Who is checking into the Safe Streets 2012 Challenge?

The goal of this project is that, by mapping and reviewing the very widest range possible of concepts and techniques that are intended to improve safety in city streets, we will in time come up with a higher understanding of what are the best ways for public policy to support these goals.

The Safe Streets Challenge project was put on line just one week ago today. The site has thus far been visited by readers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, United Republic Of, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela. It’s an interesting beginning.

Man – > Technology – > Speed – > Distance – > Destruction of proximity

This out of control  bulimic spiral begins with man’s uncontrollable tool-making itch, and from thence ,and unknown to us at the time, to tools which take on transforming lives of their own – one of which in the domain of mobility being ever-increasing speed, which in turn leads to ever-increasing distances, and which finally and in largely unnoticed fatal tandem destroys the reality and oh-so important qualities of proximity and community.  That’s the deal and facing all this is the challenge of this collaborative project for 2012. What we thought was merely more convenient transportation, has snuck up on us and turned into very inconvenient and altogether unanticipated transformation.