Democracy of Public Space – Sidewalk Ballet

The American Constitution begins with “We the People.” The rest of the American story is, in many ways, the unfolding of who becomes “We.”

The Democracy of Public Space – Part One: Do We Mean It? traces the evolution of the National Mall from an unfinished vision into one of the world’s great civic stages, culminating in Marian Anderson’s historic 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

This is the story of an unfinished vision, a civic stage, and the generations of people who continue the work of becoming “We.”

“The ballet of the good city sidewalk never repeats itself from place to place, and in any one place is always replete with new improvisations.”

— Jane Jacobs

Listen to the podcast here.

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