If The River Swells – http://www.iftheriverswells.com – is a new website and blog examining the changes that have happened in Grand Rapids, Michigan over the past few years.
We’re interested in what it means to live on this land at this time. We’re not interested in transposing theories and abstractions from afar, but actually looking around us. What are the forces—physical and immaterial—that shape the city? What could it be? Does it have to be this way?
Some of the topics we've explored so far:
Ambassadors for Whom? - A look at the Downtown Ambassadors program and their role in the redevelopment of downtown Grand Rapids.
Exclusion by Design – A photo essay exploring the ways in which architecture and the built environment is constructed to exclude homeless people.
What is Market Rate? - An exploration of how the term “market rate” used in the ongoing development of Grand Rapids.
Surveillance & the City – A look at the relationship between video surveillance and gentrification, along with maps of surveillance cameras in downtown Grand Rapids.
Body Cameras & the Grand Rapids Police Department – An examination of recent efforts to get the GRPD to use body cameras.
If The River Swells is a small effort to spark a different conversation. We encourage comments and feedback.