I feel seen! Having grown up in a rural community, some people wonder why I care so much about urbanism. I've watched suburbia tear apart rural NC throughout my life. Great cities allow the countryside to thrive. The unfortunate truth is that developers are economically incentivized to pave over the countryside with suburbia. What levers can we pull to fix this?
There’s a famous story that the essayist G. K. Chesterton once responded to an essay prompt “what’s wrong with Christianity"?” with “I am”. It seems to me that the hopeful way of looking at the question of modern development trends is like this. Certainly, there is a necessary space for over-arching critiques of “Big Dev”. But if I wait for top-down change in nation-wide development practices before I ever stir myself to plant a garden, or improve my home with love and care, am I really part of the solution? I find such a call to action very hopeful: I can get up TODAY and move my tiny sphere of influence closer towards the good (in the spirit of this essay) “one tomato plant at a time”.
I grew up in wake county, I’m pleased and proud to know such a preservation plan exists. It takes both courage and conscience to put such a plan together, especially with the development dollars it is currently possible to make in the triangle area, and it speaks well for the SWCD. You are perfectly right though: broad community support and political will are still needed to see it though. Cant help thinking that essentially all the concerns we presently lump under “policy” wouldn’t be better housed under the framework of “culture”.
Great point. 'Culture' is precisely the right word. We (the Friends of Wake SWCD) wish to tie preservation to the notions of our agrarian heritage and our roots. Here's one of our recent posts: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18JVRsSRYi/. Thank you, Nick Larkin.
I'm a retired urban planner, and the major focus of my 33-year career was promoting land design and policies to protect the 'urban-rural interface'. Your beautiful essay explains the history and rationale for this in a most comprehensive way. One of the best pieces I've ever read on this subject. Well done, Mr. Larkin
I feel seen! Having grown up in a rural community, some people wonder why I care so much about urbanism. I've watched suburbia tear apart rural NC throughout my life. Great cities allow the countryside to thrive. The unfortunate truth is that developers are economically incentivized to pave over the countryside with suburbia. What levers can we pull to fix this?
There’s a famous story that the essayist G. K. Chesterton once responded to an essay prompt “what’s wrong with Christianity"?” with “I am”. It seems to me that the hopeful way of looking at the question of modern development trends is like this. Certainly, there is a necessary space for over-arching critiques of “Big Dev”. But if I wait for top-down change in nation-wide development practices before I ever stir myself to plant a garden, or improve my home with love and care, am I really part of the solution? I find such a call to action very hopeful: I can get up TODAY and move my tiny sphere of influence closer towards the good (in the spirit of this essay) “one tomato plant at a time”.
Harrison, there is no panacea for preserving farmland, but Wake County is giving it a try. Over the last 18 months, their SWCD engaged the entire community (including developers) in the creation of a preservation plan. It's a start, but it will take broad community support and political will to implement it. https://www.wake.gov/news/wake-county-adopts-farmland-preservation-plan-protect-farmland-and-support-agriculture
I grew up in wake county, I’m pleased and proud to know such a preservation plan exists. It takes both courage and conscience to put such a plan together, especially with the development dollars it is currently possible to make in the triangle area, and it speaks well for the SWCD. You are perfectly right though: broad community support and political will are still needed to see it though. Cant help thinking that essentially all the concerns we presently lump under “policy” wouldn’t be better housed under the framework of “culture”.
Great point. 'Culture' is precisely the right word. We (the Friends of Wake SWCD) wish to tie preservation to the notions of our agrarian heritage and our roots. Here's one of our recent posts: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18JVRsSRYi/. Thank you, Nick Larkin.
Cityscape and countryside as the two halves of the human habitat — that framing stays with you. Thank you for this one.
I'm a retired urban planner, and the major focus of my 33-year career was promoting land design and policies to protect the 'urban-rural interface'. Your beautiful essay explains the history and rationale for this in a most comprehensive way. One of the best pieces I've ever read on this subject. Well done, Mr. Larkin
Thanks Donald. I’m very pleased you liked the essay.