Mayor-elect to host three town halls for the transition
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Category: urban administration
comparative urbanism, part 10 (highly disputed real estate, urban snow edition)
For Seattleites, will December 2009 echo our sometimes divisive 2008 experience with urban snow? Or might snow provide a basis for new unity of purpose?
In one of the most documented, and most disputed urban places, sometimes it snows, bringing to mind the interconnectedness and universality of snow implied for a divided Ireland in James Joyce’s 1914 short story, “The Dead”. When I read of the 2008 snow in Jerusalem, I searched for new images to update photos from long ago, and in the process rediscovered some touching words describing how an earlier Jerusalem snow event brought a feeling of unity to an often divided Middle Eastern urban fabric:
“The flakes combined as they touched ground, forming a thin, crystalline layer on the surfaces of the city. From Saladin Street in the east to Jaffa Road in the west, the whiteness was gathering. It was early evening, and in the light of dusk, snow was falling in Jerusalem.”
Photo from Daily Mail, January 30, 2008:
Photo from onejerusalem.com, January, 2008:
transformational Seattle, late 2009
It was clear to me by late October that the Seattle mayoral election would inspire a rich analysis on the evolution of the city and the possibilities of urban politics. Grant Cogswell’s November 17 piece in The Stranger is well worth a read for a thoughtful portrayal of the post-grunge Seattle in transformational times.
mayoral urbanist, part 4 (the open source transition)
For you non-Seattleites, here is a link to one of the most interesting big city mayoral transition processes yet.
miami update, paradigm shift evolves
Here’s an update on the evolution of Miami 21, discussed in my recent articles in Crosscut and seattlepi.com.