You know the feeling you got when your Dad patted you on the head and said good job? We are feeling that today with this blog post from PPS. The article hints that the pendulum of transportation design is swinging toward community design. This pendulum throughout history has swung back and forth as noted by the author Jurgen Habermas in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. He notes that the last swing, which we are emerging from now, has allowed the powers of bureaucracies and corporations to wax.
This wax in power allowed for the transformation of our streets and squares from public space to arterials and parking lots. As community power wanes, Better Block demonstrations are a positive means to return streetspace and car dominated areas to people spaces. The temporary nature of Better Block releases the pressure of transportation agency staff to keep the status quo, reduces the inherent fear of change of individuals and demonstrates the economic opportunities to business owners and corporations. Get your paint brushes ready!