I don't think I'm going to
Burning Man this
year. I still recommend it to anyone who's never been, but I'm applying my
time and energy to bringing "the spirit of the burn" to our neighborhood
here in Seattle.
I think of Burning Man as boot camp for civic activism. Psych 101 taught
me that we are conditioned by our surroundings. Burning Man showed me we
have the power to shape those environments.
Thanks in large part to the shortsighted uberplanner
Robert Moses
(plus the billions of dollars spent by petroleum, rubber, asphalt, and auto
industries to foster car dependence), most American cities in the 20th century
were adapted to accommodate automobiles, leading to sprawl and suburbanization,
both of which erode community and degrade the environment.
Our goal with Car Free Fremont is to send the message that
cities
should be built around people, not cars. Change will not come from the
top down, so it's up to individuals to simply show up, take back the streets,
and demonstrate that public space is better used by people, not
parking. |
Help spread the word about
Car
Free Fremont |
