Jay Walljasper reflects on the historical meaning of American independence, and how today's meaning is leading people away from working towards the common good.
"One of the things that most baffles me about America (and I have lived in the middle of it my whole life) is how the word 'independence' is so narrowly defined.
People's economic well-being can be held hostage by oil companies, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, HMOs, and other powerful multinational corporations, yet in political debates independence generally mean just one thing: the absence of government regulation, or any kind of joint citizen effort.
I was reminded of this by a headline in the New York Times citing the 'independent streak' of Houston residents for the city's miserably low recycling rate: 2.6 percent, worst in the country, four times less than some others at the bottom of the list like Dallas and Detroit."
FULL STORY: Would Thomas Jefferson Refuse to Recycle?
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Millions in Cleanup Funds Granted to Delaware Watershed
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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