This week was obviously a huge development point for the entire class with regards to pulling our projects together into coherent pieces of work. Hitting the 5000 word mark was truly the most eye opening moment from the beginning of the project. I was able to step back to see what my project is lacking in and what it is most strong in. Having done this I realized that I am a bit weak in regard to the voices of property owners affected by eminent domain policy brought on by highway development. Because I was lacking in such primary sources I started doing more research on Temple’s Special collections/ library website where I was able to find great information including newspaper articles with interviews that really give voice to the individuals negatively affected by urban highway development.
The Philadelphia Department of Records also seems like to very valuable place to look for source materials but I’ve realized over the weekend that access to the materials, at least online, costs money to get. This is a bit unfortunate but I plan on calling the number provided on the website tomorrow to ask some questions about how I could possibly gain access, because of my status as a student, without paying the fee. Tomorrow I will also be spending some time in Temple’s Special Collections section following my meeting with Professor Lowe. I am really looking forward to this opportunity because I was able to reserve a good deal of sources and exploring them in person will hopefully lead to huge developmental strides in my project. Next week I will be sure to include specifics about what sources, from what people, I have chosen to incorporate into my paper.