making place: sustainability and small communities in the 21st century | community forum
DESCRIPTION
This document contains the speaking notes and slides from a community forum in Coggon, Iowa. It examines the history of small town form and how a pattern of small town decline is played out in one midwest town.TRANSCRIPT
- OverthisnextyearinschoolIwillbeworkingtoputtogetheradirectoryofprograms,resources,grants,andstrategiesthatcommuni
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Birdsareexcellentplacemakers,theyusefoundobjectstocreateelaboratenests,thataremeanttoaDractamateandprovideasanctuaryfortheirospring.Soletstakeaquicklessonfromthem,andseehowthiscorrespondstoourlives.
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- Goodnestsarebuiltuponreliableeconomies.Anestcanonlybebuiltandmaintainedbaseduponthecapitalofitssurroundings.WeveallheardIttakesavillage.?Byinves
- Goodnestsreecttheirenvironment.Theyembraceandgrowfromregionalameni
- Ahouseisnotthesameasahome.Agoodnestencouragesinterac
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- Soletsstartwitheconomics.WecanbegintoexplorethehistoryofAmericansmalltownformthroughtwotypicalimaginarycommuni
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- Whentherailroadcamein1910,itfollowedthenaturaltransporta
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Asmoreandmorepeoplebegandrivingcarsanewhighwaywaseventuallybuiltthatconnectedvehiculartracmoreecientlytonearbytownsthantherailroadorrivercouldoer.ThismeantthatfewerandfewerpeopledrovethroughLineartown.BusinessesonMainStreetbegantocloseandalongthehighwaypoppedupacardealership,aMcDonalds,abranchbank,andacoupleminimallcomplexes.CurrentlythereisstrugglebetweenLineartownshistoricMainStreetandthenewerhighwaybasedbusinesses.
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Squaretownisoursecondmakebelievetown.Ithashistoricallybeenanagriculturaltown.Squaretowngrewbasedongoodsoils,goodmarkets,andhealthylivestock.Thetownwasplannedtohaveacivicsquareasitscentralfocus.
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- Squaretownexperiencedtroubled
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- Aswithothertowns,thehighwaywasanexci
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- In2000,itseemedthatSquaretownhadstruckitbig.Alargetechnologycompanydecidedtobuyoutthetownsquaretoestablishtheirorderprocessingheadquartersthere.AlthoughAmericanwageswerehigherthanwhattheywouldhavetopayemployeesoverseas,thelowpropertyvalueindecliningSquaretownseemedlikeagoodrealestateinvestment.Thecompanydecidedtobuythetownsquareandstartpurchasingnearbyhomesthatemployeeswouldthenhavetorentorbuyfromthem.Forthetechnologycompany,thiswasamoreeconomicalapproach,andhadthepromiseofsustainedincome,thanstar
- Ifyouhaveasharpeyeandknowyourlocalhistory,youmayhaveguessedbynow,thatalloftheblackandwhitephotoswejustlookedatare,infact,Coggon.Themapsarenot.Theyarepretendcommuni
- PuredatadescribesCoggonasbeinglocated:421645N913147 W. CoggonhasaPopula
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Goodnestsarebuiltuponreliableeconomies.Anestcanonlybebuiltandmaintainedbaseduponthecapitalofitssurroundings.
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- ThevisualtoolsweusedtoexamineLineartownandSquaretownarecalledguregroundmaps.Byelimina
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InCoggon,wehavetheBualoCreek,
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WehavetheRailroadthatfollowsthepathoftheriver,
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- Wehaveournetworkofstreetsthatspeaktotheorienta
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Andwehavethebuiltenvironmentwehaveconstructedandinheritedinwhichwelive,work,andplay.
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- Byusingthisvisualtoolwecaneasilyndwerethebestplaceisforbusinessesbyseeingwerebuildingshavebeenbuiltclosesttogetherandthemostac
- ForCoggon,thisisafounda
- Goodnestsreecttheirenvironment.Theyembraceandgrowfromregionalameni
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Anyonewhotakesawalk,orgoesforadrive,downMainStreet,canseethis,andinsomewayhasageneralknowledgeofthisfundamentaltruth.
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Withoutimportantaspectsofthatenvironment,welooseafocalpoint,weweakenorloosethenest.
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- Thepurposeoffocusingthismuchonepar
- Therststepistostarttoorganizeasacommunity.Getyourchurchgroupstogether,reachouttoyourlocalLionsClubandLegionHalls,askforhelpfromHistoricalSocie
- IfwelookattheUrbanRuralCon
- IfcancomparethattothisPopula
- InIowa,themostrecentcensuspopula
- SoyouseeourinheritedandbuiltenvironmentsmaDer.TheymaDeralot!Ashumanbeingsweneedtobeabletoconnecttobothourphysicalenvironment,andourbuiltenvironments,andbothhavemeaningandimportanthistories.ApsychologistinEnglanddiscoveredthatinhabitantsofavillagewhohadbeenforciblymovedinorderthatthevalleycouldbeoodedforareservoirweres
- Iwouldlikerightnowtodispelanymythsaboutthisschool.Thisschoolneedssomework.Thatisundeniable,butitisaperfectlynebuildingandisbuiltbeDerthananythingwebuildtoday.Ifyouhaveasoundbuildingshell,whichwedo,youcandoanythingyouwanttotheinterior.Itcanredesignedtobeasmodernorasoriginalasyoudesire,andtherearedierentavenuesthroughTheNa
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ThesesameargumentsapplytotheWalkerElementarySchoolaswellascountlessotherhistoricIowaschoolsthatanchoroursmalltowns.
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- Thisexactissueofthefutureofhistoricschoolsintownissomethingreceivingna
- Sowhatcanwedo?Ifweuseourguregroundmap,wecanlookatallofourpublicins
- Otherpossibili
- ThisbringsustoacurrentissuefacingCoggonandademonstra
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Tothisscenario,
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- Tothisscenariowerethetreatmentplantislessobvious,notvisiblefrommainstreet,landwouldbeboughtandusedforresiden
- Thisistheactualproposedloca
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Evenwiththeschoolthere,astandardtreatmentplant,isadangerousideainthissacredsite.Whataboutthepropertyownersaroundthissite?DonttheirpropertyvaluesmaDer?
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Ifwelookatthissitefromasatelliteview..
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- Wecanseetheeectsofloosingthesiteasapark.AccordingtoareportfromtheNa
- Thereportalsostatesthatiftheparkhasnuisancefeaturessuchasbeingverycrowdedorbeingveryloud,thesepropertyvaluesta
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Theaectsarefrightening.
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- Luckily,thereareop
- Soitjustmakessensethatweshouldlearntouseu
- Applica
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Tocommercial.
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- Tosemiurbanpopula
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Ifthesegentlementrustthetechnologyandfounditaworthwhileinvestment,whywouldntwe?
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- YouwanttogettheDNRandtheEPAexcited,andyouwantthemtothrowmoneyatyou..showthempictureslikethis.SHOWTHEM!Donttellthem.OnethingthatwillalwaysholdtruenomaDerwhatgrantsorresourcesyouareapplyingforisthataleDerofintentisaweakproposal.Itisnecessary,dontgetmewrong,butyoustatetheproblem,youstateyourintent,andyouaccompanyyourgrantproposalapplica
- AhealthyenvironmentiswhataDractsfamiliestomoveintoourcommuni
- Noonewantstomovetoghosttown,andnooneisfoolishenoughtotryandstartabusinesswerethereisnotlifetosupportit.Ahouseisnotthesameasahome.Agoodnestencouragesinterac
- Ourphysicalenvironmentmaynothavechangedmuch.Thesebuildingsares
- IwouldliketosharewithyouwereIgotthislastphoto:ThisisawebsitecalledFlickr,andsinceeverythingisdigitalthesedaysphotographerscanuploadtheirphotostoshareandpromotetheirworkforfree.Thisisthe
- Aprofessorofpoli
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Therearemanyargumentsastowhatmightbecausingthistrend.Somearguethetelevision,othersanincreasingnumberofsingleparenthouseholds.Ithinkthatthereisamuchsimpleranswer:OurenvironmentsnolongersupportCivicengagement:Wherewouldyourathershop,here?
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- Orhere?Whichplacedoyouseeyourselfbumpingintoafamiliarfaceandhavingameaningfulconversa
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Thenthereisthegasissue.Folks,$5gasisnotthatfaraway.Whatsthatgoingtomeanforthefamilybudgetwhenthathappens?
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- Wecannotaordtogohereanylonger.Wehavebillstopayandfamiliestosupport.Ourchildrenwanttogotocollege.Thatswereourmoneyshouldbegoing,notthegaspump.GivepeopleabeDerop
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ThisisaHomeDepotItouredlastspringaspartofastudyabroadinVancouver,B.C.Theyhavelimitedundergroundandstreetparking,3ofthe4sidesofthestorehavesmallspecialtyshopsfacingthestreet,uptopontheroofarecondosandapartmentswithaninnercourtyard,andyouknowwhat:theydeliver!
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- Iknowwevecoveredsomebigexamplesthatareprobablybeyondthescopeofourruralcommuni
- Yousee,thenatureofgreattalesisneitherthattheyare
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