The Fall of the Glorious Republic (and possibly...its rebirth)
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- jh64487
- added this
Many on Current have been saying it for years now, but now they are reporting on the actual physical degradation that is taking place in our capital. But at least people are finally waking up and doing what it takes to correct the problem, both with the government and it's home.
"Crumbling sidewalks, dead grass and water dirty enough to kill animals: it's a sorry state of affairs, prompting a growing number of activists to proclaim America's "front yard" a national disgrace and to launch a series of plans aimed at the most sweeping revitalization of the area in more than a century.
The 200-year-old national park's age spots are readily evident. A sea wall propping up the area by the Jefferson Memorial is slowly sinking into the tidal basin; flooded and cracked walkways are cordoned off. Maps are hard to find and outdated, omitting the Franklin Roosevelt and Korean War memorials, which have been in place for more than a decade. Throughout the 1,000-acre Mall, the footprints of 25 million yearly visitors have worn bare patches in the turf where grass no longer grows. Food, water and bathrooms are scarce, as are parking, public transportation and shady places to sit.
"People think of the Mall as this great inspiring landscape, which it is, but up close it's clear that as a nation we're not giving it the attention it needs," says Judy Feldman, head of the National Coalition to Save the Mall, an eight-year-old advocacy group pressing for long-term revitalization of the Mall and its surroundings. "I just got back from a trip to Europe, where historical places are preserved as vibrant, living spaces. To come back to see this, the condition of the Mall is an embarrassment."
"Crumbling sidewalks, dead grass and water dirty enough to kill animals: it's a sorry state of affairs, prompting a growing number of activists to proclaim America's "front yard" a national disgrace and to launch a series of plans aimed at the most sweeping revitalization of the area in more than a century.
The 200-year-old national park's age spots are readily evident. A sea wall propping up the area by the Jefferson Memorial is slowly sinking into the tidal basin; flooded and cracked walkways are cordoned off. Maps are hard to find and outdated, omitting the Franklin Roosevelt and Korean War memorials, which have been in place for more than a decade. Throughout the 1,000-acre Mall, the footprints of 25 million yearly visitors have worn bare patches in the turf where grass no longer grows. Food, water and bathrooms are scarce, as are parking, public transportation and shady places to sit.
"People think of the Mall as this great inspiring landscape, which it is, but up close it's clear that as a nation we're not giving it the attention it needs," says Judy Feldman, head of the National Coalition to Save the Mall, an eight-year-old advocacy group pressing for long-term revitalization of the Mall and its surroundings. "I just got back from a trip to Europe, where historical places are preserved as vibrant, living spaces. To come back to see this, the condition of the Mall is an embarrassment."
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- tags:
- National Monuments
