Introducing "Rules for Radical Urbanists"
This book will teach those that Have-Not-Good-Urbanism how to Have-Good-Urbanism.
Amazon and your local bookstore (if you still have such a thing) are full of material written for readers who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to teach the Haves how to hold power. Saul Alinsky wrote Rules for Radicals to teach the Have-Nots how to take power away from the Haves. I figured it was time for me to write Rules for Radical Urbanists to teach those that Have-Not-Good-Urbanism how to Have-Good-Urbanism.
Land use and transportation policies have created a baseline of car dependency, a lack of affordable housing, physical health crises, and mental health crises. If you’ve read more than a couple articles on Urbanism Speakeasy, you know the built environment did not expand organically across creation. Unhealthy infrastructure is not something we have to be stuck with as a tradeoff of modern life.
I don’t believe city planners and traffic engineers are trying to set themselves up as elites to rule over the population. But that’s effectively what’s happened. The rules for what you can and can’t do with your property, where you can and can’t live, and how you can and can’t move around are put in the hands of a few.
Selling fresh milk to a neighbor, illegal.
Crossing a street midblock, illegal.
Operating a bookstore in your garage, illegal.
Letting your child walk alone to the playground, illegal.
Converting a mansion to a fourplex, illegal.
Riding a bicycle contraflow on a quiet one-way street, illegal.
Widen a dangerous intersection so it becomes even more dangerous, legal and required.
Change the world from what it is to what you believe it should be.
Saul Alinsky remains a polarizing figure in the history of activism. When I was in college in the 90s, I was shopping for a civil engineering degree so I knew nothing about him or other provocative figures in city planning. But I love stories about social radicals, so I read his work while studying for the professional planning certification test several years later. Although he was an outspoken socialist, much of Alinsky’s work can and should be appreciated by change-makers of any political persuasion.
Even though Alinsky popped up in one question on my AICP exam, I’m not sure most planners are familiar with his work, let alone people outside the planning industry.
The 13 rules for radicals are:
Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.
Never go outside the expertise of your people.
Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy.
Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.
Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.
A good tactic is one your people enjoy.
A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
Keep the pressure on.
The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.
If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside.
The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.
Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
Build a strong base.
Alinsky emphasizes the importance of community organizing and building a strong base of support. He insisted a radical should nurture meaningful relationships with community members and actively engage them in the planning process. This involves identifying leaders and working with them to understand their concerns and aspirations for their neighborhood. Think like an insider.
Stick to the script.
Alinsky stresses identifying clear goals and objectives. Even if a later outcome was a chaotic crowd marching in the streets, he was intent on crafting a clear and concise message that resonates with the community's values and priorities. Radicals needed a north star so they’d stick to the script rather than getting flustered by opponents.
Be a relentless foe.
Alinsky encourages the use of creative and sometimes outrageous tactics to achieve your goals. He was very much a “ends justifies the means” type of person. He was very aware that humor and satire draw attention and generate headlines. He was willing to take risks and be persistent in the face of obstacles.
Find and recruit allied groups.
Finally, Alinsky gave some ideas for amplifying a radical’s message. He wrote about building alliances with other groups and organizations, particularly those with business and political clout. An allied group doesn’t need to share your particular organization's focus, they just need to be aligned with one or more of your goals.
Propagandart to make happy, healthy places.
I often describe urbanism memes as propagandart to save the human race. I’m not here to make you comfortable with the p-word, but I hope you at least recognize its power. I highly recommend reading Rules for Radicals, even if Alinsky’s politics offends you. There’s much to be learned and applied from his work, because he had a strong understanding of psychology and persuasion.
Hopefully by the time you’re done reading his book, you’ll be ready for mine. Rules for Radical Urbanists is coming soon.