What's a Small Way You Can Improve the Place You Live RIGHT Now?
Just last week, Strong Towns Staff Writer Ben Abramson praised the sincerity, tact, and thoughtfulness that epitomize the comments underneath our articles. At his previous jobs, browsing comments would be done with extreme caution, when not avoided entirely. “Instead, I enter the comment stream to find intelligent, articulate commentary on the subject at hand, many from informed professionals and advocates with direct experience on the topic,” Abramson said of Strong Towns’ comments.
As a team, we often find ourselves equally impressed by how our followers engage on social media. In fact, we recently asked our Facebook feed, “Look around you. What’s a small way you can improve the place you live RIGHT now?”
We were amazed by the creativity and ambition Strong Towns advocates showcased that we wanted to highlight a handful of replies to inspire our readers.
(Oh, and by the way, thanks to all who became members or renewed last week in our June member drive—we had a successful drive and we’re so grateful you’re all on this journey with us.)
Rachel S. on Facebook wrote:
“I got a 4 way intersection with crosswalks put in between two busy shopping center halves after writing to the city road people on Twitter and included a diagram of the issue. It was about a month later they had some guy do a study to see if it was necessary and then less than a year after my tweet the lights were up and running.
(7P8R+3GX Las Vegas, Nevada on Google Maps.)”
In the same Facebook thread, Vanja B. shared:
“Just being more observant about your city. It's not just the leaders. People in my city are apathetic about their environment. They just don't notice things like neighborhood-dividing freeways, car dependencies, poor public transport, traffic lights hanging on wires, exposed power and communication cables on poles everywhere, strip mall dominance, boxy buildings, and huge empty parking lots. If people don't know any better they can't demand better.”
Over on Instagram, @thebughugger advised:
“First be an active participant - use bike lanes and trails, occupy and utilize space in parks and on beaches, use courts and participate in sports. Then be an active advocate. Also part of a small business owner team and other owners are very active in the local community and supportive with community events.”
The tree that commenter Jim M. planted.
In fewer words, Jim M. offered a simple but salient advice for fellow commenters browsing Facebook:
“Plant 1 tree.”
On behalf of the entire team at Strong Towns, thanks for the dose of inspiration and your commitment to build stronger, kinder, and more productive communities.
Consider becoming a member, or renewing your existing membership, and you’ll be joining a community of like-minded advocates and activists. Together, we can start reversing our harmful development patterns and create safer, more resilient communities.
Social media tells us that snarky, callous remarks get the most attention and have the biggest impact. But when Tristan Cleveland sat down for a real conversation with his opponents, he realized that urbanists must approach people with empathy and understanding. That's the only way to change minds and create real change.