http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456954/html/nn0page1.stm

In many regards, the recent uprising movement led by Buddhist monks in Tibet is a defense of a cultural Tibet which is in jeopardy of disappearance.  The Tibetan monks and native people of the greater Tibetan region are acting (violently, at times) to preserve Tibet as an autonomous region within China.

China has defended their actions of suppressing the movement on the grounds that Tibet has benefitted greatly from the increased contact with mainland China.  Indeed, it is indisputable that economically Tibet has experienced great expansion in recent years; concomitantly, Tibet has seen a large influx of non-Tibetans (Han Chinese and Hui Muslims) who have altered the physical and economic landscape.

Tibetans are struggling to maintain the place they have known for centuries.  While their violent actions of preservation through destruction are potentially counterproductive, a consideration of the fragility of their culture and place is valuable in understanding the current conflict.

For a compilation of news articles on the issues, see http://www.truthout.org/TibetUnderSiege.shtml.

There is something vibrant and exciting about college towns and culture capitals.  This something often spurs economic development.  While cities tend to welcome such development, there is often a tension present between those who seek to capitalize on the local culture and found new institutions (or new outposts of national/international institutions) and those who want to preserve the culture that develops.   

One city that is not surprisingly dedicated to preserving its creative core is Berkeley, California. This article, published yesterday describes the challenges and efforts the city is making to ensure the continuation of cultural production in West Berkeley.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/04/22/food.biofuels/index.html

The Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, Josette Sheeran, is warning that the allocation of land use to produce biofuels is contributing the the problem of world hunger.  Land capable of food production is instead being used for biofuel production leading to rising food prices, violence, and an increase in world hunger particularly in poorer regions.  Critics of biofuel production has also said that people in Asia, Africa, and South America are being displaced from their lands to make room for biofuel growth areas.  Sheeran has called the problem of rising world hunger "a tsunami that respects no borders."  This problem is not just affecting isolated places but entire regions typically located in the poorest parts of the world.  This is an interesting problem because it is causing us to weigh the option of a cleaner fuel source against food price increases and world hunger.  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said "We must also do more to explore the links between climate change and food and particularly their impact on the livelihoods and vulnerabilities of the very poorest who are likely to be most affected by climate change."  Brown said the EU would change biofuel target levels if it is shown the land use has a significant affect on prices and hunger.  This all brings up the crisis of place that exists for the poor.  Climate change will cause desertification and other problems in these areas that will lead to displacement and hunger... but one of the solutions to climate change will also lead to displacement and hunger in these areas because of the allocation of land use.    

In case you missed it, there was an interesting story in last week's Times about the dean of the architecture school over in Syracuse and his efforts to revitalize the city's urban core.

While it can sometimes be tempting to think of Syracuse as simply a post-industrial wasteland, articles like this suggest that it has an interesting heritage and a great deal of untapped potential.  While Syracuse looks to mammoth malls like Destiny USA for its salvation, it might do well to consider the significant architectural heritage in its own backyard.
-JKO