The Protagonists of Utopia
January 16, 2013 § 1 Comment
Last night, on January 15th, I had the privilege of seeing Italian ethnographer, and Rust-Belt lover, Allessandro Coppola, speak at Cleveland State University as part of the Levin College of Urban Affairs Public Forum program.
![coppola-001jpg-ea02e4f92066b1aa[1]](http://mscsymposium.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/coppola-001jpg-ea02e4f92066b1aa1.jpg)
Allessandro Coppola
The perspective of his lecture bore greater significance than its content. This is not a jab or backhanded compliment to Dr. Coppola, but rather a recognition of the fact that most of the audience last night knew on a personal level the very phenomena he had been trying to convey to his Italian audience. He knew this, the crowd knew this, and it was through this mutual understanding that gave us, Cleveland natives and in a very clear sense the subjects of his book, a space to step back and really take in the magnitude of our work, our struggle, and our vision.
Community Gardening on a Budget
June 6, 2012 § 3 Comments
Do you plant some of your own food? Do you fancy yourself a wielder of not one, but two green thumbs? Have you ever wanted to work on a (community/ for profit) garden? What about starting one?
I am here to tell you that, despite some reservations that many might naturally have before jumping into the world of food production, almost anyone can get into gardening. Additionally, the fruits of your labor don’t need to cost you an arm and a leg, though they both will inevitably become sore in the process.
La Minga
May 2, 2012 § 1 Comment
If you ever have questions what ‘Food Justice’ is, means, or what it looks like in practice this video is the embodiment of the term. ‘La Minga’ demonstrates the revolutionary possibility of farming; empowering working peoples, combating racism, improving the environment, and doing it all in spite of competition via collaboration. This video is a beautiful tribute to the quiet undercurrents that all practitioners of the food movement (if you eat, this means you) ought to embrace and help advance. Please enjoy!
When Riverwest Wins the Nobel Prize: James Godsil’s Vision of Milwaukee
April 30, 2012 § Leave a Comment
In one of our first guest writer features, we bring you James Godsil, the co-founder of Sweet Water Organics, on how Milwaukee became an incubator for the nearing sustainable cities revolution.
Revisiting the Riverwest Public House
April 2, 2012 § 1 Comment
Last year, we introduced you to the Riverwest Public House Cooperative, the nation’s second-ever cooperative bar (the first is a brewpub called Black Star in Austin, TX). The Public House is a little bar with a big idea: to use the excess revenue (read: profit) from the bar as an economic engine to start more co-ops in the Riverwest neighborhood.
On St. Patrick’s Day, the Public House turned 1 year old. At the commencement of an enormous party to celebrate, founder Gibson Caldwell announced that a group comprised of Public House founders and other cooperators in the neighborhood (Riverwest Investment Co-op, Riverwest Co-op & Cafe) had recently sent in their articles of incorporation for the Riverwest Cooperative Alliance (RCA). This, he said, was a huge step forward and after only a year in business as the Public House, the initial idea was picking up steam.
A Big F’in Deal
December 19, 2011 § Leave a Comment
In the new Detroit edition of the Huffington Post, a recent article features the “Best Detroit Tech Startups of 2011.” Included in the story is Detroit native Dan Gilbert, a majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Quicken Loans, and many other ventures. Gibert has been pumping money into small technology start-ups, fueling a resurgence in the Motor City.
CNU19 Comes to Madison
May 26, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The Congress for New Urbanism is putting on an interesting event. (It’s much, much larger than ours.) Now presenting the CNU19.
Better Block of Dallas
May 24, 2011 § Leave a Comment
It’s true, Dallas isn’t in the Midwest. But Better Block is an idea that can be implemented anywhere. And it has… in St. Louis and Tulsa, to name just two place closer to home. It starts with an ugly block. It ends with a vibrant community.
Recession Reshapes America
April 17, 2011 § Leave a Comment
In 2009, the Harvard economist Richard Florida wrote a piece for The Atlantic called “How the Crash Will Reshape America.”.” In it, he preaches a brand of economic determinism wherein “creative class” cities stand to recover from the current recession–and Rust Belt and Sun Belt cities don’t.
We foresee–and are dedicated to working towards–different fate.
