The Decent City

Aseem Inam:  I was honored to be part of a special by-invitation-only conference organized by the Social Science Research Council [SSRC] in Brooklyn on “The Decent City.”  Many of us were puzzled by the title, which felt simultaneously vague and not aspirational enough.  Ira Katznelson, President of the SSRC explained it thusly:  “The term is meant to imply a site of reflection, research, and policy in a zone between more utopian reflections on the one side, and highly-focused instrumental policy considerations on the other.  Substantively, it connotes cities in which built environments and the organization of space diminish and soften various dimensions of inequality and promote relations among diverse populations that are neighborly.”

Fellow attendees included Ricky Burdett, Diane Davis, Susan Fainstein, Gerald Frug, Edward Glaeser, David Harvey, Robert Sampson, Richard Sennett, Michael Sorkin, Thomas Sugrue, Lawrence Vale, and others.  Several of them are considered to be the leading urban thinkers in the United States and have had an enormous influence on the fields of urban design [what I prefer to call urbanism], urban economics, urban history, urban law, urban politics, urban sociology, and urban theory.  I was asked present my thoughts in the area of design, defined broadly.

Several aspects of the conference were remarkable.  By limiting the number of invitees to about 40, we were able to engage in serious discussions in the conference room, during coffee breaks and over lunch.  In addition, the wide range of expertise—and indeed, wisdom—allowed for the freedom of crossing disciplinary boundaries, which were in fact some of the best exchanges of ideas.  This effort is part of the SSRC’s new initiative to generate leading-edge research on design and urbanism; human heterogeneity, toleration, and inter-group relations; and inequality’s spatial dimensions.  By the end of our discussions and debates, what appealed to me most about the idea of “the decent city” is a focus on analyzing and producing the everyday banality of the city, rather than a sometimes excessive obsession with the extreme or the spectacular.

One clarifying aspect of these stimulating discussions was how many social scientists and even designers tend to view the structures and spaces of cities as settings [almost akin to stage sets] where more important activities occur [e.g. economic exchange, political expression, social interaction].  The other view is close to environmental determinism, which many architects and landscape architects still hold dear and in which the design of the built form generates certain types of behaviors and activities.  Recently, the most extreme example of this has been the Bilbao Effect in Spain, which has been shown by serious scholars to be actually false.

My argument for the role of design in the “decent city” was two-fold.  First, it was to include but also to move beyond typical notions of visual representation and the production of three-dimensional objects.  In terms of urbanism, what is particularly compelling is the notion of design as an engaged practice; that is, a practice that engages directly with the complex social, political and economic processes of the city.  Second, it was to leverage the creative abilities, interdisciplinary thinking, and action-orientation of urbanists to help transform the underlying structures of the material city.  Examples of this would include making the design process more radically democratic, and helping design the public policies, land use regulations, and financing mechanisms that exert great influence on urban form and its consequences.

Overall, it was a great conversation and I applaud the SSRC for its bold initiative and inclusive process.  I looked forward to further progress such that we can better understand and design “The Decent City.”  AI

What does the “decent city” look and feel like? Stuyvesant Town in the heart of Manhattan, designed and built as affordable housing for soldiers returning to New York City after World War II. Source: Aseem Inam.

Urban Gardens as Infrastructure of Democracy?

Matt DelSesto:  While sustainability is sometimes applauded unquestionably—for example, the appearance of urban gardens, municipal rezoning for urban agriculture, farmers markets or green business practices—the Pragmatist framework proposed in Designing Urban Transformation encourages us to ask deeper questions about sustainability and the future of our cities.

It seems that each day our cities are becoming more green and sustainable:  governments promote sustainability agendas; researchers add to lists of green best practices; and businesses market their environmentally friendly products.  At the center of this sustainability wave is the urban agriculture movement, which is increasingly noticeable in the material form of cities.  Urban gardens grow from vacant land, farmers sell produce in public space, and trendy organic restaurants are multiplying.  A major argument of research that I cam currently completing in the Graduate Program in Urban Practice at Parsons [i.e. Remaking Urban Society:  Gardens as Infrastructure for Democracy], concludes that this “sustainability wave” is failing to fulfill its potential.   In practice, sustainability has failed to fundamentally change the structures that serve our daily lives.

For example, sustainability initiatives are revealed to be superficial through the “designing for consequences” framework described in Designing Urban Transformation because they often fail to make any substantial difference in the lives of people who most need healthier food and environments—the urban poor.  Or, through the lens of “urbanism as a creative political act,” it becomes clear that sustainability is not fundamentally challenging the business-as-usual politics that dilutes potentially effective action.

To shift sustainability practice based on insights in the book, rather than try to define and categorize sustainability with endless systems of metrics, we can ask:  What can sustainability be?  For example, in what ways could urban gardens become an infrastructure for democracy?  Or how might gardens actually be design strategies to remake urban society through coordinated civic action?   The good news is that we do not need to start from scratch to answer these questions.  There are a number of emerging practices and organizations that have begun to investigate precisely these questions in our evolving 21st century cities.  MD

The Boston non-profit organization, The Food Project, recently built a 10,000 square foot green house that also functions as a public space, where events and education workshops are frequently hosted with neighborhood residents. Source: Matt DelSesto.

The green house in the first image above was constructed as part of a larger neighborhood civic initiative to engage residents in the transformation of public space, including the mural in this image, which is down the street from the green house. Source: Matt DelSesto.

What is the point of the World Urban Forum?

Aseem Inam:  This blog post is going to be longer than usual, but I think you’ll find it interesting, so bear with me.

The recently concluded World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia was absolutely the gathering of urbanists this year in the world.  The cross-section was remarkable:  politicians [e.g. ministers, mayors], policy makers [e.g. international, national and local bureaucrats], corporations [e.g. businesses capitalizing on the rapidly urbanizing world], academics [e.g. researchers, professors, students], non-profits [e.g. activists and advocacy organizations], and citizens [e.g. local residents and school children from Medellin].  It was quite an experience to give a talk or be part of a panel that included this rich cross-section, which led to truly fascinating dialogues.

There were three principal highlights for me.

One highlight was the buzz generated by our URBAN@NEWSCHOOL team.  The university had a booth near the entrance of the main pavilion, plus we had regular presentations at the booth about faculty research, student work, and academic programs.  This constant activity attracted lots of people, to whom we distributed material about urban initiatives in strategic design, public policy, international affairs, liberal arts, and the social sciences.  People were genuinely interested in all the exciting things that we are doing globally as well as at our campus in Manhattan.

A second highlight was talking about my book, Designing Urban Transformation, in the Urban Library.  The hall was packed to the point of being standing-room-only.  Even though many audience members were not native English speakers, I made it a point to communicate clearly and slowly verbally combined with images and simple text in my slide presentation.  The question and answer session was excellent, and spilled over into the hallway after the formal session was over.  I was touched that people not only found the ideas in the book to be valuable, but also saw how these ideas could help illuminate and address concrete challenges in their own cities and countries.

A third highlight was running into people from all over the world who knew me or knew about my work, including people from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Korea, UK, USA, Vietnam, and other countries.  Of course, I was also able to interact with many others from other countries.  This is more than about just building a professional network; instead, it is about nurturing a community of practice, which is a deeper and long-term set of interactive and collaborative relationships in which people not only share similar interests but also similar values towards cities.

What then is the larger point of the World Urban Forum?  Actually, there are several points.

One is to escape the authoritative “know-it-all” attitude that some academics and practitioners adopt towards cities and to instead genuinely learn from one another.  For example, I found it enlightening to learn about women’s housing cooperatives in Central America, about how disaster assistance efforts in Haiti can lead to community development, how a systematic attempt at universal standards in transit-oriented development actually reveals deep contextual differences, and how a decades-long movement of informal workers in India has led to not only major shifts in urban policy at the national level but also to a growing international movement of research and solidarity in informal urbanisms.

Another point is to actually immerse oneself in the buzz and excitement of such a momentous gathering.  I was guilty of being jaded by the many booths and presenters that mouth predictable platitudes about “sustainable cities,” “resilient cities,” “smart cities,” and so forth, without much to show for it in terms of action and impact.  Yet, there was also genuine debate and dialogue, and it was particularly inspiring to see how some had accomplished so much with so little access to power and resources, at least in the beginning [e.g. Self Employed Women’s Association, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, We Effect - Swedish Cooperative Centre].

A crucial point is to get to know another city first-hand, in this case, Medellin.  Medellin has become the “it” city of late, the darling of urbanists all over the world.  There has been considerable publicity about its supposed turnaround from a center of drugs and violence to a city of significant investments in public facilities and spaces.  What I saw was extremely impressive:  the fact that public investments were targeted primarily to some of the poorest neighborhoods combined with a high quality of design and development is truly unique.  For example, the Metrocable system that connects the barrio informale of Santo Domingo Savio with the Acevedo metro station, which enables residents to more easily access social, political and economic opportunities in other parts of the city.  And it seems to run quite well.

There are legitimate critiques to be made of the World Urban Forum:  lots of important-looking officials generating lots of hot air with important-sounding declarations, international bureaucrats going through the motions of studies and proposals, and a sprawling set of spaces at the Forum in Plaza Mayor that sometimes felt too loose and detached.  There was also a striking disconnect in the choice of the keynote speakers.  On the one hand 84% of the world population and 97 out of the 100 fastest growing cities are in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and around 50% of the world's population is female.  On the other hand, the keynote speakers at the Forum were dominated by white males from North America and Western Europe.  This mirrors how current geographical and intellectual centers of knowledge and action regarding the future of cities do not always reflect actual on-the-ground realities, contexts and experiences of the vast majority of the world.

Overall, though, the World Urban Forum was a wonderful opportunity to learn, connect, communicate, debate, and create on a truly global stage.  I returned to New York City from Medellin mentally and intellectually reinvigorated.  AI

The Metrocable from Acevedo metro station up to the hills of the low-income neighborhood of Santo Domingo Savio. Source: Aseem Inam.

From More Accessible to More Meaningful

Maggie Ollove:  Sitting around the table were 15 well-intentioned people. My outsider group came to this little city on the shore to offer the resources needed to host a public event about resilience that would coincide with the launch of post-Hurricane Sandy projects. Looking across at me were representatives of several organizations and people with a mix of intentions and hopes for this project. But they shared something undeniable: everyone at the table lived and worked on the eastern side of town. The west side of town, the side that fell across the train tracks was completely unrepresented.

A few days later, my team and I walked into a church on the west side to attend a very crowded community meeting organized by local pastors. Sitting in the pews, we listened to this group of neighbors introduce themselves one by one and identify themselves as concerned citizens. Concerned for the gun violence, the gangs, the drug trade, and the divide between east and west. The momentum and want to unite the east and west was obvious at both meetings, but still the two sides held two meetings with overlapping goals but little cross-communication. 

Public outreach and community engagement projects trying to engage many people can become inherently problematic. Louder, more persistent voices can easily drown out the quieter, the inclinations of the organizers can too strongly influence the final outcome, or aligning with one group can distance another. For many reasons, community engagement is tricky, yet vital to the success of many projects. This sometimes results in the direction of a project to be determined solely by those with the inclination, time, or patience to attend meetings, and those who do not or cannot left out. 

However, by leveraging the breadth of technology and design, traditional notions of public outreach can be unlearned and rebuilt so unheard voices are engaged in meaningful, long-term ways. People are accessing information at unprecedented rates. More than ever, an active constituency is online and willing to engage with and explore new platforms and formats. This provides great opportunity and potential to amplify online platforms and tools to create accessible, inclusive, and transparent feedback mechanisms that engage meaningful dialogue.

A recent article in the Washington Post opinion section bemoaned President Obama’s inability to turn the giant youth following he had built during his campaign into a more engaged citizenry in his time in office. The author also condemns the millennial generation for its ‘inability to remain attached to a cause. While this may be so, millenials repeatedly prove there is potential to engaged them both online (Facebook, instagram, twitter) and off, (Occupy Wall Street, Sandy recovery) even if only temporarily. Yet, why was Obama (among others) not able to continue this excitement? 

Form letters and on-line petitions are tools translated from a pre-internet age, with little criticality given to how to leverage the possibility for open-source data, geo-located mapping systems, and social networking sites. Using these tools and platforms to re-design our understanding of community engagement can create outreach that more directly and specifically speaks to individuals or sub-groups (such as pro-Obama millenials). And this has the possibility to not only improve infrastructure and services based on more informed feedback, but also create a loyal, long-term constituency. With internet access  to an increased number of people a reality for a majority of people, we can now dive deeper to ask questions such as, ‘how might we develop a platform that strives to engage senior citizens in designing public parks to take accessibility into account?,’ ‘what are the biases and assumptions we’ve built into our platforms and how can they be questioned/leveraged?’ or ‘how might we track the progress of different community-based groups with overlapping missions, so they can work together and not separately?’ Rigorous and nuanced questions, such as these, can help transform digital outreach from more accessible to more meaningful.   MO

Interesting websites:  

City Talk Denver
Democracy Lab 
Community Planit

Source: Maggie Ollove

Source: Maggie Ollove

Complex Relationships

Namkyu Chun:  I am not a urbanist and trained as a fashion designer. However, while exposing myself into diverse professional and academic communities, I found that both practices share many similarities. If fashion design is a field that deals with spaces on top of human skin, urban designers or urbanists work with spaces on top of ground. The difference in scale matters, but I argue that both fields are spatial design that has to embrace complex multilayered relationships of physically and emotionally sensible factors. As Ian Hodder refers in his book Entanglement, accumulation of this diverse mix of entanglements, or relationships, generates bigger and stronger opportunities. In other words, if practitioners of both fields become more aware of the relationships that surround them, they will begin to see more potential by reconnecting existing relationships. To explore the promising future, the role of both practitioners has to be redefined in active dialogues with other communities, and I strongly believe TRULAB offers a great perspective to rethink what we see now.  NC

Source:  Namkyu Chun

The Place to Be

Aseem Inam:  At this moment, as an urban scholar-practitioner-activist, New York City is definitely one of "the places to be."  I recently gave a talk in Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.  Los Angeles is moving forward in so many ways [e.g. see previous blog post]:  building new public transit, investing in parks and bike lanes, populating downtown with new residents, attracting bright young talent, and more .  Yet it is missing something:  a critical mass of ideas, people and movements that is so crucial to urban transformation.  Furthermore, the positive changes being proposed and carried out still feel timid and from within the system.

New York City is filled with amazing activist and advocacy organizations that have made remarkable strides in affordable housing, alternative modes of transportation, public spaces, and policy advocacy.  Occupy Wall Street is one of the best things to happen to American cities in a long time because of the way it mobilized people and brought much-needed attention to use of public space, income inequalities, and uneven power structures.  Organizations like Common Ground, Transportation Alternatives, Friends of the High Line, and Center for Urban Pedagogy have made significant impacts on the city and continue to do so.  What makes the critical mass of their impact possible is the density and connectivity of the city, which fosters increased contact, exchange of ideas, and effective collective action.

What makes New York City even more exciting is a remarkable group of scholar-practitioners -- my colleagues at Parsons The New School for Design -- who are reinventing urbanism through a series of extraordinary pedagogical initiatives.  While we have had our struggles in establishing new approaches and new programs in Urban Practice and Urban Ecologies, the truly unique quality of thinking that is prevalent here became crystal clear to me in a faculty meeting, of all places.  A discussion about methods for 21st century urbanism was exceptionally cogent and inventive in terms of the right mix of critical analysis, technological tools, engaged research, and meaningful experimentation that combine to unleash radical change.  I marveled at the depth and creativity of thinking of my colleagues, which challenges and furthers my own ideas.

And there is even more.  The same day as the faculty meeting, I was invited to a gathering at the Ford Foundation of activists, practitioners, policy makers, and scholars as a prelude to the World Urban Forum to take place in Medellin, Colombia in April 2014.  The two most impressive  aspects of the event were the quality of the people in terms of their experience and achievements, and the fact that the best speeches about the future of urbanism were by two politicians:  the former mayor of Barcelona and the former mayor of New York City.  Even if one disagrees with some of the policies of these former mayors, one had to admire how much each mayoral administration had accomplished while facing extremely challenging circumstances.  New York attracts many such stimulating gatherings of people from all over the world.

In short, I truly love being here at this moment, in the place to be.  AI

How does the Graduate Program in Urban Practice at Parsons engage with New York City?    Source:  Vimeo.

What can urbanism be?

The short video clip highlights some of the points made in a talk in Los Angeles in February 2014.

Source:  YouTube.com

Materiality matters

Aseem Inam:  Many of my fellow scholars, practitioners and activists increasing believe that the materiality of the city -- in terms of four-dimensional form, including time -- matters little.  They believe that what matters most are the underlying economic structures or political processes that give rise to the form of the material city.  While such structures and processes are absolutely critical to how cities are actually shaped, form also matters [although not in the overly-deterministic way that some conventional urban designers, architects, and landscape architects might think].

One of the most significant ways in which form matters is in the everyday experience of the city for all its citizens.  People relate to the city in visceral ways through its materiality:  the experience of its spaces, the colors and textures of its surfaces, the tactile qualities of its sidewalks and streets, and degrees of comfort or stimulation that a city's spatial layout provides.  Another significant aspect is the symbolism that form embodies and is perceived by citizens.  For example, while public institutions are supposed to be democratic and accessible in our cities, the actual public buildings -- such as city halls, legislatures and courts -- tend to be overly monumental and even intimidating.

What matters ultimately is the overall materiality of the city, more than the discrete forms of individual buildings and spaces.  An excellent illustration of this are the recent interventions in Los Angeles, where a series of spectacular and beautiful projects appear to make the city more urban in their intensity and intimacy, as the images below indicate.  However, each one of these -- the Los Angeles Cathedral, the Grand Park, the Americana at Brand, and Robert Graham's sculpture "Dancer's Door" framing a view of City Hall -- unfortunately do not add up to a more continuously urban experience.  The materiality of the city is indeed much more than a series of isolated projects; what matters is the quality of its overall fabric, much of which is usually made up of the seemingly mundane and the banal [e.g. housing, offices, shops, streets, sidewalks] rather than the spectacular.  It is this materiality we should pay the greatest attention to.  AI

The Los Angeles Cathedral, as viewed from its courtyard.  Source:  Aseem Inam.

A view of one of the gardens of Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.  Source:  Aseem Inam.

The outdoor Americana at Brand shopping mall, with housing above it.  Source:  Aseem Inam.

Robert Graham's sculpture "Dancer's Door" frames a view of City Hall from the Music Center Plaza in Los Angeles.   Source:  Aseem Inam.

Can Words Transform Cities?

Aseem Inam:  Words can be powerful.  Words can inspire [e.g. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech], move [e.g. Pablo Neruda's poetry], and spark debate [e.g. Is "sustainability" a meaningful term?]. But can they actually transform cities?  I believe so.

I make such an argument in my research, written work, and my projects.  In my first book, Planning for the Unplanned:  Recovering from Crises in Megacities, I craft a compelling argument through empirical field research about the ways in which urban crises are opportunities for redesigning institutions and redesigning cities in ways that are more responsive to the needs of their citizens.  In Designing Urban Transformation, the argument is multifaceted.  First, I analyze the term "urban design" and propose that it is overly narrow and even outdated due to its obsession with three-dimensional form and project-oriented architecture at the cost of engaging with the larger systems and longer processes that actually produce cities.  Second, I propose calling the practice of city-design-and-building processes and their spatial products "urbanism," a term which can now be embraced as embodying nothing less than transformation.  Third, I demonstrate how this can be done by drawing lessons from critical analyses of case studies from all over the world (e.g. Brazil, Egypt, France, Spain, U.S.).  These are all words written in a book.

How can such words transform cities?  One is through a reading and interpretation of the book itself.  There are examples of books such as The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, who was voted recently--albeit in a non-scientific poll--to be the most influential urban thinker.  Of course, her book took a few decades to become truly influential.  Another way is through public discourse and dialogue that is generated by the book, which is one reason I so enjoy talking about the book and engaging in conversations.  The challenge in such talks is that people tend to prefer a relatively simple and fairly upbeat "take-away" message from the talk.  I argue instead for deeper and more sophisticated thinking especially since cities are such large, complex and constantly changing phenomena.  A third way is to test and further develop the ideas that words represent through on-the-ground strategies and projects.  I do this through experimental studio projects, such as one in the Mexicantown area of Detroit at the University of Michigan, another near Chinatown in Boston at MIT, and most recently, in the Guarapiranga area of Sao Paulo.  I'm happy to report that they have all been excellent experiences and we have learnt a lot about the true nature of urban transformation.  AI

Photo of Vila Rubi favela / communidade [i.e. informal settlement] in Guarapiranga, Sao Paulo.  Source: Aseem Inam.

Designing emerging urban practices

Aseem Inam:  How does one design emerging urban practices for the 21st century city?  A group of scholar-practitioners from New York and São Paulo investigated this strategy under the thematic umbrella of "informal urbanisms."  By "informal urbanisms," I mean the condition of ambiguity that exists in between conventionally demarcated notions of the city [formal/informal, legal/illegal, acceptable/unacceptable, public/private].  Our team worked intensively and interactively in the Guarapiranga area of Sao Pãulo by developing practices that emerge out of our interactions with each other, with the area, and of course, with local communities.

In this process, we created new connections on the edges of the Guarapiranga reservoir by designing a "pier to pier" strategy of new piers that serve as public spaces, locations for social service delivery, and leisure activities.  Services such as health clinics, public libraries, job training, and tactics for community organizing help enhance the lives of those in the surrounding favelas (low-income communities) without intervening directly into those communities.  Such services also also foster conditions for lower- and middle-income groups to meet and interact.

In addition, a "floating plaza" circulates throughout the large reservoir, serving as a place of gathering and meeting, as well as a flexible setting for a cooperative bank one day, a health clinic the next, a public library the next, an affordable housing workshop the next, and so forth.  The unique design of this "floating plaza" makes it a community landmark that residents can identity with.  Finally, a new public ferry system works in tandem to facilitate access to employment opportunities in the city.  Such emerging urban practices create strategies that are flexible and adapt to the rapidly changing needs of the 21st century.  AI

Workshop team working interactively and collaboratively on-site in Guarapiranga, São Paulo.    Image:  Aseem Inam.

Panel discussion: Transforming Cities / Transforming Practice

Aseem Inam:  On December 12, 2013, the Urban Colloquium at Parsons The New School for Design presented "Transforming Cities / Transforming Practice" in New York City.  On the occasion of the official release of Designing Urban Transformation, there was a book signing and reception, presentation, and panel discussion around the following questions: How can we transform cities by transforming the practice of urbanism itself?  What are the kinds of truly creative strategies needed to generate fundamental urban change?  The panelists included Christine Gaspar, Executive Director of Center for Urban Pedagogy, Shin-pei Tsay, Research and Development Director of the Transit Center, Matthew Delsesto, Urban Activist and Scholar-Practitioner at Parsons , and Aseem Inam, Director of Graduate Program in Urban Practice at Parsons.  The event was extremely well attended, with excellent questions and comments from the audience.  The discussion demonstrated that there is a real hunger for truly transformative modes of practice that extend far beyond the sometimes facile tropes such as technology, innovation, sustainability, resilience, or community participation in design.  There is a lot of truly hard--and rewarding--work to be done.  AI

Poster design:  Anze Zadel

Book release: Designing Urban Transformation

The book is now available for purchase as a paperback and as an e-book.  Designing Urban Transformation has received high praise from a range of urban practitioners and scholars.  For reviews as well excerpts from the preface, please click here.  To celebrate the release of the book, the publisher--Routledge--is offering a 20% discount and free shipping.  Please click here for details about this limited time offer.

Cover design:  Sally Beesley, Namkyu Chun and Aseem Inam.

Practicing Sustainability at the Connecting for Change conference

Matt DelSesto:  I attended the the 9th annual Connecting for Change conference this past weekend in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Marion Institute, Connecting for Change is a three day solutions-based gathering that seeks to bring together a diverse audience to create deep and positive change in their communities.  More than 2000 people gathered this year to hear 100 presenters in a series of 50 workshops and 12 keynote addresses from speakers including Bill Strickland, Tricia Rose, James Hansen, and many other activists, organizers, business owners, and change-makers.  And this conference walks the talk.  During the entire weekend only six bags of trash were generated (the rest of the waste from meals was composted and recycled).   Marion Institute has made substantial efforts to responsibly contribute to the complexity of the local community based on ideas proposed in the conference--for example they partner with local schools and non-profit organizations year-round to carry out transformative sustainability projects and offer generous scholarships based on financial need. Once known as the "whaling capital" of the world, New Bedford currently faces problems similar to other post-industrial New England cities, including relatively high unemployment and crime.  Connecting for Change demonstrates that there is a powerful role for sustainability in the midst of this changing city and that a conference can contribute lasting positive change to the surrounding city and region.  MJD

Part of Purchase Street is closed for the Connecting for Change exhibition tent and farmers market--an asset for residents and program participants alike--in Downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts.  Source: Matt DelSesto

Urbanists Participating in Community Projects?

Aseem Inam:  My talk at Swarthmore College lead to excellent discussions before, during, and after the talk.  At dinner before the talk, the subject of Detroit came up.  I described how during my work in Detroit in the 1990s, I discovered that at the time two of the only neighborhoods that were either relatively stable or were actually growing were Mexicantown and Chaldean Town.  In Mexicantown, for example, immigrants (including many from Central America) came in and fixed abandoned houses and started small businesses.  The neighborhood grew with virtually no support from the city or state governments, corporations, or foundations.  As urbanists, we have to seek and support such initiatives.  In other words, what if we--urbanists--participated in community projects rather than the other way around?  AI.

Mexicantown Bakery in Detroit.  Source:  Wikimedia Commons