But if we
continue to stay away from public places, we’ve missed the point. (Let’s retire the over-used phrase “the
terrorists have won.”) Even though
urbanism may offer convenient targets for terrorists, it also creates
conditions in which terrorism struggles to survive.
At this
writing, we don’t know what forces were behind the bombings. But most of us we can tick off a list of
likely suspects, some foreign and some domestic. And without fail, those forces of evil have
roots in secrecy and isolation.
Public
squares and plazas aren’t immune from political thinking, but it’s in those
places that movements are begun to improve freedom and the lot of the common
man. Think of the Arab Spring or Tiananmen
Square. It’s in dark alleys, along shadowy
halls of totalitarianism, or behind impenetrable national walls of censorship that
the good instincts of the public place are subverted into terrorism.
So if you
must, stay out of public places for the next few days. A recovery time is understandable. But then please return with full hearts to
the sidewalks, the parks, and the squares.
And may your joyful greetings to friends serve as messages to terrorists
that their schemes will eventually come to naught. And while you’re chatting with your friends,
you might want to promote the development of more urbanist places.
This isn’t
meant to imply that urbanism is the sole weapon needed to push back against
terrorism. Much like wider sidewalks aren’t
sufficient to sustain urbanism, but is only one tool among many, urbanism isn’t
the sole tool needed to fight terrorism.
But it’s in the toolbox and can be surprisingly effective.
Just because
we choose to stay in public places doesn’t mean we need to be stupid about the
risks. Amanda Erickson of
Atlantic Cities writes about the evolving thinking on trash cans and how new
design approaches can reduce of the risks of explosives placed in trash receptacles.
Lastly,
technology is increasing the difficulty of getting away with an urban
attack. Emily Badger of Atlantic Cities writes that the
Boston police are looking for photos and videos from the people clustered near
the finish line, speculating that the perpetrators were likely caught amidst
the many images being collected.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
I say, let's all join the Boston Marathon next year! I believe the 118th running of this historic institution will be on April 21, 2014. Boston is an exciting, vibrant city — great for walkability and urbanism — and the marathon will be especially meaningful next year.
ReplyDeleteIn Boston we care about three things:
Politics, sports and revenge.
And the revenge will be
the laughter of our children.
—Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe
on Charlie Rose, PBS April 16, 2013
Barry, great quote. Thanks for sharing.
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