Green corridors in Freiburg quiet trams and add vitality (Photo taken by author)
Personal happenings:
I'm writing a lot of academic essays these days for my classes at The Bartlett (which has been... an adjustment) and I didn't want those words to go to waste. So I'm putting them on Medium! This month: an essay looking at the different discourses surrounding London's Crossrail 2 (which Medium's curators very kindly added to their 'transportation' page); and a super-heady analysis of mega-infrastructure in 2020, using Manhattan's Hudson Yards as a case study. If you're looking for some good ol' fashioned Harvard style, then look no further. (Also sneak peek: one will be published soon regarding the city in which that parasol-laden cover photo was taken.)
Excited to hear that New Yorkers for Parks is launching the second year of its 'Play Fair' campaign to push the city on providing more sustainable and equitable funding for its increasingly desired open space. A June 2018 report I authored with Center for an Urban Future (entitled 'A New Leaf') provided the raw data for the Play Fair coalition to *successfully* secure a historic injection of $44 million in city parks funding. (What's next? Perhaps improving long-term planning and opening up new revenue streams, like sports tickets fees and golf course charges.) CUF and NY4P will have more to say in the coming weeks during Council budget negotiations, and I will cheer them on from across the pond! (Also PSA: Playfair is the name of this email's font.)
And finally: the first-ever TransportCamp in London has had a change in schedule, and will no longer happen in March. Once a new date is confirmed, I'll share it in the newsletter!
In the News
I swing in and out of phases with podcasts, depending on the season; I wrestle with using free time - walking, cooking, riding on transit, etc. - to turn off, rather than pile on more and more content. (Some real good ones I have gotten around to lately: The War on Cars; 99% Invisible; City of the Future). But rarely am I fortunate enough to hear my own partner on one! If you haven't seen me gush publicly already: Angela was on the Oxford College Castaway podcast with burgeoning radio journalist Alice Watson! Based on a BBC Radio show of a similar concept, guests choose a number of songs that they'd bring onto a deserted island, and then talk about their relevance. Tune in to hear about Angela's life as a documentarian, Texan, and part-time carioca. (The playlist is fantastic, too.)
The upcoming NITE conference at UCL has had me thinking a lot lately about the role of music or dance spaces in developing community and social capital. One of the times I felt closest to my old spot in New York (shout-out to Astoria!) was when I went to a party thrown by neighbors in a nearby soon-to-be-renovated abandoned building. It wasn't just an ordinary warehouse party: it was open to the public; catered by Singlecut Beersmiths, a local brewery; and even featured workout and aerobics classes from Astoria residents. Entirely DIY. (It was a night.) Practically everyone I met there lived a street or avenue over from me, but up until then had been another stranger on the street. Of course, these spaces aren't always run by Mr. Rogers: they can often be threatening to vulnerable populations; they often involve substances; and are often not family- or age-friendly. (In other words: what 'community' are we talking about here?) But there is precedent of dance spaces helping to break down different social barriers, both within and between specific communities (i.e. jazz clubs in the Harlem Renaissance; discotheques across Europe; drag balls; hip-hop block parties; more recent 'sober' meetups). Is there a place in this newfound discussion around the 'nightlife economy' (with 'nightlife mayors,' in Amsterdam, London, New York, and elsewhere) to promote hyper-local dance spaces that are less commercial in nature, and more welcoming to varied identities (and maybe even local services)? Where you can let loose, and also at the same time meet the different faces on your block? And also safe to get to and fro at night for all populations? It's something that would be remarkably refreshing in the age of delivery food, smartphone rehab, and Amazon.
Last but not least: I'd be ashamed to end this newsletter without at least one mention of this recent story on the intricate relationship between TikTok and NYC's bodegas (NYT). Please do read if you have not; it speaks volumes about infusing new meaning into age-old institutions. My class came across an empty storefront converted into a city-funded bike repair shop last week in Utrecht, and I've reported in the past on CultureHouse, a non-profit that temporarily occupies vacant spaces with free community-driven hubs (CityLab). This is a bit different — these bodegas aren't vacant, yet surely under threat from delivery services and rising rents — but it still seems in the same ballpark as this notion of employing innovative approaches to drive foot traffic and interest. Big takeaway for me: they tend to happen in unpredictable and unexpected ways. Let's embrace that. (“Guys from England talking about coming to New York for a chopped cheese because of TikTok... that's crazy.")
Spotted in Freiburg's car-free historic center (Photo taken by author)
“Even if we knew where to run, none of us would know when to run because our early warning system was stolen by scavengers.” - 16-year-old girl from Parañaque City, Manila (IIED study on climate change's risks to children from 2014)
That's it for this edition. See your inboxes in March!