Perez 1 Wendy Perez Professor Filbeck English 114B April 3, 2014 Modernizing Costal Communities Life on the coastal

lines is simple, quiet, beautiful, and surrounded by nature. Many people who seek out summertime fun and family outings usually head off to the beach. The shore is fundamentally a giant sandbox with free rocks and shells, and the waves are more fun than any pool. Tourists seek out adventure, and locales look forward to their daily walk. Not only are beaches culturally significant, but they are also environmentally important. Beaches support marine life such as sea turtles, which bury their eggs in the sand and not to mention how the sand is essentially vital for the local environment. Beaches protect the surrounding landscape from oppressing into the sea. But because of how our modern society has grown accustomed to urban shopping malls, and indoor activities, people are beginning to undermine the coast. Communities are initiating change, more shopping malls, more private beaches, resulting in huge gentrification for all coastal areas. Some of these coastal areas dont necessarily mean beaches, but can also be referring to nearby boat harbors. Fisherman's Village is a sea front mall, and tourist attraction found in the largest boat harbor in Marina del Rey, California. This place is typically visited by tourist since it is full of activities and things to do such as: parasailing, fishing, fine dining and trips to Catalina Island. I've been to the Fisherman's Village many times before, and I can say for a fact that it is always changing, they are constantly building apartments all around the village as well as the shore. Because the community is regularly building housing, which by the way is rented at very

Perez 2 high cost, I find that this society is aiming for a population with a higher social class. From what I see, I find it further intended for both genders because there is a little bit if everything to entertain them. There are many shopping centers located near this community, enhancing itself to a new time with population growing. After reading websites and reports of what's the future holds for this village, more gentrification is sure to come. According to articles, Fisherman's Village is getting completely rebuilt and redone, more places to stroll and wander to just sit by the water so an environment that's more pedestrian friendly (Glick Kudler). This means tearing down the iconic colorful houses and constructing modernized buildings, something that has disappointed some inhabitants of this community but satisfied many others. According to Joe Piasecki, The operators of Fishermans Village are contemplating a near-total rebuild of the venerable tourist attraction as Los Angeles County officials prepare a new vision for the harbor likely to involve a larger retail footprint, transportation upgrades and more dock space for recreational boaters and kayakers, these officials are looking for more business, but is it worth destroying the harbor? The opinions are very mixed, although some think its a crime destroying the village houses, others think that an improvement is long overdue. This renovation is likely to involve a larger retail footprint, transportation upgrades and more dock space for recreational boaters and kayakers (Glick Kudler) intended to attract more business. Many locales agree that this project will be the best for Fishermans Village; they think that this will increase tourism and have economical gain. Although opinions vary, one thing is certain, the reconstruction is mainly aiming for a utopia, an ideal place where people can gather and shop. But considering how the community is very high maintenance and you dont really see people with lower social class come here, is this gentrification seeking for an ideal

Perez 3 goal or a reasonable one? Personally I think ideal, because I dont see lower income families coming to shop here when there are many other equally fantastic yet more affordable places. The argument consists of precisely this; will the new shopping center give the village more costumers and more fame for future visitors? Well that is what the modifications are aspiring for. Fishermans Village is not a much visited port, although it is known business isnt all that impressive. The community found it necessary to give the village a new representation The purpose of the visioning is to understand what the community and stakeholders would like their community to be in the future, what amenities are currently missing, what parts of the communitys character theyd like to maintain and what they want to see more or less of in the future, (Piasecki) something that they assure will help the ports popularity. Also according to Joe Piasecki, Theyd like to see different kinds of [additional] restaurants and a more userfriendly retail presence. And more places to stroll and wander to just sit by the water so an environment thats more pedestrian friendly, residents would like to see both more shops and faster accessibility, making it easier for people to get around the village and so they can have more things to do. Another example of this expanding gentrification amongst coastal lines is the increasing amount of private beaches, hence less public ones. Ronald A. Davison and J. Nicholas Entrikin, clearly state, in the article The Los Angeles Coast as a Public Place, the classic model of urban public space that influences the assessment of impoverished public space of the Los Angeles metropolitan area overlooks the beaches specifically and the coastal area in general, meaning that Marina del Rey is not the only costal community that is being transformed into an urban and modernized theme, other Los Angeles areas are as well being rebuild. Not only that, but this article also provides interesting homeowners opinions regarding the changes, many are excited

Perez 4 and happy that officials are finally taking their opinion into consideration. Countless discussions involve the means of making more beaches private for the public, The intuitive sense of public places as being eliminated by the steady expansion of the private sphere in modern life is only partially correct, in that it assumes a preexisting realm of the public that is being displaced (Davidson, Ronald A, and J. Nicholas Entrikin), this is only occurring because of the homeowners constant dispute against beach visitors. Because of expanding private beaches, it is becoming more and more difficult for visitors to enjoy the coast. More limitations and less public access, something that has both residents and people form out of town in continuous disagreement. The public declares that citizens have historically held the right to enjoy the beaches,
and that homeowners have taken away these rights. Practically claiming the shores as their back yard, and not allowing others who dont own any property in the coast to benefit from the beach.

The costal lines are being fixed to fit the perfect description of modern, giving many something to argue about. Whether it is having Fishermans Village re-constructed or not, or making beaches less accessible to visitors. The problems are the same, gentrification has taken its effect on the costal lines and economical gain is always something that is sought out. If society is striving to create a utopia, they are definitely in the wrong direction, simply because it excludes people from participating in these activities. Tourist will have problems accessing certain beaches and some people will basically feel uncomfortable or out of place in the new renovation of the village. Arguably there are advantages; there will be more costumers for officials that are looking for more commercial business. But at the same time, that would mean destroying a harbor full of culture. There are unquestionably positives and negatives, coastal communities are being changed but are these modifications truly for the best? Is it culturally correct to change Californian beach experiences for tourist and for residents?

Perez 5 Works Cited Davidson, Ronald A, and J. Nicholas Entrikin. "The Los Angeles Coast as a Public Place." Geographical Review, 95.4 (2005): 578-593 Glick Kudler, Adrian. "Marina Del Rey's Fisherman's Village Getting Huge Overhaul." Curbed LA. 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. <http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/ marina_del_reys_fishermans_village_getting_huge_overhaul.php>. Piasecki, Joe. "A New Vision for Marina Del Rey: Fisherman's Village Contemplates Overhaul as County Officials Plan for Increased Harbor Amenities." The Argonaut Newspaper. 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. <http://argonautnews.com/a-new-vision-for-marina-delrey-fishermans-village-contemplates-overhaul-as-county-officials-plan-for-increasedharbor-amenities/>.