Change?

This video and the message their site is typically putting forth is great. Watch the video, while it’s primarily focused on New York, the message is clear: something needs to change, doesn’t it? When are we going to see change? Soon I hope. We need to start talking about it, continue talking about it, and/or start talk about it louder.

At about the six and a half minute mark, the gentleman being interviewed is talking about free parking and public space, this quote provoked an especially pleasing perspective, “…why is this good for the city that you get to store your personal property in public space?” The personal property the dude is talking about are our blessed cars; the street it’s being parked in is as much mine as it is yours, right? The images that follow: people taking over those parking spaces with grass lawns and picnics is brilliant and wonderfully beautiful. Let’s see some action like that here in Seattle, what’s stopping a picnic from spontaneously forming in an empty spot for a few hours rather than some automobile taking up the space? What about something like this here. Is there any law against that?

The video’s original page here. Personally I think a kerosene soaked cardboard apartment might pose a couple problems with comfortability.

This site (streetfilms.org) and it’s related streetsblog.org are greatly informative sites for these issues. I enjoy reading them, they get me thinking. Locally we’ve got The Daily Score and it’s parent site Sightline also chock full of facts and opinions on these matters. I’m sure a lot of you out there are already aware of these sites and visit them; this post is for those who aren’t familiar with them, they’re all worth spending some time on. No matter what part of the country or world you’re in, I think the issues addressed at these sites are applicable and can at least be used as examples—spread the word yourself on these valuable resources.

Sometimes I get backed up with so much to read with the copious blogs out there, these are a few of the areas I find most intriguing and most important to focus on, eventually I’d like to begin doing more that just reading. I’ve already changed my life substantially in efforts of sustainability. I know there’s still more that I can change—I need to get more involved (as suggested in this recent post at Sightline). Eventually we’re all going to have to change something about ourselves. The sooner the better.