A movement that begins now

I was inspired by the president of d.'s speech on September 22, Car Free Day. He asked us to envision D.C. a mere 15 to 20 years from now with more greenspaces, larger community parks, more walking-only streets and bike-only access. My mind began to wander to the idea of having more of D.C.'s beautiful oaks stretching over boulevards that shade a bustle of walking locals below. So, thinking forward to 2210 my mental vision begins to fail me. The picture of D.C. in 200 years will depend on the upcoming choices that our generation and those after us make about this city, but also the decisions of our local, national, and international neighbors. D.C. cannot move to 2210 on its own, but only as a piece of the global ecological puzzle.

So, where does that leave us? If I entertain my preferred vision of D.C. 200 years down the road then I begin with my original vision of D.C. in 2030. This vision requires a decided switch to favor foot and bike traffic, to run more efficient and energy-lite public transport and to reduce our overall dependence on fossil fuels. This, combined with a national and international reduction of energy use, over-haul of our food system, and redefined housing demands could lead to a beautiful union of urban-nature living in our 10-mile square.

Housing would need to be smaller and more energy efficient, using recycled materials and offering shared community space. Think apartments with shared green-roofing and atrium gardening that work together to filter air and water for the building. Solar panels would provide electricity, possibly along with children's playground equipment and sports equipment that generate electricity. No more yards, no more pools, no more un-used space. Food would be produced in urban gardening areas and food production would be done by residents who would be given the time to produce their food around their work schedule and personal pursuits. This would be expected and everyone would have to do this as an integral part of their social life and responsibilities.

Energy might by produced by an algae that eats methane and expel ethanol alcohol that burns as fuel. Perhaps all long-distance travel in the region would be done by speed rail trains. Suburban sprawl will have been scaled back and this move to urban environments will encourage smaller families.

The scary doppleganger version of this if we continue on our current route might resemble a dis-topian capitalist burn-out. I imagine a depressed human population that is forced to go to war over food and water once the legal system and governments can no longer mitigate the shortages. The District would be subsumed into the surrounding locale once the governemnt lost credibility and could no longer garauntee food. People would begin to migrate out of urban areas to attempt to till the already stripped soil. This mass starvation and movement would decrease the population but increase environmental harm as urban populations evacuated and preyed upon the land like locusts. There is a powerful truth Americans learned in the 1920s crash that we seem to have forgotten the lesson of today, but the market cannot feed people. It can move money and create money out of nothing, but it cannot feed people or give them water. Once the "owners" of these resources are discovered to be in fewer numbers than the starving masses than their property rights and stocks won't mean much.

I don't think we will get there. I can't think that we will get there because I have too much faith in human ingenuity and self-preservation instincts.