Article in The Guardian, words and great photos by Gabrielle Canon, Tuesday May 11, 2021
Homeless Oaklanders were tired of the housing crisis. So they built a “miracle” village.
Tucked under a highway overpass in West Oakland, just beyond a graveyard of charred cars and dumped debris, lies an unexpected refuge.
There’s a collection of beautiful, small structures built from foraged materials. There’s a hot shower, a fully stocked kitchen and health clinic. There’s a free “store” offering donated items including clothes and books, and a composting toilet. There are stone and gravel paths lined with flowers and vegetable gardens. There’s even an outdoor pizza oven.
The so-called ‘Cob on Wood’ center has arisen in recent months to provide amenities for those living in a nearby homeless encampment, one of the largest in the city. But most importantly, it’s fostering a sense of community and dignity, according to the unhoused and housed residents who came together to build it. They hope their innovative approach will lead to big changes in how the city addresses its growing homeless population.…
Now, roughly five months since they broke ground, a community has coalesced around the space that not only hosts events and workshops but also offers food, hygiene, and skill-sharing to the estimated 300 people who live in nearby encampments.
‘It is working,’ Schusterman says, smiling broadly. ‘This is the vision we had and it is working like a miracle.’
(I’m not showing photos due to copyright considerations.)
From Maui Surfer
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There are several blocks in San Francisco, around 36th Ave. and Lawton, that are distinctly different from the other mostly unimaginative side-by-side houses on the Sunset district.
Funny, I grew up in SF, never really noticed how unique these were until the other day.
Trouble Coffee wasn’t open, so I cruised around the area for a while.
Strip malls are dying, largely due to online sales and, most recently, the Covid crisis. Architect Peter Calthorpe proposes redeveloping this land to provide housing. For example, the roughly 40-mile strip called El Camino Real between San Francisco and San Jose, California — which includes Silicon valley — could be utilized to provide housing in one of the highest-rent areas of the world. Here is Peter’s proposal:
To Solve California’s Housing Crisis, Reinvent the Strip (PDF)
Before
After
The real thing for seafood lovers.
Sheet of craft paper for tablecloth. After you make a big mess cracking the crab, they roll it up and remove. These are blue crabs, steamed, not boiled. Delicious.
This was a coal-fired power plant, closed down in 1973. Note the cooling towers, shown in the bottom 2 photos.
Yes it’s me and I’m in love again.* With Baltimore.
I suspected I’d like it (my first visit), but man, what a city! From the moment I got here, it’s been one wonderful experience after another.
My first impression was that there’s space. Streets are wide. There’s light from the surrounding water. It’s not as cold as I thought it would be. Compared to Minneapolis, where, when you go outside, it’s as if you’re being assaulted by the cold.
The people are great. Just about everyone. I think the physical aspects of a town affect the inhabitants, and here, the wide streets, the old brick buildings, the harbor, the neighborhoods, the Feng-Shui of the city all make people by and large feel good and project good vibes. Every Baltimorean I’ve talked to loves their town. Many (maybe 50% of ones I’ve talked to) are native-born.
My angels, from Publishers Group West, Elise and Kim
I came here to promote my new homestead book and Thursday night, signed about 100 copies for booksellers from across the country. What a bunch of great people!
Publication date is March 3. You can pre-order at: www.shelterpub.com/building/halfacrehomestead
*When I was 18, I heard this song, by Fats Domino, and it changed my life.
Shot in May, 2016
Sunny day last Tuesday. Water in cove (for swimming) was 63 degrees.
