09/20/2024
Such a good word, and encouragement!
Cities, like people, are on a continuum between order and chaos, some are stagnant, content with how things are. Some are not doing the required basic maintenance and find themselves backsliding into chaos. And others have set out a vision and are working relentlessly towards order. This is what sets some people apart from others and what sets some cities apart from others. This is why some towns are doing better.
Improvement is simple, not easy. The process to get better requires having specific goals and working towards them. There are no shortcuts and no gimmicks. At the end of the day, for a city to get better, it has to decide what it wants to be and work relentlessly towards that end.
Residents have a major role to play. They can start by making their block better, and invite all your neighbors to participate. Make the block the best it can be- the prettiest, closest-knit, friendliest, etc. Then work towards making the neighborhood the best it can be and then your downtown. Let the momentum spread like wildfire. Start somewhere small, get it right and move on from there.
Decide what you want your city to be and then do it. But understand this, it will require a sustained commitment. If you want to realize an epic improvement, understand that you are going to have to put in the steps to get there. You have to show up every damn day, pulling weeds, picking up trash, speaking up at council, making calls, writing letters. Whatever it is that you decide to do, understand you may not see results for sometime, but trust in the process. Know that if you keep putting in the effort, you will arrive. You will achieve. You will make a difference. You will get there, you just have to decide where you want to go and put one foot in front of the other. It’s simple, not easy.