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Pricilla wrote:
[snip]
>I have never been a rural person. The rural lifestyle appeals to me these
>days simply because I see no sacredness in the spaces that I am used to
>inhabiting. But those of us who are trying to live a simpler life that is
>more sustainable for all need to be engaged in the work of making the
>non-sacred spaces that surround us into more sacred space, so that we can
>ditch the car and find ways to connect with one another in meaningful ways.
>In reality, I probably cannot realistically adopt a rural lifestyle for
>several years. And I'm not sure that this would be for me. So I need to wake
>up to the environment in which I live and move and have my being.
>I don't have a clue how to go about this. I am getting fired up about this,
>because this thread has opened up for me a lot of grief that I feel about our
>(well, mine, anyhow) alienation from our physical environment. What to do?
>Where to start?
Dear Priscilla,
I feel a deep sense of kindredness with the feelings and thoughts you express.
With apologies for repeating something I mentioned before, the Congress for the
New Urbanism is really at the forefront of addressing these issues. I urge you
and others to at least read their charter, which can be found at the following
URL: http://www.cnu.org/charter.html I have read lots of the books on their
excellent bibliography too, which includes Jane Jacobs. It's also online
there.
Also, do read some of James Howard Kunstler's expositions. A recent talk he
gave to the "Rails-to-Trails" organization is available online at:
http://www.kunstler.com/spch_rails_to_trails.html He is like Dante's Beatrice,
leading one through the Purgatorio of our urban debacle.
The New Urbanist folk have peeled away layers and layers of causation and they
have been working hard, in very practical ways, to effect the rehabilitation of
our built environment. The media tends to treat the movement superficially,
but its got real depth.
Best regards,
Mark