Re: The Emerging M-P Future

["JS M" <jbiggs50@hotmail.com>]

Re: Inland Northwest Growth

You wrote:
>
It's time that those who
>prefer the quality of community life we now enjoy to make inquiries of
>our elected and appointed officials, and of civic bodies like the
>Chambers of Commerce, to report on records of all communications that
>relate to future political and economic designs in the Spokane planners'
>proceedings.

Great idea.  Community planning should be a participartory exercise.  Often, 
it's not, what with the professionalization of civic planning and the use of 
appointed committees.  This form (vision2020) is an exellent way to reclaim 
civic input.  However, you also wrote:

>      2) "invasions" of mega-retailers a la Walmart and more eatery chains
>on a scale that reduces home-owned enterprises to small niches in the
>market place, or to extinction. Some of this is already taking place.

Here's an ugly rumour:  The big-box store at the north end of town (in the 
new subdivision) is going to be a Home Depot.  A Home Depot across the 
street from an existing, locally owned hardware/lumber yard.  My neighbors' 
reaction to this?  "GREAT!  I love Home Depot".  If you want to protect 
quality of life and have partipatory planning, you have to somehow convince 
people that there is a negative side to consumerism and instant 
gratification.  That's a tall order, here in TVNation.
jm

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com