Analyzing another Voice

Jason McDowell disdains parking lots in his OnMilwaukee piece on the demolition of buildings to make space for cars. He reports on how Milwaukee has been tearing down old buildings to construct parking lots and what we lost in the process. He brings in archival photos from the Wisconsin Historical Society of city blocks and compares them to what they are today, car lots. He also gets input from two professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee specializing in architecture & urban planning.

​McDowell expresses contempt in his writing on the subject of Milwaukee’s buildings knocked down in favor of what he describes as “…a flat surface that can only hold two states: empty or littered.” His opinions and voice are shown in describing that Milwaukee’s present is worse off, regressing instead than growing. This article starkly contrasts what McDowell would normally do; cycling culture in Milwaukee and board games. McDowell’s love of biking most likely propelled him to write on this topic. He voiced his dislike of making transit infrastructure in favor of cars rather than other modes of public transportation.

​This article is not something you would typically see on OnMilwaukee. It’s a cheery and fun website focusing on culture and dining within Milwaukee, so to have a long in-depth analytical article is rare. This is further punctuated that the website is in dark mode exclusively for more serious pieces. Due to how OnMilwaukee is a light-hearted publication, McDowell’s voice looked restrained from writing a more critical view of the subject. Due to the type of publication, he was most likely writing under guidelines and stepping slightly over the neutrality line.