244
The rest of the world is building subways like crazy. The U.S. has pretty much given up
(www.fastcompany.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
244 points (98.8% liked)
Solarpunk Urbanism
1719 readers
5 users here now
A community to discuss solarpunk and other new and alternative urbanisms that seek to break away from our currently ecologically destructive urbanisms.
- Henri Lefebvre, The Right to the City — In brief, the right to the city is the right to the production of a city. The labor of a worker is the source of most of the value of a commodity that is expropriated by the owner. The worker, therefore, has a right to benefit from that value denied to them. In the same way, the urban citizen produces and reproduces the city through their own daily actions. However, the the city is expropriated from the urbanite by the rich and the state. The right to the city is therefore the right to appropriate the city by and for those who make and remake it.
Checkout these related communities:
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I dunno, it's weird. I proposed a light rail line along a new arterial road in my city that'll connect the 99 to a UC campus. It doesn't have a ton of development on it yet, so it'd be relatively easy to make it work. The mayor laughed and said "open your wallet", and also informed me that public transit just doesn't work in the US. I've embarked on a campaign of turning up to each city council meeting to re-educate them three minutes at a time.
A city council in the valley: “ThAt SoUnDs LiKe SoCiAlIsM!!!1!”
It is in the valley, so, yeah, there's a lot of default car brain to fight. That said, a lot of people I've spoken with here tend to agree with me, and really dislike being tied to a car. Even the mayor said that he agreed in spirit, but there was just no way to fund it. I think the gap that must be crossed here is much smaller than I expected going into it.
I lived in the valley for a few years and am glad to hear that people are receptive to it as is the mayor but I’m unsurprised that there isn’t much political will to make it happen. Good on you for fighting the good fight though, I appreciate you
Thanks, homie. Yeah, I've been pleasantly surprised. I know I've got a long way to go, but I'm focused on trying to build a better city for my kids.