Market Urbanism

Liberalizing cities | From the bottom up

“Market Urbanism” refers to the synthesis of classical liberal economics and ethics (market), with an appreciation of the urban way of life and its benefits to society (urbanism). We advocate for the emergence of bottom up solutions to urban issues, as opposed to ones imposed from the top down.

e. e. cummings the urbanist

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A post of Stephen’s from a year ago got a few hits today. I reread it and recalled a poem I studied in high school by e. e. cummings:

plato told 

him: he couldn't
believe it(jesus 

told him;he
wouldn't believe
it)lao 

tsze 

certainly told
him,and general
(yes 

mam)
sherman ;
and even
(believe it
or 

not) you 

told him:i told 

him;we told him 

(he didn't believe it,no 

sir) it took 

a nipponized bit of 

the old sixth 

avenue 

el;in the top of his head: to tell 

him

I actually have no idea what this poem is about, but I’m going to suggest that perhaps e. e. cummings did not support the destruction of New York’s private mass transit to meet government ends.

  • JJ

    the sixth ave el was demoed in 1939 and the scrap was allegedly sold to japan, where it might have been made into bullets. such a bullet could make its way into “the top of his head,” finally convincing the man, in his death, of what so many had tried before.

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