Loving cities in a broken world
We’re all tired. I know I am.
The war in Iran eclipsed the suffering in Gaza. The wars in Ukraine, Myanmar, Congo, and Sudan barely register in the news. The climate emergency, and the housing and healthcare crises, grind on. Democracy teeters in some of the world’s largest countries. Many of us feel defeated—even as we know we need to do more.
For years, I’ve worn the mantle of cheerleader for urban planning best practices. I’ve believed that being urban curious is the first step toward caring for our cities: nurturing what makes them greener, and thinking seriously about how to improve them.
Too few people realize that cities are inherently green in one crucial sense: density lowers carbon footprints per person.
Loving the world means loving cities.
Yes, humans need more chances to love nature, and to protect what wild places remain. But we can also design cities better—to bring nature into urban life, and leave wild places wild.
We need more than outrage. We need examples. We need hope.
Researchers at Yale University and the Canadian Climate Institute have found that one of the strongest predictors of climate action is talking about climate solutions. Solutions journalism is a force to be reckoned with—or could be. I love my Reasons to be Cheerful newsletter, whose byline is “stories of solving.” That kind of thing keeps me going.
All I’ve ever wanted to do with my life is find solutions, and tell stories about people finding them.
There is a haiku by Cecilia Gruber that is beautiful in its simplicity:
We give from our hearts
Grateful to share and receive
Hope blooms from kindness
I’ve seen hope bloom from kindness. It also blooms from asking questions and finding solutions.
Edward Everett Hale once said: “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something.”
Writing this Urban Curious blog, in a world gone mad, is the thing I can do today—and so I will.
Perhaps the thing you can do today is different. But do it—and you will give me hope.
