On the site of Logstown
spencer's boy
master composter, worm translator, urban advocate, organic pioneer ...
Rust: The Possibility and Renewal
Rust: The Patina of Possibility and Renewal
September 5, 2011 by Paul Hertneky
Note: I love photography, so here’s a shout-out and round of applause for the talented Christopher DellaMea and his new book Exploring the Rust Belt.
Also: This post goes up in appreciation of Jim Russell and his exquisite mind. A younger man than myself, Jim coined the term “Rust Belt Chic” and illustrates it in the latest Cleveland Review…
For those of us who grew up in the suburbs ringing the silent manufacturing plants, the appeal is a reconnection with our roots. We are nostalgic for a time we never knew, the world our parents made sure we could escape. The geography of nowhere gets a soul. We move back and haunt the streets of our grandparents…. All the connoisseurs of Rust Belt Chic are seeking the same thing, authenticity. A strong sense of place is highly valued. At every turn, you know that you can only be in Pittsburgh. And you love all of it, the grit and the faded grandeur. A vacant building is more about possibility than the spectacular fall from grace.
GM’s Bust Turns Detroit Into Urban Prairie of Vacant-Lot Farms
“With enough abandoned lots to fill the city of San Francisco, Detroit is 138 square miles divided between decay and still-functioning communities… Close to six barren acres of an estimated 17,000 have already been turned into 500 mini-farms, and ‘we plan to triple that every year,’ said Michael Travis, deputy director of Urban Farming.”
Today in Bad Ideas: Casino Developer Wants to Bulldoze Part of Downtown Cleveland | Rust Wire ➔
Seriously. Let’s stop selectively bulldozing CLE and level the entire area. Just bulldoze the crap out of it all—new buildings and old ones. Let’s plant a new forest and make it The Forest City once again.
“rust belt indeed. some would think that the major population of rust belt dwellers are doomed to stay and live in squalor even as their wealthy neighbors meet each other, have kids and move to the outer ring burbs to avoid the school systems. some would think that the doomed rust belt dwellers will lose it all and like their very used Pontiac’s, rust away. some would think that the rust belt dwellers that are reentering the rust belt from prison would return to a life of crime. some would think. i am not some! i am one. and i think i have seen the change that the rust belt dwellers have in their eyes. i have seen the change in poor habits. i have seen the soil go from high lead and arsenic to healthy and productive. i have seen the rusty cars traded in for a trusty, rusty community pick up truck shared by all. i have seen the facts on the grass roots side that the some over look. i would think that the some would think that it would be better to live in community like the rust belt dwellers. i would think.”
— maurice small (via mauricesmall)
GeorgeNemeth.com: Jumpstart's Failure ➔
Jumpstart’s biggest mistake was representing last night’s clusterfuck as conversation about entrepreneurs. I asked the guy running the cash register at the store last night if he’d be pissed if he was invited a “conversation” that turned into a full-blown, agenda-driven, organizationally-focus…
ahhh … NEO. gotta love it. Or leave it. rusty minds abound like rust belt idealism. sb
“R” is for rust.
Farms Take Root in Detroit’s Foreclosures : NPR
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I think that a very smart+wise move would be to invest in Detroit.
“Those who have stayed in Detroit are pioneers. It’s like what happens to a forest after a great fire. At first glance, it looks like everything is dead. But, if you look closer you’ll find that the rich soil is fertile and ready for planting.”
“There is a dual pride that comes from supporting your friends and neighbors, and also supporting the people who, like you, want to see [a community] thrive.”
