It’s amazing what some people feel free to write hidden by the cloak of anonymity behind a computer screen. I’ve tiptoed into this medium with an amount of trepidation. It can be a mean world out there in the blogosphere. If you are from Worcester, you know exactly what I’m talking about! What I’ve come to observe is this: the more polarizing statements and hurling invective thrown out there, the more attention and traffic to your cause.
Jane Jacobs in the Woo adheres to the practice of "right speech."
So, here are some questions: Could real kindness draw a growing audience? And can we disagree with our fellow Worcester neighbors and still be present in respectful conversation and debate? Jane Jacobs in the Woo is pointing out the mistakes in Worcester’s urban development agenda for the past fifty years but she will never yell or denigrate. Indeed, there may be two competing paradigms for what makes a thriving Worcester. Even though we may have different methods and visions, we can all come together on the same goal. We all want Worcester to be a vibrant, healthy and active community.
Jane Jacobs in the Woo will soon be releasing a graded report card on Worcester’s publicly funded urban development projects, past and present. Spoiler alert: this is not a report card your parents would be pleased to see! Some people and organizations may get defensive. Let’s make this clear: Jane Jacobs in the Woo does not take this action to be polarizing and mean. This blog is an opportunity to look at our urban landscape with new eyes so that we can work together to do it a bit differently or at least have a better understanding of the past mistakes. Jane Jacobs in the Woo writes with a spirit of kindness, offering the jewels of constructive critique. These are not the first punches in a fight, but the first attempts to initiate a deeper dialogue so we can go forward together.