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OTHER
HALF
how the
lives
STUDIES AMONG THE TENEMENTS OF NEW YORK
Duration
12 weeks
Project
Banned Book Redesign
Institution
California State University, Chico
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AN EXPLORATION
OF THE MODERN
HOUSING CRISIS
IN HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this project was to design and produce a printed book that creates a renewed interest in a classic banned book by bringing the reader's attention to it's subversive ideas.
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The book was How The Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis. A photo-journal documenting the living conditions of 1875 New Yorkers living in poverty.
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BACKGROUND
Books are a basic human right. They allow us to learn, escape, and discover a wider world. Unless they are banned. The right to freedom of opinion and expression (unless it be hate speech or threat) is protected by our Constitution.
Jacob A. Riis had the opinion that 1875 New York's working class deserved better housing. Many were living in squalor and tightly packed rooms with poor ventilation. Through magnesium flash powered photography and his history documenting police reports, Jacob went through New York tenements photographing everything he saw. He then put it all into one book and published it. The exposed living conditions of the poor shocked the rich and elite of New York, pushing them to reform housing laws and offer better homes.
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The new redesign of the book takes Riis's story and connects it to the California housing crisis of today. Many sentiments of New Yorker's from the past are similar to those living in California today. Currently, California is experiencing a record rate of homelessness with rising house costs and almost century-old zoning laws. This issue is so prevalent that it has affected me as well, being homeless for the summer of 2016. This book serves as an analysis between the housing crisis of New York's past parallel to California's present.
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RESEARCH
Reading the book gave insight of New York in the 1880s, but it wasn't enough. It is important to understand America as a whole. During 1880's, America was going though it's second phase of the industrial revolution. Many people were working long hours inside hot machines with cheap pay. Surfing historical sites on the web also revealed the blueprints of many of the housing conditions of the past. Some apartments were set up three feet away from each other with a narrow alley in between that was filled with garbage and filth. Sometimes, they were so narrow people were often able to touch another apartment's wall from their window. This created crevices that were never cleaned by landlords, constantly building up piles of filth. There's a story of a New York house wife that was depressed. One day, she went to the window of her apartment and jumped off. She didn't die because she landed on piles of garbage that was lying at the bottom.
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When I was Googling the housing crisis in California, I read overwhelming stories of different people that lost their homes. There is also a plethora of evidence suggesting California is centuries behind other states with zoning laws and housing reform.
STRATEGY AND DESIGN
The tone of this book's design should match the grim reality of it's topic. The typefaces were carefully chosen to show the parallel of the past and the present. The cover was designed using a photo Jacob took of three kids sleeping outside. Photos were edited for the sake of quality and color correction.
Some pages are physically cut or edited to expose certain photos. When pages are turned, the cut exposes a quote with the same theme for dramatic effect. Between each segment and photo through out the book, quotes and interviews of those living in the California Housing crisis of today are interjected. Some areas show quotes from news publications or housing analysts.
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PROCESS BOOK
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