I’ve
encouraged him in his dream, but was unsure how many folks would feel
comfortable using a bench that seemed to be in someone else’s yard.
I underestimated
the appeal of a well-located bench. As
described in On the Commons, a homeowner had the same idea as
my friend. He installed the bench and
hosted a party to introduce it to the neighborhood. And the neighborhood fell in love with the
bench. Seniors used it for breaks during
their strolls. Schoolchildren sat on it
while waiting for the school bus.
Over a half
decade later, the bench is going strong.
There has been no vandalism. And
another neighbor has built a similar bench.
It’s an urbanism/neighborhood success story that makes my day.
Could
similar benches work in the North Bay? I
see no reason why not. The bench
described above is in Mississauga, Ontario.
For much of the year, our weather is more amenable for walking.
The frontyard
of the home my wife and I own isn’t well-configured to add a bench. But if anyone else might be willing to
consider this idea, I’d be eager to lend a hand. It’d be a small but meaningful step toward a
more urbanist world.
Follow-Ups
and Schedule Notes
StrongTowns:
I’ve mentioned StrongTowns a couple of times in recent weeks. I’ve introduced their argument that that
prevailing paradigm of post-World War II development is akin to a Ponzi scheme. I’ve also noted that their Curbside Chat
booklet is the first reading selection of Petaluma Urban Chat. (A pdf can be downloaded
here for free.)
To be
prepared for the Urban Chat, I’ve finished my reading of the booklet. It’s a summary of the Strong Towns philosophy
that hits the high points of their hypothesis.
It’s short on rigorous supporting data, but that information is more completely
provided on the StrongTowns website.
But even
without the backup, the StrongTowns argument is a stirring and frequently
persuasive condemnation of how we’ve built our communities for the past seventy
years. It’s also a startling
introduction to the changes that they believe are required. Many will want to dismiss the arguments as
overwrought. It would truly be an
inconvenient truth for many who rely for their livelihoods on the drivable
suburban paradigm. But it’s hard to
ignore how well the hypothesis fits the land-use facts since World War II.
To give a flavor
of the hypothesis, consider the opening paragraph of the Introduction, “We
often forget that the post-World War II American pattern of development is an
experiment. We assume it is the natural
order because it is what we see all around us, but our own history - let alone
a tour of other parts of the world – tells a different story.”
After
arguing that the sprawling suburban experiment has failed, the booklet finishes
with three conclusions. “1. The current
path cities are on is not financially stable.
2. The future for most cities is not going to resemble the recent
past. 3. The main determinant of future
prosperity for cities will be the ability of local leaders to transform their
communities.”
It’s strong
stuff. Perhaps it will eventually turn
out to have been overstated. But it
demands our attention now.
I highly
recommend reading the relatively short booklet.
And then following up by reading the more in-depth materials on the
StrongTowns website.
Petaluma
Urban Chat: The next Petaluma Urban Chat will be Tuesday, December 11, 5:30pm
at Aqus Café. All are welcome, with
particular encouragement to newcomers. This
is the meeting at which we’ll begin discussing the Curbside Chat booklet. The founder of Urban Chat, Charles Marohn, is
tentatively scheduled to join us via Skype for the January meeting, so we
should begin thinking about questions we can pose to him.
Also at next
week’s chat, we can talk about the direction of Urban Chat. Perhaps we can focus on advocacy through
reading books such as the Curbside Chat booklet and talking with public leaders. Or maybe action, such as the installation of
frontyard benches, is the preferred path.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
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