Tradition can help make strong citizenship habitual, but first we need to come to terms with how we got here, who we want to be, and what traditions support the society we want.
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In order to solve the biggest problems of today's world (climate change, dysfunctional cities, global crises) we need to harness the strength of a movement.
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We've all heard reference to vehicles, business sectors, tourists, social groups, etc as though they are invasive species. There are also literal invasive species that thrive in urban environments. Are there any cases where "We're just very negative about them" when they are simply filling a void through "hardiness and lack of competition"? What are the "pristine ecosystems" that we try to conserve in the urban landscape?
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For a few weeks, I’m visiting my family back in London, Ontario. This means, for a few weeks I am living on a cul-de-sac in a subdivision surrounded by other subdivisions, close to an arterial lined with shopping plazas, gas stations, drive-thrus, strip malls, an upscale enclosed shopping mall, and a big box centre.
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On the surface, it might seem more difficult to deal with co-existence in a big city where you are constantly in close quarters with people you do not know and may not want to know. But not knowing is so easy. On the contrary, it’s community that’s hard.
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This Saturday, a short film I made is being screened at the New Urbanism Film Festival in LA. Sadly, I will not be in LA to see it live and talk to the audience and other film-makers. I'd like there to be a place to field any questions or discussion about the film though, so here is the Strong Towns premiere of Do Season.
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A photographic follow up on some of my neighbourhood projects that are coming to a close.
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Can we ever design a city devoid of the suffering and loss we've always experienced? I suppose the answer makes little difference in my resolve to minimize the hurt. But studying the forest does make me question the city - what is truly a problem and what is simply a feedback or system within a system.
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Last week, Sarah Goodyear from CityLab interviewed me about the project. Her first question was this: When you did your chairbombing, were you worried at all about the police confronting you? The landowner? My answer: In this case, not really. AND THEN! Here was the scene this week at the market...
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What are people really trying to say when they divide cyclists into the good ones and the bad ones?
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Last week, I pointed out some silly public space investments. This week, I'm working on some better ones. Here's a sneak preview of things to come.
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The idea of asking developers to contribute to public space is excellent (perhaps essential). By the looks of it, this has resulted in millions upon millions of dollars invested in places to sit or frolic. Too bad it keeps ending up in places where no one would actually want to linger... Imagine if we took all that wasted investment and directed it toward building more spaces that make people happy.
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I've been holding out on you all summer, but that's not to say that nothing was happening. The catch-up begins now.
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People move away all the time and I've never felt compelled to write about it, but this was different. This time I was saying goodbye to people who changed a place. We shared a studio that now feels empty. We collaborated on projects that now feel strangely grown up and disconnected. We lived in a neighbourhood that feels a couple degrees cooler without knowing they are there.
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Engagement photos are either urban or rural. They are either a former factory or a leafy meadow, the brick wall of a forgotten factory or an empty beach. Never the subdivision. Never the cul-de-sac.
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Way back in May, I shared two videos with our program participants to set the tone for the summer ahead. I've found myself drawn back to them as I hit roadblocks this week. I hope they'll mean something to you as well.
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I've been lucky to witness the emergence of the Fredericton Makerspace. I say lucky, because if we did not have some relentlessly dedicated volunteers pouring themselves into the project, it would still be one of those great ideas that never happened. But this week, I stood in the Makerspace woodshop and watched people build together.
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I love the call and response of the city. We speak to each other through all these subtle gestures - putting out a dog-bowl on a hot day, painting the front door, installing a free library box. It's a relay passed on from one person to another. We each have our own way of expressing kindness or humour to the people around us, and the city becomes a canvas of all these tiny acts of humanity.
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This longboard has been far more thought-provoking than expected. Once I'm competent enough to venture beyond my quiet street, where will I go? How do people use the streets and sidewalks when they are not on foot, bike, or driving?
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