A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...
See? Anti-sprawl doesn't mean anti-growth. Au contraire.
posted by Jade at 10:44 PM
7.29.2006
See? Anti-sprawl doesn't mean anti-growth. Au contraire.
See? Anti-sprawl doesn't mean anti-growth. Au contraire.
3 Comments:
I believe it is Richmond, Virginia.
I took the train to Richmond that fell
It was a time I remember, oh, so well
So how many patterns do we see here from "A Pattern Language"? This picture represents what our future could be like, even in an urban area. It just makes me ache to be in such a humane place that would produce such a wonderful place to live and grow.
This is my vision for Olympia, at least part of it. We have a long way to go but she has a good soul. So much I've seen, in terms of buildings in downtown is pure crap, but the people are something special altogether. They deserve this. We may not be able to duplicate this, and probably don't want to. Olympia has her own way, but we need something that makes us feel like we do when we see something like this.
Crenshaw Sepulveda
When this web site started the sub heading for the title were some words by Jade. I paraphrase, but she wrote the we are the children of an experimental college and a brewery. Not sure who was the mother or who was the father, but the brewery is gone. We are now the single parent children of this union.
As children we will always find our way. It is the nature of children to do so. We have the gifts that our parents bestowed upon us and that should serve us well. We are, after all, the children of an "experimental" college. It is our nature to experiment, indeed it is our mission to experiment. The 60's were a time of experimentation in many ways. That experimentation, in my opinion, was brought to an end by the 80's. But we must not forget the lessons of the experimenters of the 60's. To be sure, not all experiments worked well. Still there is no shame in a failed experiment, just the knowledge to go on to the next experiment. Some expriments bore great fruit but the fruit died on the vine.
When making Olympia the humane place I dream of, and demand for its wonderful people, we must continue the experiments. Small scale, not based on previous results, but to discover new results. The scientist might think that the results of the experiment can be known in advance, but this is not often the case. Small experiments, conducted first by a single person or household may lead to the results we desire for our community. The experiment may be taken up by others both near and close. It is by our examples that we can start building the communities we dream of. Marigolds in a pot on a window sill is a good start. Giving a pot of marigolds to a neighbor for their window sill is even better. When that neighbor gives a pot of marigolds to another neighbor for their window sill we have the start of a movement, small and quiet, but with an intensity hidden by its apparent small size.
I guess what I'm going on about, and I'll try to spit it out, is that no act done for the good of the community is a waste. Small acts and experiments are probably the most subversive as the usually go unnoticed by society at large, but believe me they are noticed by kindrid spirits. It is these kindred spirits continuing the experiment, or engaging in their own experiment that will bring around the Olympia that is our dream.
Crenshaw Sepulveda
Post a Comment
<< Home