Author: ikoupep (Page 1 of 2)

Draft: The Cultural and Community Impact of St. Louis City SC

April 13, 2026 / ikoupep

Introduction

St. Louis has always had a strong soccer culture, but the arrival of St. Louis City SC has transformed the way the city connects with the sport. The creation of CITYPARK brought new energy, investment, and attention to the downtown area. This project explores how the club influences local identity, community engagement, and economic development.

1: Soccer Culture in St. Louis

St. Louis has a long history with soccer (youth clubs, college success, fan base).
Before MLS, the city already had a deep connection to the sport.
The team builds on this identity and brings it to a national level.

2: Community and Identity

The club promotes inclusivity and community pride.
Matchdays create a shared experience for fans across different backgrounds.
The team strengthens the city’s identity as a “soccer city.”

3: Economic and Urban Impact

Development around CITYPARK (restaurants, businesses, jobs).
Increased tourism and local spending during games.
Debate: Are these benefits long-term or temporary?

Section 4: Critical Perspective

Not all communities benefit equally.
Cost of stadiums and public funding debates.
Question of whether sports investments are always worth it.

Conclusion

While economic impacts can be debated, St. Louis City SC clearly plays a major role in shaping community identity and bringing people together through soccer.

Technical Component (Prototype Description)

For this project, I am using ArcGIS StoryMap.

Current:

Created the StoryMap structure, added an introduction slide, and included a map showing the location of CITYPARK

Planned additions:

Images of the stadium and fan atmosphere
Map layers showing nearby businesses and development
Short text sections for each part of the argument

Bibliography

Primary Source:
St. Louis City SC. “About CITY SC.” Official Website, 2023.

Secondary Sources:
Zimbalist, Andrew. “Sports Facilities and Urban Development.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 1996.

Coates, Dennis, and Brad Humphreys. “The Economic Impact of Professional Sports.” Journal of Sports Economics, 2008.

Reflection on Progress

So far, I have a clear direction for both the written and technical parts of my project. The biggest challenge is organizing the StoryMap in a way that clearly shows the connection between location and impact. Moving forward, I will focus on adding more detailed visuals and strengthening my argument with additional sources.

Storymap

April 8, 2026 / ikoupep

Spatial Analysis Reflection: SIUE and Edwardsville

April 1, 2026 / ikoupep

For this lab, I used Google My Maps to explore the area around Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and analyze how different resources are distributed. I focused on restaurants as my main example. When I added pins, I noticed that most of the restaurants were clustered along major roads and commercial areas, especially closer to the center of Edwardsville. Around campus itself, there were fewer options within walking distance, which shows that resources are not evenly spread out.

The closest location I found was a fast-food restaurant just a few minutes away by car. Driving there was quick and convenient, but biking would take longer and require more effort. Public transportation options were limited, which could make it harder for students without cars to access these places. When I looked at a location I personally preferred, like a higher-quality restaurant, it was even farther away. This increased the cost and time, especially if you don’t have a car. Gas, time, and effort all become factors, which shows how access can depend a lot on transportation.

From this analysis, I think SIUE has decent access to resources, but it is not equal for everyone. Students with cars have many more options, while those without cars may struggle more. This could be seen as a small example of spatial inequality because access depends on your situation, not just your location.

This lab changed how I see the area around campus. Before, I didn’t really think about how things are placed, but now I notice that businesses are grouped in certain areas for economic reasons, like being close to busy roads or where more people pass by. This impacts students, staff, and community members differently. For example, international students or students without transportation might feel more limited in their choices.

I think these patterns happen because businesses want to be in profitable locations, and cities are designed around cars. To improve this, there could be better public transportation, more bike-friendly routes, or even more services closer to campus. Overall, this lab helped me understand how geography affects daily life and access to resources in a real way.

Data Review: Illinois Landcover in the Early 1800s

March 23, 2026 / ikoupep

The dataset “Illinois Landcover in the Early 1800s” was likely created by environmental researchers, historians, and geographers working through universities or state organizations. These contributors study how the land looked before major urban development. The data probably comes from historical maps, written records, and ecological reconstructions rather than direct measurements, since no one was systematically recording land cover at that time.

The main reason this dataset was created is to help people understand what Illinois looked like before industrialization and large-scale farming changed the landscape. It’s often used in environmental studies, conservation planning, and education to compare past and present ecosystems. The dataset is usually presented in map form or as categorized geographic data, showing different land types like forests, prairies, wetlands, and rivers.

When looking at how the data is structured, it’s organized by land type and geographic area. This makes it easy to visualize patterns, like where prairies were dominant versus forested areas. However, the categories chosen (like “prairie” or “wetland”) can oversimplify the landscape. Nature doesn’t always fit into clean categories, so some details may be lost.

Because this dataset is based on historical interpretation, the creators had to make decisions about how to “clean” or fill in missing information. They might have combined multiple sources or estimated land types in areas without clear records. While this makes the dataset usable, it also introduces uncertainty. Not everything can be 100% accurate when reconstructing the past.

The creators’ goals mainly involve understanding how environmental change shapes the dataset to highlight natural landscapes before human impact. This could unintentionally downplay the role Indigenous people had in shaping the land, which is an important limitation to recognize.

I would use this dataset to compare how much Illinois has changed over time, especially in terms of agriculture and urbanization. One challenge is that it’s not exact; it’s more of an informed reconstruction. Overall, it’s a really valuable dataset, but it’s important to remember that it reflects both historical evidence and modern interpretation.

Ioannis Koupepides

Looking at Communities with Voyant

March 18, 2026 / ikoupep

Texts I Used

For this assignment, I compared two Wikipedia articles: one about St. Louis, Missouri, and one about Edwardsville, Illinois. These two places are close to each other, but they are pretty different in size and lifestyle. St. Louis is a big city, while Edwardsville is smaller and more of a college town.

My Question

I wanted to see how the way people write about a big city is different from how they write about a smaller town nearby.

My Hypothesis

Before using Voyant, I thought the two texts would focus on different things. I expected:

St. Louis would talk more about population, economy, history, and big city features
Edwardsville would focus more on community, students, and education

I also thought the St. Louis article would be more complex, while Edwardsville would be simpler and more focused.

What I Did

I put both texts into Voyant Tools and looked at things like the word cloud and word trends. This helped me see which words showed up the most and what each text focused on.

What I Found

First, the most common words were different in each text.

In the St. Louis article, there were a lot of words about the city itself, like population, river, and economy
In the Edwardsville article, words like “university,” “students,” and “community” showed up a lot

One big thing I noticed is how important Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is in the Edwardsville article. It comes up a lot and seems to be a big part of how the town is described.

Also, the St. Louis article covered way more topics, like transportation, history, and business. Edwardsville stayed more focused on local life and education.

Conclusion

My hypothesis was mostly right. The two places are described very differently, even though they are close to each other. St. Louis is shown as a big, complex city, while Edwardsville is more about community and college life.

Using Voyant made it easier to see these differences because it shows patterns in the words, not just the meaning of the text.

Final Thoughts

This activity helped me understand how different communities are described based on their size and role. It also showed me how useful tools like Voyant can be for quickly spotting patterns in writing.

Ioannis Koupepides

Project Proposal: The Cultural and Community Impact of the St. Louis City SC on St. Louis

March 4, 2026 / ikoupep

Over the past two years, I’ve noticed how much energy and pride have grown around professional soccer in the St. Louis region. As a college soccer player myself, I’m especially drawn to the rise of St. Louis City SC and the atmosphere surrounding matches at CITYPARK. Soccer has always been part of St. Louis’s identity, but the arrival of a Major League Soccer team seems to have reshaped how the city expresses that identity. This observation led me to think more critically about the relationship between professional sports, community pride, and urban development.

Research Question:
How has the creation of St. Louis City SC influenced local identity, community engagement, and economic development in the St. Louis region?

The problem arises from a broader question about whether professional sports teams truly strengthen local communities or primarily serve commercial interests. While many argue that new stadiums and franchises stimulate economic growth and civic unity, others suggest the benefits are unevenly distributed. I want to examine this tension specifically in the St. Louis context. My approach will frame the team not just as a sports organization, but as a cultural institution that shapes narratives about the city’s future, diversity, and global connection through soccer.

Primary Source:
St. Louis City SC. “About CITY SC.” St. Louis City SC Official Website, 2023, https://www.stlcitysc.com.

This source provides direct insight into how the organization presents its mission, values, and community initiatives.

Secondary Source:
Smith, Andrew Zimbalist. “Sports Facilities and Urban Development.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 10, no. 3, 1996, pp. 95–114.

This article analyzes the economic arguments surrounding professional sports franchises and urban growth, which will help contextualize the St. Louis case.

Proposed Technology:
I plan to create an interactive StoryMap that combines maps, images, and short written analysis. The map will visualize the location of CITYPARK within downtown St. Louis, nearby businesses, and redevelopment projects. By integrating geographic data with narrative, the project will demonstrate how the stadium’s presence reshapes physical and cultural space. This digital format will allow viewers to see spatial relationships and community impact in a way that a traditional essay could not, aligning with the project rubric’s emphasis on argument, sources, and meaningful technological integration.

Article Annotations Top 5

February 18, 2026 / ikoupep

How Does the Digitization of Information Change How We Think?
Putnam mentions in her article how digitized databases allow researchers to save time when completing research, but these databases may actually limit the type of research historians are conducting. Will historians be drawn to conduct research based solely on how easily certain information can be found using keyword searches, versus taking the time to find out about other information in their field?

The term shadows
I really enjoy the idea of using the term “shadows” to describe how digitization changes the access to research information online compared to what continues to exist today. As you digitize documents or photos of people, you bring more history online for everyone to see. However, there are many people/groups that have no way to digitize their history or have not yet had their history digitized. Who gets to choose which items from which communities will be digitized? What happens to those stories that we cannot see because they have not been digitized?

Does the Digital World Make History More Global?
Putnam discusses the notion that digital archives provide historians with a place to conduct transnational research. However, I do not believe there is a direct cause/effect relationship between having access to digital archives and creating a greater understanding of the world on a global scale. Will digital access to documents make the information on these documents more connected to one another, or will digital access simply create an appearance of greater connection via the documents being on the same platform?

Local vs. National – The Battles Between Local/Regional Histories and National Histories
Putting aside the enormously important battle to preserve Black history in St. Louis, how do you think local history communities are working with or against national institutions such as the Smithsonian? Do you think that maintaining local histories without the influence of national institutions is still more valuable than digitizing local histories with the assistance of national institutions?

Access and Inequality
Both of the articles talk about access. While digitization of archives enables history to be available for more people, there are still limitations based on money and technology. I want to explore if digitizing makes it possible for all people to enjoy history in equal fashion, or is it just transferring power to those who already have resources?

AI Fiction

February 10, 2026 / ikoupep

“The Library of Babel,” by Jorge Luis Borges, and “In the Forests of Memory,” by E. Lily Yu, illustrate the development of two completely different worlds shaped not by evil machines but by vast amounts of information. The power of those two stories lies in the fact that neither AI is represented as a villain; instead, they both look at what happens when knowledge becomes too extensive, too permanent, and too far removed from humanity’s limitations.

In Borges’ universe, all the knowledge that can ever exist already exists; yet it is meaningless without interpretation because there is no order to the information. The Library contains every possible book, and therefore contains truth, falsehood, nonsense, and infinite contradictions. To some degree, this is analogous to today’s internet and AI algorithm-driven systems; there are at least partially built systems that have everything possible in them, and finding the meaning is what will be the most difficult part of using them. In a sense, Borgess was arguing that technology doesn’t make wisdom, but has increased the realm of possibility. Humans, who desire certainty, constantly form myths or sects to help impose order on the chaos of the Library. Ultimately, it is essential to understand that the real tragedy lies not in the technology itself; rather, it lies in humans’ inability to live with the chaos it creates.

Yu develops the concept further into the emotional realm as presented in “In the Forests of Memory” where AI uses digital archives to resurrect the dead, converting sadness into searchable data. The assumption is that while technology can simulate presence, it cannot return humanity. AI does not “grasp” loss; it is merely a pattern reconstruction system. The ethical weight of this is significant. If a machine can replicate an individual’s voice, personality, and history, does that individual still exist? Or, have they been turned into a product?

Both works suggest that AI reflects us rather than replacing us. While Borges illustrated human beings lost in infinite knowledge, Yu shows them unable to release themselves from memories. The current varieties of AI chatbots and deep fakes operate similarly by predicting, creating, and reproducing models based on data. Like Borges’ Library, they consist of fragments of truth or falsehood. Like Yu’s memory forest, they blur the lines between what is real and what is artificial.

Each story indicates that the threat posed by AI is distortion versus domination. As we continue to generate more and more information, we also face a greater risk of confusing simulation and reality. While Technology enhances human capacity, it also enhances human limitations: fear of death, desire for security, and desire for connectivity.

Together, both works point out that a fundamental ethical question is “Will humans be able to co-exist with machines that always remember and never completely comprehend?”

Ioannis Koupepides

Cahokia

January 30, 2026 / ikoupep

One advantage of the app is that it makes the site more accessible for users who may have difficulty visualizing the size and complexity of the city of Cahokia based only on viewing the mound structures. The immersive 3D graphics and multiple interactive information points located throughout the site allow for users of all ages to interact with and learn about history in a manner that traditional static information boards cannot provide. The auditory narrative components and the 3D reconstructed images contain valuable information that provides additional context to the Mississippian culture and layout of the ancient city, especially to visual and auditory learners.

Although the app provides an improved option for many, it also limits access to some communities. The app is designed to exclusively work on-site at Cahokia Mounds with a smartphone or tablet, leaving out individuals without smartphones or tablets from being able to use that experience. The price of the download, as well as having to have headphones, could also create a barrier to those who may not have a limited income. To further add to these barriers, some of the content is only presented in English, thus making it inaccessible to people who do not speak English or may rely on some subtitles or an alternative way of experiencing the app due to being hard of hearing.

Overall, the Cahokia AR app is a great start toward making the archaeological history more engaging and accessible, but it still has room for growth in how it represents and includes a more diverse audience.

Accessibility

January 30, 2026 / ikoupep

I did an evaluation of SIUE Men’s Soccer Archive page with WAVE Accessibility Tool. WAVE did not discover major errors, but that does not mean that the page is entirely accessible. One major accessibility issue is that the headings are not consistently used. This creates a challenge for individuals who use screen reader programs and need to navigate through this page and find information.

Some other common accessibility issues (such as keyboard navigation, confusing hyperlinks, etc.) are not detected by WAVE’s automatic tools.

Individuals who will most likely use the SIUE Men’s Soccer Archive page include: current students, current student athletes, fans of men’s soccer, and former students (alumni) who wish to view historical content related to men’s soccer. There may be other individuals who may also be reliant on this content and use a type of assistive technology or screen reader.

Also, because of the poor structure of this page, it could be difficult for individuals with cognitive disabilities and/or visual impairments to easily find information. If an individual is using a screen reader, they would have to listen to the entire page from top/bottom, which could create frustration for this type of user.

One potential way to resolve the accessibility issues related to the SIUE Men’s Soccer Archive would be to use better headings as a way of organizing the page. Additionally, all images should have meaningful alternative text for individuals who use screen reader software.

GK.