Fix-It in the Avenues
I was biking on East 10th Avenue the other day when I came across the scene depicted in the photo above. I opened the cupboard door to find bike tube patches, a pump, and other items that one would find helpful in changing a flat.
When folks are willing to set aside a piece of their front yard for the benefit of strangers, you know you have found a great place to live.
It gets the wheels turning about what I would like to do in front of my house.
It also reminded me of some residential intersections in Portland, Oregon, where community members have voluntarily contributed corners of their lots for the benefit of the neighborhood, building cob benches, tea tables, or inviting folks to borrow a book or share a drawing on a chalkboard.
Efforts such as these are sponsored by City Repair Project:
"City Repair was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1996 by citizen activists who wanted a more community-oriented and ecologically sustainable society. Born out of a successful grassroots neighborhood initiative that converted a residential street intersection into a neighborhood public square, City Repair began its work with the idea that localization (of culture, of economy, of decision-making) is a necessary foundation of sustainability. By reclaiming urban spaces to create community-oriented places, we plant the seeds for greater neighborhood communication, empower our communities and nurture our local culture."
Here are some photos that I took in 2006 of examples of their projects:
Tea kiosk. Notice the colorful street as well.
Information kiosk and chalkboard for public art.
Cob bench