A few weeks back, we wrote about the Better Block Project in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, where residents pioneered a guerrilla street improvement action. They showed just how easy it can be to take a traffic sewer lined with empty storefronts and transform it into a vibrant, walkable, commercially viable space.
Now the Better Block Project has its own website to help spread the word, and it features this video (above) that shows the very awesome Jason Roberts, the originator of the concept, explaining how it works.
It also has a video (below) about a Better Block inspired event in Oyster Bay, N.Y., in which Long Island’s own Billy Joel — yes, that Billy Joel — talks about what needs to happen to the place. “This town needs a kick in the butt,” he says. Think of Better Block as that well-placed kick.
Get Off Your Ass Alert: Want to make a Better Block in your community? There’s a great step-by-step guide here. Now, it’s on you. In the words of Better Block’s Jason Roberts, “People ask me all the time, how do you get all these things done. And what I tell them every time is that you just have to show up … You have to be present in your community and be willing to roll up your sleeves and do some work.” Like the man said.
