant tax advantages for wealthy Alabamians on income and property taxes. Alabama taxes low-income families in such a way that it is very difficult for them to improve their economic status. While the income tax structure was updated in Alabama in 2006 (at that time, families of four with annual incomes of $4600 paid state income tax), the state still begins to tax families earning far less ($12,600) than the federal poverty rate ($19,600). Sales tax is also particularly troublesome in Alabama. As a general rule, sales tax on goods affects lower-income citizens at a greater percentage of their income than wealthier citizens, especially the tax on necessary goods like groceries. In 2002, the lowest 20 % of earners paid 10.6% of their income to the state in taxes, while the wealthiest 1% paid barely 4%. This disparity is largely attributed to sales tax. Further, Alabama fails to collect sufficient revenue and revenue is subject to market fluctuations because of the reliance on sales and income taxes. The implications of such a tax system are far-reaching and detrimental, (affecting the quality of public education, for instance). Reform is needed for improvement and progress. If Alabama does not allow low-income citizens to help themselves, it will be very difficult for them to escape their circumstances and improve their economic position.

clintpatty said...

The property tax here does not significantly favor the wealthy. It favors those who have been wealthy for a long time. And yes the property taxes do have significantly effects on the quality of public education. But property taxes in Madison for instance aren't all that detrimental to public education.

Anonymous said...

Alabama's been called an economic plantation: for example, trees cover more than 70 percent of the state, and forestry is Alabama's leading industry. Yet timber and paper companies contribute less than 2 percent of all property tax revenues.

Anonymous said...

Not correct it does favor the wealthy.

Federal judge to allow lawsuit challenging Alabama's property tax system as lowest in nation, racially discriminatory.

A federal judge Thursday ruled he will allow a lawsuit to proceed with its challenge that Alabama's property tax system produces the lowest taxes in in the nation and thus is racially discriminatory.

U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith denied a request by state lawyers to dismiss the suit on the ground the federal court is not the place for the suit.

"Now, we can move ahead," said James Blacksher, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "This was a motion designed to stop the court from considering anything in the case."

The suit filed in March in Birmingham's federal court is on behalf of students in Lawrence and Sumter counties' public schools. The suit seeks class-action status.

The suit revisits the issue that was raised by lawyers such as Blacksher in 2004 through the state's college desegregation case, Knight v. Alabama, involving the higher education system. At the time, another federal judge found the property tax system is a vestige of discrimination, but said the matter should have been raised in another case.

Vestige of discrimination?:

The current suit stems from that decision. The suit said the way Alabama public schools are financed forces local governments to raise school revenues through regressive sales taxes. The suit maintains Alabama's state and local property taxes are the lowest of all 50 states, and that the system has racially inspired limits rooted in the state's 1901 constitution.

The system, the suit said, shrinks property taxes for wealthy landowners. The suit also said the property tax restrictions result in the underfunding of the state's K-12 public school system, particularly in rural and majority black schools.

State lawyers argued that the plaintiffs lack the standing to bring the suit. Efforts to reach state lawyers were unsuccessful Thursday.

They argued in court papers that the plaintiffs should take their complaint to their elected representatives, not federal court. They also contend that a judgment in the favor of the plaintiffs would increase most property taxes across the board by 500 percent to 1,000 percent.

Smith made mention of that in his Thursday ruling.

"Plaintiffs fully recognize that, if such an injunction should be entered, the immediate effect would be a tremendous increase in property taxes in the state of Alabama," the judge wrote. "Plaintiffs are not deterred by that possibility."...

from http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/121699180322740.xml&coll=2

clintpatty said...

That post was about the interaction of property taxes and the school system. I agree on that.

Anonymous said...

Identifying your opportunistic, off-topic rants as trolling does not constitute a cop-out or cover-up. You are interjecting your very identifiable brand of propaganda in places where it is especially irrelevant. That, dear, is trolling.

I'd include your assumed anonymity when posting said irrelevant BS as a feature characteristic of trolls, but then I'd have to call myself the same :) It just wouldnt mean the same thing if you knew who was calling you out.

Anonymous said...

and plz, LINK instead of copy/paste for gawd's sake!

Bello Velo said...

I think the other post is a rebuttal to said troll. Here is an idea why not debate one another? Calling names and shit is fun and it does make you feel better,but consider others who might benefit from this dialogue.

Believe it or not some people think if you get hit by a car close to public housing that it must be your fault because you are not of the same economic background.

They also believe if art is done in the public space by those of lesser economic means it is vandalism or graffiti.

I do understand that the rich must be getting nervous because of the vast numbers of people who have finally figured out that these corporate criminals are the problem and have wrecked the country possibly beyond repair. Now will they all be doled out the same justice as a kid in public housing for dealing a bag of weed? The kid busted for weed loses his home and goes to jail. what about:
Citigroup
AIG
too many to list but I think you get the picture. we have not moved that far from institutionalized racism, it's just we hate poor people and want them to disappear.

There are basketball courts,pools and health food stores in my neighborhood. There are liquor stores,gas stations and lot's of churches over on Seminole.

Maybe the President of Brazil was right with what he said.

Billygoatsgruff said...

many work (on-site) computerss, don't allow customization/ personalization-- like signing in to certain web pages-- some people even mistakenly misinterpret necessary annon. comments. It's a sensitive world we live in & I'm sensitive too!

But let's all give each other respect, room for error, & even growth-- and try not to jump to conclusions based on our own biased assumptions. We all make mistakes, and diversity is often a good thing-- doesn't mean we all have to like each other.

I enjoy respect-enough or good-hearted debates. even like the tongue-in-check humor, the devil's advocate & the other debating roles.

inc123 said...

Another point of view:

If (over-simplified & fictional) Smallville had 1000 adult residents & their beloved fire department costs $1000 /year to run (in a manner than was as equal as was reasonably assumable).

Then,

Plan A: Each adult pays $1/yr. Everyone pays an equal amount for equal service.

It's fair in the sense that everyone pays equally for equal service. ON the other hand, the poor are paying a higher percent of their wages than large wage owners. You could argue that either the poor or the rich could cost the firedepartment more in a time of need. The poor, may have a smaller home but it likely has less state-of-the art smoke alarms, sprinkler systems an all that. But maybe, it costs more to put out their fires because te fires are more actively burning by the time to FD gets there (no e-monitoring & instant notification, and no sprinklers).
SO it's a toos up, whose homes cost more in terms of potential use.

Plan B: The rich play a higher percent of their income than the poor. The rich might pay 25% of their income 9maybe paying for 100s of FD portions/capita) and the poor pay 0-little %. Fair? It penalizes success. If the tax rate goes up by income, there is a point where making money is discouraged or just not worth the effort. Plus, it is likely that the rich, who are paying for the poor, or also creating jobs-- in various ways-- whether by owning a business, hiring laborers, eating out more, going to colleges, all kinds. So they are paying more and doing more for town in other ways, like JOBS other people need. Fair? To whom?

Plan C: Everyone pays the same percent of income. More pros and cons.

So tell, me what plan is fair & why is it fair?

Is it fair for those who cannot pay to be entitled to precisely the same as those who can? For how long? Generations? What if they choose not to pay because the choose not to work or prefer a low wage paying job category. Are certain professions worth more than others? If someone spends 30 years busting ass to become a surgeon (which probably costs him/her a $1m in debt) does he/she deserve less than someone who gets bored with school & drops out, takes advantage (literally) of welfare (vs. the true need-based, hand-up scenario)?

For those of us who are capitalist (belief system & politics), there is no easy solution on how to be the most fair. Personally, I like plan A-- but even that has to have exceptions.

----
Aside: I grew up within 2 blocks of one of the projects, & within a mile or so of two other large projects, as we used to call them. In HSV, the projects have been in the WEALTHIEST neighborhoods. The neighborhoods around them changed over time, in some cases, Holmes Avenue used to be an elegant address. So it did effect some property values and not some others.

Are there govt housing in the far NE? Hampton Cove? Any at all in Madison??? Spreading them out should mean to all areas, not just those considered well-off. actually, it is cost effective to use/build on lower-priced land instead of the higher priced land. The old Real Estate "best use of the land" rule.

I'd be glad to read your ideas of fairness, given a capitalistic, democratic (or republic) society.

inc123 said...

tired, please overlook typos..

clintpatty said...

re plan b:

It doesn't really discourage success. It discourages high personal incomes. I don't think we need billionaires. Some of them will have to pay on their capital income because investments went well, but others could make less money and put more back into the business. Not that it doesn't have taxes. But if you have enough capital income to live off of, are higher taxes going to discourage you from having that capital income? Are you going to get rid of it all because you got taxed a similar proportion or more of your income to poor people? Sales taxes will probably continue to not favor the poor. Maybe it will be similar to some upper middle class people who buy a bunch of stuff, but not to the capital income people; you probably didn't get a lot of capital income by being ostentatious all the time and buying a bunch of stuff to show off.

Bello Velo said...

Well said Clint. It really is sad that we have become such a selfish, narcissistic society. How ironic that we are in the Bible Belt.

I have no problem having my taxes or time go to help someone else. I for one am very lucky, I could have been born in Iraq or Palestine. I do not believe god made me an American. Keep in mind that in other great cities and communities the rich,middle class, poor all live side by side.

I grabbed this definition here too seems appropriate.

bully n. , pl. -lies . A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

Anonymous said...

yep its the christians

Anonymous said...

So by your dictionary defiintion, the person who takes unfair advantage of vulnerable people is a bully. For example the person who runs scams or near-scams on the internet, taking hard-earned money away from desparate workers & want-to-be business people, knowing that they have been sold an inferior, useless, or otherwise product, a bully. Interesting, and I agree. Especially one who does not pay their fair share in taxes, whether through deceit,living off-the-grid, or tax shelters of any kind--yet wishes other wage earners to pay the way for others and people like the afore mentioned. Interesting. Yes. Bully, yes, but of a different kind. I can't imagine who would consider doing such a thing & profit off the failures or others. Unconscionable bullying.

FYI: Politcal beliefs aren't bullying, though some actions may be.

The real question about bulllying is who INTENTIONALLY & REPEATEDLY causes emotional (and perhaps, physcial) harm to an INDIVIDUAL. It is purposeful directed meanness, not misapplied beliefs. It intends to harm. Just like women don't deserve rape, it is acrime of violence and hate. Rapist INTEND to harm.

Bello Velo said...

I have been on the Internet for a long time and I have never met anyone who fell for one of these scams. Maybe I am reading this wrong and you were talking about the predatory lending practices supported and promoted by your Government and carried out by the banks.

PROAMPROCHOICE said...

hahahha. "your government"

A) Do you admit to being anti-american? Sounds treasonous to me. Is it not your or even our government? did you vote? just in the last election or was that in multiple elections?

b) Apparently you feel that all who disagree with you are unworthy of their lives or even living-- the old death to the dissenters bit.

C) I am proud of my country, I live here by choice, I vote, I live in the city of my choice. I attempt to change the things that matter the most to me. I do not wish the socialist (whether theyn are or not pretending to be democrats) or actively socialist, communist etc, harm. I welcome their say. I welcome the diversity. I welcome billionaires. I applaud success. I welcome the project in my neighborhood & have for 45+ years. I actively try to give people a "hand-up". I am proud of my genetic, cultural, regional, and national heritage. Yet, the "liberals" wish me harm & personal harm-- how is that liberal?

BTW: A number of laws changed across the country this week, making bullycide-- suicide via bullying a murderous crime. It is no longer a legal form of murder parts of the country. Why would you derride this movement? Is it because you don't beleive in diversity & you wish people different from you did kill themselves? Pity, you. Pity your liberal/socialistic group.

I'm sure you can and will be exactly as successful as you wish, with your efforts to mock and deride the effects of bullying. Either you know not what you do, or you could not care less about other humans. Sad, my boy. Very sad. Pity the fools.

I recall that old saying that ends-- one day they WILL come for you.

ash said...

LOL. Jim, you are apparently not allowed to use the word bully, even if you provide a relevant dictionary reference. AND you are an anti-american socialist to boot! I also gleaned that from what you've written here! WTF??

Troll here reserves the rights to 'bully' insofar as it applies to her specific rant at any given time. not your word to use.

Seriously, if you are going to point fingers and call names, stand behind what you say with your REAL name. Or are you embarrassed at your own point of view? I would be.

What "liberals" are wishing harm upon you? A bit of a narcissistic stretch, no??

Unknown said...

who is this ash & why is he so stupid?

ash said...

Wow. Just wow. Again, if you are going to call names, stand behind what you say with your REAL NAME. I don't even know why I'm dignifying this farking troll. Everyone knows who you are.

Ash is short for ASHLEY, you douchenozzle. You know who I am. I'm apparently one of those lib'rul commies who are out to threaten your life by stealing your tax dollars.

It's one thing to post informative discourse and opinion relative to the blog posts here. It's another thing entirely to incite drama on a farking blog for the sake of doing it. GET A LIFE! Is this some kind of sad substitute for real human connections? Somehow I am not surprised.

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