New York Times writer Nicolai
Ouroussoff, in a recently published article[i]
discusses the condition of America’s cities. He concludes with this
observation: “A half-century ago American engineering was the envy of the rest
of the world. Cities like New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans were considered
models for a brilliant new future. Europe, with its suffocating traditions and
historical baggage, was dismissed as a decadent, aging culture. It is no small
paradox that many people in the world now see us in similar terms.”
Washtenaw County does not need to suffocate in its
traditions, weighed down with the historical baggage of an automobile-obsessed
culture. But unless we wake up now and begin to transform ourselves, we may
well discover that we are trapped in an energy-poor world with few resources to
effect our transition to a desirable, sustainable, low-energy lifestyle.
–
Wake
up, Washtenaw! –
[i]
Nicoloai Ouroussoff, “Reinventing America’s Cities: The Time Is Now”. The
New York Times, March 25, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/arts/design/29ouro.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&emc=eta1