Thank you for the words and the videos, which I have just started to watch. The idea of reforming the way we think of neighborhoods and local communities seems to me central to any great counter-movement to the current trends. The wild should never be far; always within reach for ourselves, and for our children: dirt, trees, animals, wat…
Thank you for the words and the videos, which I have just started to watch. The idea of reforming the way we think of neighborhoods and local communities seems to me central to any great counter-movement to the current trends. The wild should never be far; always within reach for ourselves, and for our children: dirt, trees, animals, water, wild flowers, untamed life. It can make things complicated (like racoons invading the garden) but these are complications that do not hurt the soul.
And you definitely have my sympathies when it comes to the coffee.
Peter- To have a suburban ecology that promotes connection rather than isolation; contemplation over passive viewing of media, etc. would be a revolution. I am all for it. Perhaps even bringing together the various archetypes, particular of hermit and hearth. How might it change a neighborhood if there was an aesthetically pleasing and easily accessible meditation/prayer space? And a beautiful walking path leading to it? It is a plan both so simple and practical and strewn with obstacles. I think it is worth the effort. -Jack
I expect the main obstacles would be political and economic, and perhaps inertia. There might also be challenges in terms of boundaries, or the lack thereof. Probably this kind of arrangement would work most smoothly where people have common habits and practices (e.g., keeping yards clean; keeping noise levels appropriate at different times of the day/night; dealing with pets; dealing with people who want to smoke pot or cigarettes when kids are playing; etc.) We already face some of these issues, and our neighborhood has fences! And then again, I have seen places overseas (e.g., Switzerland) where shared space is used a bit more responsibly and positively…although even then there are exceptions and complications.
From what you are saying it dawns on me that the issue is greater than mere zoning. Though I imagine that would provide some obstacles to say the least. Maybe starting with benches along the street with plantings, etc. I think the examples in the video are from Portland, OR which is, shall we say, a city that is predominantly of the same mindset. Where that isn't the case it would prove more of a challenge. Yet, in working that out we might begin to deepen the social virtues that make further expansion not only possible, but desirable.
There is a new urbanism development near my former apt in Boulder. It was far from perfect. But even putting the garage towards the back, front porches and low barriers between the yards seem to encourage interaction that was nearly impossible in the people kennel in which I resided. But inertia might be enough to squelch the whole thing. I hope that we aren't that far gone!
Thank you for the words and the videos, which I have just started to watch. The idea of reforming the way we think of neighborhoods and local communities seems to me central to any great counter-movement to the current trends. The wild should never be far; always within reach for ourselves, and for our children: dirt, trees, animals, water, wild flowers, untamed life. It can make things complicated (like racoons invading the garden) but these are complications that do not hurt the soul.
And you definitely have my sympathies when it comes to the coffee.
Peter- To have a suburban ecology that promotes connection rather than isolation; contemplation over passive viewing of media, etc. would be a revolution. I am all for it. Perhaps even bringing together the various archetypes, particular of hermit and hearth. How might it change a neighborhood if there was an aesthetically pleasing and easily accessible meditation/prayer space? And a beautiful walking path leading to it? It is a plan both so simple and practical and strewn with obstacles. I think it is worth the effort. -Jack
I expect the main obstacles would be political and economic, and perhaps inertia. There might also be challenges in terms of boundaries, or the lack thereof. Probably this kind of arrangement would work most smoothly where people have common habits and practices (e.g., keeping yards clean; keeping noise levels appropriate at different times of the day/night; dealing with pets; dealing with people who want to smoke pot or cigarettes when kids are playing; etc.) We already face some of these issues, and our neighborhood has fences! And then again, I have seen places overseas (e.g., Switzerland) where shared space is used a bit more responsibly and positively…although even then there are exceptions and complications.
From what you are saying it dawns on me that the issue is greater than mere zoning. Though I imagine that would provide some obstacles to say the least. Maybe starting with benches along the street with plantings, etc. I think the examples in the video are from Portland, OR which is, shall we say, a city that is predominantly of the same mindset. Where that isn't the case it would prove more of a challenge. Yet, in working that out we might begin to deepen the social virtues that make further expansion not only possible, but desirable.
There is a new urbanism development near my former apt in Boulder. It was far from perfect. But even putting the garage towards the back, front porches and low barriers between the yards seem to encourage interaction that was nearly impossible in the people kennel in which I resided. But inertia might be enough to squelch the whole thing. I hope that we aren't that far gone!