The urban archipelago 1

My hometown alternative weekly The Stranger has an unbelievably good article running this week -- it's the first thing I've read post-election that actually felt authentic and hopeful to me. It says that relevant red/blue divide is not a matter of states but a matter of rural vs. urban. Cities vote Democrat. It's time to celebrate that, celebrate cities and the values of diversity, vitality, and imagination that make them run, and turn our attention to making cities ever more aesthetically, practically, and politically attractive.  My eye was particularly drawn to this passage:
And, as counterintuitive as it may seem to composting, recycling self-righteous suburbanites, living in dense urban areas is actually better for the environment. The population of New York City is larger than that of 39 states. But because dense apartment housing is more energy efficient, New York City uses less energy than any state. Conversely, suburban living--with its cars, highways, and single-family houses flanked by pesticide-soaked lawns--saps energy and devastates the ecosystem.
I recommend reading the whole thing.

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. JimmyL Posted 6:35 am
    12 Nov 2004

    Urban ArchipelagoThe article definitely provided some euphoria as to "give it to those bastards" type. So does cheap chocolate but ultimately your not satisfied. I have to admit I've been led ring a round the rosey by my nose sinse the election results by the "who did it to us crowd". The validity or non-validity of the ideas posed are not nearly as important as to start the dialog that puts us back on a path towards peace and justice for the earth and all the citizens in it. Living in a urban area myself I heartily espouse most of what the authors are promoting for our cities. What I disagree with is the tendency to say the hell with them out in the hinterland. The demise of our biological largesse will do nothing to improve our plight in the cities. City residents also can be self serving vis a vis the environment in that the majority will pay for say open space acquisition but complain loudly if it doesn't meet their expectations ie: soccer fields, manicured lawns , etc. One basic tenet that needs to changed with Americans whether your from the city or rural is the notion that nature has an inexhaustable ability to recieve impacts and just a little more doesn't really hurt. Of course this is taken to the nth degree by the Christian neo-cons by the "Lord will always provide" dictum. Unfortunately will it take some catastrophe to snap everyone out of this "flat earth notion?"  

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