(Mark Lakeman in Santa Barbara, Wed, Sept
16, 7pm, Faulkner Gallery, SB Central Library)
Simple Ideas Can Change A
Community
by Billy Goodnick
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=3271
I took an eye-opening permaculture design class at City College this
summer. When we got to the topic of creating community, our instructor,
the delightful and resourceful Kendy Radasky, showed a video about City
Repair. This Portland, Oregon-based organization creates artistic,
sustainable neighborhood improvements that changed the personality of
their shared public spaces.
That evening, I walked around my neighborhood and realized how sterile
and soulless it felt compared to what I had just seen (except for
McConnell's). Where were the brightly painted mandalas in the
intersections or fanciful bus shelters built from locally harvested
street trees? I didn't see one box of fresh produce generously left in a
curbside kiosk.
The 3-year old in me petulantly pouted, "I want some of THOSE
THINGS!"
Planting Seeds of Action
After Mark Lakeman, visionary architect and founding member of
City Repair, finishes his
presentation at the Faulkner Gallery at 7 PM on September 16, attendees
will likely leave with similar, envious feelings.
They might even be motivated to do something about those
feelings.
And if Lynn Seigel-Boettner, Mesa resident and cheerleader/webmaster for
Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns,
has her long-time wish fulfilled, there will be free-boxes brimming with
luscious heirloom tomatoes and useful things that people share with their
neighbors.
"I first read about Mark in Sunset magazine 10 or 15 years
ago," Lynn told me. "The article was about community-building
projects that Mark and others were doing in Portland. I remember this
picture of kids sitting on the sidewalk reading books and playing with
toys they found in a free-box in their neighbor's front yard. I thought,
'this is a great idea' and eventually built a box of my
own."
Building Community
I saw Lynn's Mesa-neighborhood vegetable garden not too long ago. In
her unique, bountiful front yard sits a Lakeman-inspired kiosk brimming
with her chickens' eggs, a basket of ruby red strawberries and juicy
oranges.
A neighbor strolled by, helped herself to a few berries, offered a
smiling "thank you," and continued on.
As simple as this concept sounds, the kiosk is a powerful catalyst that
opened the door to meeting neighbors and forming bonds that are sorely
lacking in communities.
So when Lynn heard that Mark Lakeman would be speaking in Santa Barbara
this week, she figured she'd help by hosting him and spreading the word.
Perhaps others would be inspired to take action, as she had.
Mark is the founding member of City Repair, which describes itself as
"an ‘anti-virus' to combat isolation and over-commodification of
conventionally designed cities." Since 1996, group of volunteers has
grown from humble roots to a national movement with projects underway in
12 cities in the US and Canada, including citizen-driven designs for the
2010 Winter Olympics.
Mark is a self-effacing crusader for a cause he holds dear. He says that
at his Wednesday talk, his role is "to tell stories that explain how
other collaborative projects have happened in communities throughout the
country."
Then it's up to each community to localize their ideas and make things
happen.
I'm writing this post because we need lots of people in the room. There's
no sense casting a rich mixture of seeds if they can't land on lots of
fertile ground. We need you and your friends to come, listen, open your
synaptic connections and get your pulse pumping.
Lynn assures me that there's no agenda, no pet projects that someone is
trying to push. "I agree with Mark that suburbia doesn't work. We
need to look at the existing system and see how we can make gentle
changes. If someone feels inspired to do their own small project, that's
great. Or they can join with others and take on something more
ambitious."
Embrace the Process
Many of the projects that City Repair has completed simply happened.
Like Nike, they just did it. Other projects occupy publicly owned
spaces-The Commons, as Mark likes to say.
In my 22 years working for the City of Santa Barbara, I've watched scores
of imaginative, excited people pitch ideas they think would be a boon to
Santa Barbara, from poetry gardens to fly-casting ponds to skateboard
parks to giant chess sets. Some "get legs" and others die slow,
quiet deaths.
What sets successful projects apart is acceptance of reality. The
advocates understand that they have to do some of the heavy lifting. Now
more than ever, coffers are cleaned out, staff is stretched and projects
are paralyzed. So don't expect a genie to appear from a magic lamp and
make it happen for you.
Project advocates who made it to the finish line figured out how to
cultivate in-kind donations, think creatively and work within the rules
agencies have to follow. That's another one of Mark's
specialties.
So you'll need to get fired up, learn the process, accept the hoops
you'll be asked to jump through (hopefully, they won't be on fire), and
befriend a councilmember or two who will go to bat for the idea.
Unimaginable projects happen. I know. I've watched kids ollying,
flip-kicking and grinding in Santa Barbara's most precious beachfront
real estate, Skater's Point.
Bring a busload of friends. I'll see you at the Faulkner.
Suggested donation at the door: $10
More info about Santa Barbara
Food Not Lawns, City Repair and
Mark Lakeman's
Communitecture design practice.
# # # #
Billy Goodnick is a nice guy who knows a lot about plants and garden
stuff.
www.billygoodnick.com
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
an educational
non-profit since 2000
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.org
www.sbpermaculture.org
"We are like trees,
we must create new leaves, in new directions, in order to grow." -
Anonymous