Main Street and Wall Street
Catchy sound bites about Main Street verses Wall Street are subtly, but neatly, wrapped in manipulative rhetoric. After driving through a number of main streets across the country, I’ve come to the understanding that they’re not dying, they’re dead.
The revitalization of our cities, towns and villages would take a change of mindsets and habits no politician could accomplish.
Our consideration for space and place has dissolved into a hapless disregard for all things sacred. The natural world, community, craftsmanship, and basic use of the human body are all lined up for future exhibition at the Smithsonian.
But there is hope. There is an alternative. I’ve seen it in places like Burlington, Vt., and Charlottesville, Va. The downtown areas are alive. People are walking through the streets, eating at cafes, and enjoying life and the company of their neighbors. People come from around the country to go to towns like this, not for all the box stores their own comfortable towns have, but because of something unique. The towns are truly alive.
Who loses when a downtown becomes vibrant again?