Change as cooperative evolution

Intricate ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay Estuary or the Great Maya Reef, offer an opportunity for people to become aware of the importance of the interdependent functional and ecological roles that provide social security to a community.  One can gain insight into the complex web of interactions that structure human life by looking at […]

Transforming the urban ecosystem

Is urban ecology an oxymoron? Not at all. The sooner we recognize that cities, people, and nature are inextricably linked, the better off we will all be. In order to broaden our focus from fixing what’s broken, we can treat this city as a design problem, as a system of interrelated parts, and begin to […]

Make things work NOW

We have to rethink the entire way to we fight crime and deal with our criminal justice system in our city.  We can’t do anything locally about stopping the war on drugs or ending poverty in America.  But we can reform local systems in our control to change people’s lives, build safe communities and make […]

Invite the neighbors to turn the town around

It is no secret that Baltimore has more than its share of serious social and economic problems—ask anyone who lives here what’s wrong with this city and you’re sure to hear a litany of ills from violence in the streets, rampant drug addiction and HIV infection rates, unacceptably high numbers of children dropping out of […]

Imagining a safe passage

I propose a simple, but powerful, way for Baltimoreans to support the city’s youth and schools.  It won’t cost a lot of money, or take a lot of time. It doesn’t require the overhaul of a bureaucracy.  But it would help kids get safely to the safest place for them in the city: their school. […]

The city and the neighborhood as school

In light of the recent court decision about charter school funding, the old dichotomy about charter schools versus “traditional” public schools comes alive. The dichotomy is false. Charter schools can be neighborhood schools, if the outreach is to a neighborhood and a community. And traditional neighborhood schools can be like charters, if we trust them […]