Imagine what your community could look like if art, beauty and celebration were intrinsic values fostered by local home owners, business owners and local government officials alike.
Imagine what your community could look like if people ACTUALLY knew about and used their democratic rights and systems and went above and beyond them.
You might envision something very similar to what is happening and has been happening for years in Portland, Oregon. The neighbourhoods and citizens of Portland have been working year after year for about 15 years to create healthier, sustainable living spaces for themselves, and the results have been astronomical.
They've artistically taken over busy, car-filled intersections and converted them into public meeting spaces, spaces that are severely lacking (*on purpose*) in most North American cities.
They've begun to build cob structures everywhere, from houses to local Newspaper stands (full of community stories and HAPPY news) to community saunas where they host "Get Naked With Your Neighbour" events on a regular basis.
What started out as essentially "illegal" acts of street vandalism and public gathering has turned into public policy. Putting up more bike parking and less car parking was scoffed at by City Hall, until these communities implemented in themselves and were so successful that now their local government is mandating such acts across the city.
Democracy can look this beautiful. Cities CAN be transformed. People have to want it bad enough. Bad enough to go door to door to engage with those around them. Bad enough to call their city councillor when they hear about something exciting that can be done, or something awful that absolutely should not be done.
Beauty and Love are as contageous as greed and power. People want to be a part of something meaningful and beautiful. Please watch this video by Mark Lakeman about the Chronology of City Repair and be inspired. If you feel so inclined, please contact us to see how you can be a part of our visioning processes here at the About Face Collective and/or transformative community groups that we are associated with in the Dupont and Spadina area.
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