Tonight I wandered among doors and windows at Second Use discussing development with dynamic people committed to sustainability. I remember smiles, sincerity and a sense of purpose. It was a networking function called Green Drinks and I'm glad I went this month.
Second Use, a building materials company that sells previously used items, is in South Park. It is a neighborhood in Seattle with many issues. It is my intention to work toward increased community value there. This task is daunting, largely because it is a series of unknowns dealing with high crime, extreme land and water pollution, uncertain infrastructure, small retailers, low home ownership and a rich diversity of people with economically small voices. I wonder where to begin. I strongly worry about gentrification and other forms of destructive intellectual imperialism. Who are my allies? How can I be a community advocate where I do not live (I'm about 4 miles away)? What business model will engage ALL the stakeholders in community?
I feel very alone in the face of such a project, it is daunting. Beyond this, I know that development WILL happen to South Park regardless of whether I care or act. How can I help direct it to retain long term value in this community. How can I take down the proverbial Goliath's of historic oppression, current disenfranchisement and future displacement?
|| South Park ||
| LEED Neighborhood? | Center of Green Collar Industry? |
| Reborn Farming Community? | New model of the Green Renaissance? |
1 comment:
this is very important work. In Portland we have the ReBuilding Center which sounds very similar to Second Use. About 8 years ago, the area was probably similar to where Second Use is now. Run down, drugs, prostitution, crime. Then came gentrification. Those problems have not been solved, just pushed a few blocks away. That area is so grossly commercial filled with boutiques and shops that are foreign to what the community used to look like. Do what you can to get involved with smart development.
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