#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

Rt 2 Corridor (Congress and Ferry)

I submitted the below comment to the public comment section for the Rt. 2 Corridor project. Capital Streets has a good deal of additional information.

I write as an RPI alumnus and former resident of the City of Troy. While I now reside across the river in Colonie, I return to Troy regularly to enjoy cultural events, to shop at the farmers market, and to patronize the many fine restaurants and small businesses downtown Troy has to offer (and to attend the occasional hockey game at my alma mater). While I frequently ride my bike when I’m on my own, I more often drive, as I’m accompanied other family members. In both cases, I am very aware of the challenges that have prompted the work on the Route 2 Corridor.

I’m concerned about the City’s decision to use Alternative 1A. The size of the lanes means increased traffic speed, with commensurate increases in noise, pollution, and danger from moving vehicles. The loss of tree cover will make walking less pleasant throughout the corridor. The reduction in parking will make it more difficult to travel to Troy, even if the first two problems didn’t discourage me from coming in the first place. Even the added bike lane is largely unusable, as the lack of any barrier from the higher speed moving traffic will make it uncomfortable to use at best. And having lived for a number of years a block away from the corridor, I can’t imagine it being better for the City’s residents either.

In short, the City’s preferred choice doesn’t seem to solve any of the problems that motivated the project to begin with. There are better options available. Alternative 1B, and even Alternative 1A Modified address many of the concerns above. I urge the City to reconsider its choice.

Does anyone who does #GIS know how to calculate #frontage information easily, or a good algorithm for it? My local #NorthamptonMA #StrongTowns group would really like to be able to get our hands on frontage data to try and calculate some stuff.

Please boost!

(not that "please boost" seems to ever work for me)

#massachusetts