In a perfect world, political functionaries charged with basic infrastructure would be delighted to learn of eyesores ripe for cleaning, as with mattresses dumped within eyesight of Break Wind's intended upscale millennial pizzazz, but when informed of this on social media, Warren Nash advised against encouraging the sort of person who would bring this to his attention -- after two weeks of it moldering there.
Imagine the immediate reaction had it been suggested that the mattress was a public art installation.
If the notion of human rights embraced health and safety, then basic infrastructure is one guarantor of rights and freedoms. Have you ever heard Nash, Adam Dickey or other local paragons of "democratic" propriety talk about such a topic, even once?
The Not-So-Secret Secret About Growing a Healthy City, by Anna Clark (Next City)
It may not have as much placemaking pizzazz as a new bike-share or downtown arts district, but unless a city prioritizes basic service, people will not want to build roots in it. From safe drinking water to solid public schools, brass-tacks urbanism is the not-so-secret secret about growing a healthy city ...
... Reese and Sands are not arguing against all the innovations in today’s urbanism, per se, but they do suggest that projects like riverwalks and casinos are isolated initiatives that can’t make up for a city’s inconsistent trash pickup or broken street lights. Compare it to an old house: New windows and a fresh coat of paint are great, but it won’t compensate for a sinking foundation and ragged roof.
1 comment:
The best example is Louisville's Mayor Jerry Abramson. I lived in the Highlands and worked in downtown Louisville when he was first elected.
His first order of business? Fill all of the potholes, remove garbage and clean the city environment. The immediate progress at that time made voter's heads spin.
Oh, and he worked an active plan to attract business to his city, bringing in the corporate headquarters of Yum! Brands, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and that little old UPS Parcel Service Air Hub (now known as Worldport). Literally thousands of jobs were the result of the plan.
How many mayors of American cities can say they held the office for 21 years and were then asked to work in the White House as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs?
Real, lasting growth starts with basic services, not a few dozen apartments. Why does Clark County have multiple fiber-optic trunk lines while Floyd County has none? Where did Amazon locate and why? It wasn't land, it wasn't space - it was the digital services they have in Clark County that Floyd County and New Albany can't even offer.
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