{"id":1815,"date":"2020-06-07T21:50:19","date_gmt":"2020-06-07T21:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1815"},"modified":"2020-06-21T21:52:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-21T21:52:28","slug":"all-or-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1815","title":{"rendered":"All or Nothing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I biked to Troy again this weekend, the first ride of what I hope to be a weekly endeavor. The farmers\u2019 market is still occurring in Troy, though it is smaller, and it is maintaining social distance by including a waiting line (with 6\u2019 sections) and encouraging reservations. Local stores are open for curbside pickup, preferably by appointment. And restaurants and cafes will serve food to go. I suspect this is representative of what will be the new normal. Not normal, but not strange either.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1819\" style=\"width: 238px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1819\" class=\"wp-image-1819 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-768x1010.jpg 768w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-779x1024.jpg 779w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike.jpg 1558w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1819\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My bike, after the market, with Albany ahead.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On the trail, there<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>is an extensive amount of work being done maybe half-way between Albany and Watervliet, NY. It looks like they are adding an additional access point to the trail, and I cannot figure out if this is solely from the highway for construction, or part of a plan to provide access from a walking point from Menands or exactly what is going on. And some internet searching did not really help me learn more. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I had a mix of reactions. First was \u201cYay, another access point, now people won\u2019t feel they have to do the whole trail from Albany to Watervliet and then back. They can do a shorter bit.\u201d Second was \u201cThat\u2019s a ton of money, though. Who is this going to serve and shouldn\u2019t they spend some time making this trail a bit safer &#8211; there are so many root heaves.\u201d Third was \u201cWow, nonessential work. I bet this is going to take a long time.\u201d And then fourth was \u201cIs this really for bicyclists and walkers, or is this a car access for something, like fishing\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So many questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And then a reflection. The bike trail (Corning Trail, now part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdtcmpo.org\/mohhudns.pdf\">Hudson-Mohawk trail<\/a> system) was so controversial when first created. It defied the established separation of people from industrial river. Keeping people from rivers happened throughout New England from late 19th century to the 1970\u2019s. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Cities originally developed near rivers to benefit from water transport of goods, movement of people, water power for manufacturing, etc. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We then invested in rail and the best places to lay track were along wide, navigable rivers, where the grades tend to be manageable. These tracks separated us while they provided yet another way to move goods and people. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The final nail was struck through mass investment into the highway systems, which divorced us from rivers even for vacation travel. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Now many cities are reclaiming their rivers. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I won\u2019t say the Corning Trail was entirely successful at its start as it only had access points at each end of the first 6 or 7 mile stretch. But it did let us ride and walk alongside the river. It then grew into an opportunity for an outdoor, summer concert venue in Albany, and compelled the city to create a more centralized and celebrated access for pedestrians to get over the highway (curse the 787 connector between Albany and Troy) and the rail lines. There is now a very active boat launch near the Warehouse District and another boat put-in in South Troy, as well as marked bikeways to connect a stretch through Watervliet, into Troy, and then north and west through Cohoes to the Mohawk River. Even with the recent loss of the Barge, a very fun pub on a boat along the Hudson, the park is a valued and active resource for Albany. And it is always changing.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;All or nothing&#8221; is a farce.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is truly the point of this post. All or nothing is a farce. So many people know the famous quote \u201cIf you build it they will come.\u201d from \u201cField of Dreams\u201d. This is absolutely true! However, we have warped this a bit<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>in our heads with two false connotations. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">First, we think we have to built it perfectly well, right \u201coff the bat\u201d to nod to the baseball film. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Second, we think that \u201cthey\u201d will come immediately and forever, as if a switch was flipped and the tide gates opened to the flow of constant activity and appreciation. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Both of these assumptions are detrimental to our reclamation of the rivers that serve our communities. They force us to make complete decisions without input from the stakeholders, and they cause us to de-invest or shut things down before they have any hope of traction and success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1816 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams-300x205.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams-768x524.png 768w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams.png 807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Build it &#8211; make a start. Don\u2019t worry about perfection, focus on access. Make access possible and the people will inform you of what is needed, what is attractive, what will work in THAT community, at THAT level. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Take the approach of the college that built a quad area but did not provide sidewalks for the first year after student occupancy. The students walked the campus for awhile and the preferred paths became visible, and then it was easy to plan and build the sidewalks that would serve the students best. <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1818\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/coffee.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1818\" class=\"wp-image-1818 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/coffee-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/coffee-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/coffee-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1818\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Spillin&#8217; the Beans in Troy, NY<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Let the people, through their use, their activity, their responses, become advocates for the development. As people use the bike trail, they share the fun, they brag to friends, they, like me, maybe tell vendors in another city that they biked over to shop. When an opportunity is presented to add to the trail or to improve what is there, they will speak for it. The businesses will start to cater to those bicycle visitors. The word will spread, the investment will come, and the trail will be loved and nourished, and will in turn support our lives and activity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Yes, if you build it they will come. And understand this is best as an iterative process where the use of the trail, for example, informs the investment in the trail and its future use.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s a bit of co-creation, and understanding of the nested systems. How can we help the neighborhood and those who use the trail to \u201cgrow\u201d the trail the way that set serves them? How does the trail enhance the community it serves, the businesses it touches? The answers to both of these questions will strengthen the future of the trail itself. It is never \u201call or nothing\u201d, unless we succumb to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Learn and grow, 2bgreener,<\/p>\n<p>Jodi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I biked to Troy again this weekend, the first ride of what I hope to be a weekly endeavor. The farmers\u2019 market is still occurring [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,10,18,147,156],"tags":[21,53,25,37],"class_list":["post-1815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-critical-commentary","category-inspiration","category-is-it-sustainable","category-process","tag-change","tag-community","tag-planning","tag-risk"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field-of-dreams.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p40KlT-th","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1581,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1581","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":0},"title":"Revelations from Revolutions: a Bike Ride to Troy","author":"greenerjsa","date":"June 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"While on my bicycle, I learn about my community, local history, local foods and goods, and discover also a bit about myself. Care to join me?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4865.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2797,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2797","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":1},"title":"Part 1 &#8211; How Clean Can a Business Be? (S2C E11)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"March 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It was so fun to talk with Mark Harrison about Black Kettle Soap, Company, his family's craft-made soap and cleaning product business. Located in Troy, NY, this small-batch business wants to clean up how we clean up. It is a joy to talk with someone passionate about his business and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1640,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1640","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":2},"title":"Gentrification Improvement","author":"greenerjsa","date":"September 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What if \"gentrification\" did not have to be the dirty word it has become? What if the benefits of increased attraction and a rise in local property values could translate into a more robust, grounded community, still open to the diversity and the history that made it attractive in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"diversity\"","block_context":{"text":"diversity","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?tag=diversity"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_1444.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2799,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2799","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":3},"title":"Part 2 &#8211; The Soap Business and the Inspiration of Family (S2C E11)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"March 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It was so fun to talk with Mark Harrison about Black Kettle Soap, Company, his family's craft-made soap and cleaning product business. Located in Troy, NY, this small-batch business was inspired by the needs of his family, and met by the skills of his wife, Erica. We were so intrigued\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1750,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1750","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":4},"title":"Mixed Signals: the Evolution of Confusing City Mobility","author":"greenerjsa","date":"March 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am going to wax nostalgic for a minute over an existence I am too young to know: the small town, with a town center, full of thriving stores. A place where everyone can and does walk to the store, the post office, the library, or to classes in knitting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=128"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-14-at-2.08.24-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-14-at-2.08.24-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-14-at-2.08.24-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-14-at-2.08.24-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-14-at-2.08.24-PM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1598,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1598","url_meta":{"origin":1815,"position":5},"title":"THAT was an Adventure&#8230;","author":"greenerjsa","date":"June 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There are three expressions that come to mind that can each be taken as either exceptionally positive, or dourly and cynically negative. One is, \u201cWell, you learned something from that.\u201d The classic, of course, is the curse \u201cMay you live in interesting times\u201d. And then there is the badge worn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/81981D7F-73B9-475B-BDB1-CCF96A44BA2B.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1829,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions\/1829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}