The public realm has to inform us not only where we are geographically, but it has to inform us where we are in our culture, where we’ve come from, what kind of people we are — and by doing that, it needs to afford us a glimpse of where we’re going in order to allow us to dwell in a hopeful present. 

Think about those young men and women in places like Iraq spilling their blood in the sand and ask yourself what is their last thought of home?  I hope it’s not the curb cut between the Chuck E. Cheese and the Target store. - James Howard Kunstler

The rush to convert Englewood into CondoBankMallville has stalled somewhat as the overheated market, over-leveraged developers and oversold taxpayers are cooling to the process.  Exacerbating the costs to residential taxpayers is the continuing granting of variances to projects that take properties off the tax rolls and the special deals given to politically-connected developers.

And what of the stewardship of keystone community assets?

One prominent leader objects to restoring the decimated Little League field at McKay Park while he led the Opening Day Parade to it.

I recommend that policymakers seek both to have non-residential property owners pay their fair share of taxes and  have the City invest in the stewardship of shared community assets.  While this may run counter to the goals of special interests, this is the kind of leadership that supports the common public interest. 

The one thing that market forces won't  change is the trend towards increasing energy costs and decreasing social capital.  Irreplaceable shared community assets like our trees, parks, playgrounds, historical and architecture assets, nature and performing arts centers will become even more important for Englewood in the future.  As a community of neighbors and citizens who live together, we ignore our responsibility to steward these shared assets at the peril of our quality of life.  Let me explain.

The era of open roads, convenient commutes and limitless carbon emissions is over. More and more, the most viable alternative is to stay local — for agriculture, work, recreation, education, health and professional services.

The era of diverse daily, local interactions of neighbors is almost gone. In Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital, Robert D. Putnam traces the continuing decline of civic interaction and "social capital." Americans are becoming increasingly multitasked, segmented and solipsistic, separately confronting our own challenges and seeking our own comforts.   Be it just bonding to Fox News or Comedy Central, the internet, iPod headphones or, perhaps eventually, "virtual reality helmets," Americans are increasingly chosing input to reinforce, not diversify, our individual politics, beliefs and interactions.  A city becomes a community of more than individuals by increasing its social capital.  This happens by working to expand and diversify our social, intellectual, informational and relational networks. The vitality of our public realm is key to making that happen.  It's where we find diverse opportunities to expand the reservoir of spirit, excitement and goodwill necessary for a city to thrive both socially and economically.

If our city is to be more than a site for sleeping, taxing and selling, it will require the stewardship of the "public realm."

What are some of Englewood's keystone public assets and what are the factors preventing their proper stewardship?  I will examine these in my next column.