#strongtowns — Public Fediverse posts

@jwcph

5/5

Next month I start a local civics class my city is offering, giving me monthly access to key people in my local government. I've organized two trash clean ups in that time, the second one having 15 people turn out to help clean a waterway.

Getting involved locally has def gone hand in hand with a sense of nurture & nourish.

#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community
#nurture #nourish

@jwcph

4/

If we're disconnected while starved for connection, starting by caring about others through nurture & nourish seems as smart a place as any.

Certainly rings true for me. A year ago I started volunteering 2 hrs a week at our community garden. About 8 months ago, going to city council meetings, and speaking. I formed a pro-bike group, and we're advocating successfully for bike paths.

#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community
#nurture #nourish

@jwcph

3/

My partner @agni made an observation about grass roots marketing in general - rather than spend 100% of time blasting out what you're doing, spend 80% nourishing and nurturing others, caring about them, boosting them, giving them support and love. Then 20% saying "oh hey we're organizing downtown every other sat at a coffee shop".

#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community #nurture #nourish

@jwcph

2/

What turns that around? What changed that for me, why did I start to care?

I think the need is self-apparent - as residents, we regularly feel disconnected and disinterested in the place where we live. What turns that around? What changed that for me, why did I start to care?

#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community #nurture #nourish

OK, finished the paper. Excellent work, hats off to Boston U School of Law, and Hartzog & Silbey. It's fetching that a paper on the dangers of AI resembles a steam train; slow to get started, but with eventual and unstoppable inertia.

Plus now I want to read Putnam's "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community". Warning to my #strongtowns peeps, prepare to be annoyed with my new single minded focus

#criticism #scholarly #paper #schoolOfLaw
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5870623

"The stakes are as high as they come, including the vitality of public education and supportive, livable neighborhoods. Functioning hospitals, thriving religious and civic organizations, regular participation in community gatherings and municipal hearings, and reliable local businesses are cornerstones of civic life."

Holy shit, well said.

#strongtowns #genAI #howAIDestroysInstitutions #criticism #scholarly #paper #schoolOfLaw #civic

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5870623