I love this post from the blog Respectful of Otters and what it says about community spaces. One person's eyesore (derelict house) becomes another's collective gathering place (front steps). It addresses what I see as the gap between intellectual urban planning and ground level community evolution. Her summary:
"Urban improvement plans which don't address differences of race, class, and culture are, essentially, suburban enrichment dressed up in urban language.
The idea ties in nicely for me with Jane Jacobs' vision of creating healthy cities by fostering the things and places that are already there.
Both Jane Jacobs' perspective and the post remind me of my ongoing internal conversation about the benefits of living right in the heart of a city or the peace of being closer to the trees and quiet that I need to stay sane. I think if I found or was able to help initiate my ideal vision of an urban community I would love it as much as I enjoy the quiet I have right now. It might look like the City Farmer's effort (along with the city of Vancouver) to return some asphalt into a "country lane".
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