The Edible Bus Stop: Community Gardens From Neglected Sites

I have been looking for ways to improve my community and in doing so have searched dozens of blogs and videos to find simple ideas to help transform the way we think about Urban Space. Below is a video that could help give pin pricks of Urban Acupuncture throughout Utah and Salt Lake Valleys:

Singapore A Model to Follow

In class on Tuesday we watched the following video and were asked to write about what inspired us, or repelled us, etc. As I watched the video again and thought about the amazing things they have been able to accomplish in Singapore, it added that much more hope for similar results here.

In the US we have a long way to go, but I can see and feel the momentum building. (Watch the video below)

I mentioned momentum, because these ideas are shared by thousands of individuals across the country, and pin pricks of urban acupuncture are cropping up all over the country. A few weeks ago I didn't know what a green wall was, and actually saw one in real life being utilized in California.

It is awesome to see the changes happening everywhere, and as the evidence builds that these changes are improvements and cost effective they will get routed deeply into our culture, where as now they are only seeds and chutes cropping up here and there. 

Again while in California I saw everything from green roofs to green walls to organic greens, bike paths, walkable communities and so much more. And the hardest part to participate in this movement is the start. So as I often quote, Just Do It. Start biking, start recycling, start eating better by growing your own garden, walk to the store, plan a hike, or have an outdoor party with the neighbor. Reconnect with nature!

At the end of the Signapore Prime Minister's life they looked back on his legacy, a legacy of reconnecting people with nature. What will your legacy be? What things will you leave behind, or make better for those to follow? The changes we make today can affect us, and will affect our posterity. I hear all the time "work today for a better tomorrow," but I say work today for a better today and tomorrow will be brighter as well!

All of the things we see in this video are possible, after all the video and the city of Singapore is proof. Let us catch that spirit and cultivate it here in our communities by adding more pin pricks of urban acupuncture to our neighborhoods, and streets. The road to our future starts with a single step!

Find out more of what you can do here: UrbanStrategies.com

How I Visualize Change

I spent my break in California, a place full of environmentalists and new ideas. Not all of them are good ideas, but they are ideas nonetheless.

It was interesting to see some of the ideas that were all over the place, as I visited San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Monterey. In a few areas I saw organically grown sandwich shops that were so expensive I was surprised anyone frequented them. Other areas had raised speed bump looking curbs.

I decided to search for cool urban spaces, and here is what I found:

 



The videos were interested and exciting to see what is possible, whether practical or not.