this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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Solarpunk Urbanism
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A community to discuss solarpunk and other new and alternative urbanisms that seek to break away from our currently ecologically destructive urbanisms.
- Henri Lefebvre, The Right to the City — In brief, the right to the city is the right to the production of a city. The labor of a worker is the source of most of the value of a commodity that is expropriated by the owner. The worker, therefore, has a right to benefit from that value denied to them. In the same way, the urban citizen produces and reproduces the city through their own daily actions. However, the the city is expropriated from the urbanite by the rich and the state. The right to the city is therefore the right to appropriate the city by and for those who make and remake it.
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I love this! There's a mall in my area that's on its last legs, and it has this huge sprawling parking lot that's never used. Also, unlike most malls, this one is connected to other parts of the community via a trail system. The unused space has so much potential to turn into a sprawling community hub, it just needs the chance to do so.
I wonder what the best methods of reclaiming this kind of space actually are. The video mentioned getting people to fundraise/buy the property together, but I wonder how many people you would need to raise that kind of money. I also wonder if any zoning laws might threaten these types of communities.
You can also make the case that not only is a dead mall a money pit, but parking lots are also a money pit! Having people living and doing business in that space generates much more decent property tax revenue, in addition to revitalizing the vibe of the neighborhood.
Honestly, it boils down to the municipal government backing these efforts. If they're onboard, they can send out RFPs to contractors, and reach out to investors to get the ball rolling.
You should look at the Eden project. they did something kind of similar. They had a shitty old kaolonite mine, and turned it into biodomes in 2001. Since then it's generated 1.1 B pounds (the currency) of revenue. It wasn't near anything either, which piggy backs onto my 'if you build it, they will come' comment below.