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Slow Cities
Supporters of Italy's "Slow City" movement are trying to develop livable cities, banning cars from city centers and blocking McDonald's branches and supermarkets. The movement is spreading across Europe and is now taking off in Asia. Spiegel
6 Comments
the slow city model is definitely something to be reckoned with...but it's not just a matter of scale (walkable, green, boutiques, etcetera) it's also a matter of appreciating work--nowhere in the world, in my mind at least, are homemade (process ordinated) items elevated to such a stature than in Italy.
this acknowledge for difference and care in the production is the essence of slowness which should be reconsidered here in the US--this mixture of critical regionalism and the deeper meanings inherent in the process of making and enjoying are what should be considered...
Except that it is far larger than 50,000 residents. perhaps Detroit - the city that makes - is a candidate for the Slow City movement? That might actually be a way to make Detroit not only livable again, but forward-looking.
Local produce can be grown easily enough by knocking down a bunch of abandoned houses to make farmable plots!
leaving that aside i think there are several issues raised in through the slow cities agenda that can be applied to larger ones...in fact, the sort of grass roots farmers market system which started out west etcetera is now becoming a fashion in nyc. i think what is missing here, which is different from the italian point of view (in my opinion) is what i defined above...
further i think detroit is fastly exceeding the slow city model>>>>
http://archinect.com/news/article.php?id=60220_0_24_0_C
It is appropriate that Slow Cities grew out of Slow Food, as so much of how we inhabit the planet relates to how we feed ourselves. Indeed, eating locally and in season is becoming more "fashionable", and let's hope that it becomes popular and in demand enough that large-scale agri-production, which can actually minimize the nutritional value of food, shrinks of not disappears.
That said, the battle for local business rages on, as large, even multinational, chains continue to become the norm in downtowns. Sticking to food as an example, do you think American New Yorkers are ready to not be able to buy strawberries 8 months of the year? Are Midwesterners ready to forego seafood?
Veering away from food, can local footwear companies exist, and if they can, will anyone be able to afford their product? Will they only source local rubber, nylon, leather, and canvas?
I don't have a point, really, except that it is a huge topic. I for one would love to see the homogeneity of the US fade away as regional specialties become more valued. I do think it's possible in small ways, but when it comes to a bigger picture, I think most people would be unwilling to accept the consequences of truly "living local".
That said, I have a friend who renovated his 80 year old home (here in Indy) with the self-defined caveat that he was only allowed to buy supplies from within a one-mile radius of his home. So he was supporting the local small plumbing distributor as well as the local Ace Hardware (a huge chain).
PS I can't access that Harper's Detroit article, sadly, as I know Detriot and would like to read it. Ah well.
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