Umm, uh, I got carried away here, but decided to post anyways. Its free, I do not expect you to read it or respond. Truth is, it feels good to have someone to share this stuff with. Most people think it’s boring, or stupid or pie in the sky. To me, it represents my life’s work. I couldn’t change America, but I could and did, change my small part of it.
By education, I am an Industrial Designer, with an architecture and engineering focus. However, I had no interest in designing products, cars or buildings. I was interested in designing public spaces — the places where people live, work, play and go to school (aka the built environment). Unfortunately, America’s land-use system prohibited any design of public places.
In 1926, the U.S Supreme Court made zoning legally enforceable. After that, our entire country was built according to one set of standards and regulations. Suburbs spread like wildfire all across the country and developers made millions. Gigantic malls went up in the middle of nowhere and developers made hundreds of millions. Freeways linked one zone to another zone and cut-off and isolated other zones and developers made billions.
In response, people retreated to the only place they could control and feel safe — their homes and yards. The American dream had been reduced to a house with a tall fence around it.
People tried, but the feeling of home never arrived. Neighbors vanished behind fences. Neighborhoods died. People felt trapped, their homes had become their prisons. Everything looked nice, but it did not feel nice — at all. Even the nicest prison, still feels like prison.
David, I don’t know if you have any friends who’ve been in prison, but I do. It doesn’t matter if you live in a nice suburb or a prison, people who live like prisoners, act like prisoners. Today, I listen to my fellow Americans yelling “Don’t tread on me” “Take our country back” “Make America Great Again” and hear the voice of prisoners — not free people. These people are not free — they live in places that feel like prisons — and have no idea why they feel that way. They honestly do not realize that the fences they built to keep people out, are also keeping them in.
Free people feel free to go anywhere they please. Today, I live in an old downtown neighborhood, the kind built before 1926. In the morning I walk downtown for coffee and conversation, stop by my daughter’s job to say hello, pick up a new library book, buy whatever the farmers brought to the local stand, then head home. On the way, I pass by million-dollar mansions, tiny homes like mine, huge two-story beauties, charming red brick public housing units spread across lush green lawns that look like parks all nestled in between million-dollar mansions.
I can walk downtown and get a driver’s license, talk to the local police and firemen, register to vote, visit my attorney, accountant, real estate agent, doctor, and dentist and attend local government meetings. To navigate retirement, I can get help from SNAP, Medicare, Medicaid and the local housing authority. I swim year-round at the YMCA and and get exercise advice for my aging body. I never go away without telling my neighbors how long I’ll be gone (cause they will worry and be mad at me if I don’t). I almost forgot, I can also walk an extra block and take the river path into town. In a couple years, I’ll be able to canoe or kayak three miles to the next town.
This is how America used to build cities, towns, neighborhoods and communities. This is the idea of freedom Americans were so attached to. This is what a Civic Life felt like.
In this little old city, I can also do something most Americans can never do. Just like my grampa did a hundred years ago, and his son, then his grandsons after that, I can design and build my own home anywhere I like. In this city, my property is mine; I can build what I want. Sure, I have to meet building codes and standards that protect the quality of our public spaces. But who wants their front door on the frigging sidewalk? Who wants a ten-foot-high cement fence all around their yard? I can even cut down 200-year-old trees, but who would want to do that?
My daughter and son-in-law are deciding whether to build me a little house in their backyard or buy a larger property. A larger property would mean three of our families could live there — and I would like that best, cause parents need babysitters, kids need a tutor and storytellers, us old folks need company, and we can all use one workshop. People don’t have these choices in modern day cities.
My daughter’s home and mine are 120 years old. We live four doors away from each other. My house is 625 square feet, her house is 2,100 square feet. There are smaller and bigger houses in between us. Our black, Latin American, Mexican, and white neighbors are CEOs, office workers, janitors, horse trainers, nurses, teachers, tech workers, nurses’ aides, and retired folks. Some are bigots and I’m pretty sure we have one committed racist.
I spent the summer in my daughter’s back yard, listening to podcasts, stripping paint and varnish off old wood flooring, doors, windows and trim and having lunch with my work from home son-in-law :)
In Europe, many homes, apartments and buildings in old cities have been in continuous use for 1,500 years. The city I live in is 246 years old. Many homes and buildings here have been in continuous use since 1788. Can you imagine a suburban home or strip mall lasting 243 years? Can you imagine any suburban home still being used in the year 3,521?
I went through all this, just so I could introduce a solution.
People talk about systemic racism, and the American land-use system is as racist as you can get. If you ever want to know more about that, all you need do is ask. The land-use system is not broken. It does not need repair. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do. And it needs to be replaced. We need a new system.
We used to know how to build communities. We still do. A new system modeled after the old, tried and true city building system is doing remarkably well. That system is called Form Based Codes (FBC).
Talk about civic empowerment, FBC takes the cake. Instead of experts planning your neighborhood, business district, or civic spaces, FBC enables residents and stakeholders to design it themselves. Instead of hiring experts to work for local government officials, local government hires experts to work FOR the people.
We used a process called Charettes. Wikipedia describes the process rather well. “The general idea of a charrette is to create an innovative atmosphere in which a diverse group of stakeholders can collaborate to “generate visions for the future. While the structure of a charrette varies, depending on the design problem and the individuals in the group, charrettes often take place in multiple sessions in which the group divides into sub-groups. Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for further dialogue. Such charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people.”
David, charrettes bring people together to solve real problems, develop real solutions, and put those solutions into practice — and hold local elected officials accountable to their citizens. Our city and county used charrettes to replace zoning with form-based codes. Heck, we even designed and built a 200-unit low-income housing project with single family homes, apartments and condos including pocket parks, walking and biking paths, a community center, a community pool, tech room/library and community classrooms. All within walking distance of K-12 schools, downtown, transportation and jobs.
Our school district had great success with Charrettes. Instead of some random architect, or off the shelf boiler plate design, students designed their own new high school. The difference is enormous.
We used charrettes in our local Democratic Club to establish our mission. People put forth all kinds of issues, ideas and agendas, but when all was said and done, leadership development was our mission. After all, dreams depend on know-how.
Okay, I’m hungry. Off to light my pumpkins and fix dinner. Good night and get some rest. Our country needs people like you.
