"Home of the brave" should mean doing new things, right?

 Retro-Fitting Suburbia calls out a case from my neighboring Atlantan suburb of Woodstock, Georgia. The case of abandoned suburb Super K-Mart that was converted to a Mega-Church - the same mega-church that my cousins go to - the same mega-church whose parking lot hosts an annual Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza that's the biggest in town. 

I couldn't come up with a more American sentence if I tried, just don't ask me why City of Woodstock chooses to hold their annual fireworks show in a parking lot instead of over their quaint downtown.

 Anecdote aside, Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson are essential writers for architecture students to learn from, as they clearly connect how architectural improvements - such as converting an empty strip-mall to new functions - can begin to improve urban conditions. Their argument for an incremental urbanism, that reframes the "Instant City" approach, is a compelling argument to give architects a sense of reference in defining their practical values.

"While it is fair to fault instant cities when their replication of incremental urbanism is unsatisfying, the more relevant issue today is how well each contributes to retrofitting the larger systems of sprawl."

Once you get through the weeds of all the City Planning jargon, it starts to click that architects and planners should be fighting the same fight for cities that are more accessible, equitable, and diverse. These readings are in a bit more optimistic tone that make it feel like our little line drawings can pile up to eventually make a difference.