A little more P-related: a lifetime of active self-organizing anarchism

[David Morris]

On Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 3:26 AM, Michael Bailey
<michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:
> Now, David, as to autocrats being more effective at city planning...

[...] I neber sayd dat.

> I think what you mean is that under an autocratic regime, planners can dispense with worrying about any impediments to their activity.

Yes, that's what I meant.  Understand I am an architect with a
specialty in urban design.  I live in the French Quarter of New
Orleans, a city designed from scratch back in 1718.  It is shaped like
one half a square with its ideal center placed on a very prominent
bend of the Mississippi River where the river runs closest to Lake
Pontchartrain.  In other words, at the strategic highest ground of a
river's mouth, a river fed by a huge portion (back the all) of the
land which is now USA.

And this French Quarter is the ideal model for what's now called New
Urbanism.  We survived modern American urbanism because we were too
poor then for anyone but junkies and hookers.  Don't mistake the
French Quarter with Mardi Gras & Bourbon Street.  It is that but much
more.  It is the model for what was called "defensible space" back in
the 70's, which is the foundation of what is now New Urbanism.
Neighborhoods don't get more friendly than this, and most of the city
here followed the model of the French Quarter, until everyone got
smarter in the 50's.

New Cities envy us, and we are the product of monarchical-imperialism.
 And (Trivia Question!) do you remember the name of the Republican
senator that post-Katrina said that New Orleans should be bulldozed?

David Morris

> That presumes that a person or group is able to come up with a plan so good that it overrides objections and what used to be called "rights". Very close to what the Supreme Court decided about eminent domain...