A couple years ago, a friend told me he was studying Landscape Architecture.
"What's that?" I asked.  I thought architecture meant buildings, and landscape referred to lawns and bushes.
         I got a little smarter that evening.  My friend was exploring different possibilities for the physical layout of human communities, and considering the effects of these arrangements on the people who live within them.  The interesting question is:  how can we set up a town which will facilitate an experience of community?  A sense of belonging, of shared identity?  Healthy lifestyles?  Personal safety?  A friendly, cheerful, creative atmosphere?
         Many older people I talk with reflect on World War II with great nostalgia.  It was a brutal, horribly violent war, as "Saving Private Ryan" depicts.  But this powerful movie also shows how people were unified in a common goal and a deep sense of purpose.  Everyone "pulled together" and many now look back on the war as the best years in their lives.
         Where is the shared purpose today?  It seems that there's more driving us apart than there is pulling us together, and the horrendous architecture of our landscapes has alot to do with it.
         I cringe as I watch the "development" of McKinleyville.  In the last 3 years, we've been graced with the arrival of Denny's, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Kentucky Fried, and K-Mart--all within just a few blocks.  I must admit spending money at K-Mart--it's cheaper, but I suspect the profits leave our area.  However, I never patronize these "restaurants."  Fast food means fast heart attacks.  Perhaps even more importantly, the very idea of "fast food" contradicts an important aspect of community:  eating should be a time to slow down, give thanks, and share the gift of life with friends, family, or co-workers.  It's much healthier to chew our food thoroughly; this takes time.
         Along with these junk-food establishments, we are witnessing the spread of car-centered suburban tract-house development.  It's already been done, and it's easy to see the results--just go to Los Angeles.
         Suburban-style developments and the resulting overdependence on cars isolate people.  Backyards are nice, but--unlike city parks--we aren't likely to meet and share ideas with neighbors and other townspeople there.  Also in our living rooms we are often cut off from others, but this isolation is partially relieved by the television, whose messages (both ads and programming) are brought to us by the same folks who give us the Big Mac.  The constant message is that possessing and consuming more will bring us fulfillment.  While we all know this isn't true, we kind of believe it anyway--so we get in our cars (it's too far to walk) and head out to shop.  While we're in our cars, it's unlikely we'll see our friends and acquaintances, whereas this happens easily while walking, bicycling, or using public transportation.
         When I lived in San Francisco, I walked alot (walking is the best all-around
exercise) and rode the bus.  I frequently ran into people I knew in neighborhoods filled with small and diverse shops, on the bus, and in Golden Gate Park or other parks.  Most bus lines go through varied neighborhoods where you see and meet all kinds of people; this increased my tolerance and understanding.  In LA on the other hand, I drove from one middle class suburb to another, speeding (or creeping) on freeways slicing through Watts or East LA, never seeing these places or their people--who thus remained foreign, alien, "the other."
         I've lived in Blue Lake now since 1993.  We bought a house last year; we're
getting to know our neighbors.  I went to a "visioning" meeting the other day, where residents planned directions they hope to see the town move in.  Consultants are
discussing things like "Traditional Neighborhood Design," where small pockets of
commerce are intermingled with residential areas, facilitating walking and locally owned businesses.  This is very inspiring, and is helping to draw me out of my own isolation.
         For groceries, I love shopping at the Arcata Co-op--I get wonderful local produce, and always see people I know there.  I leave feeling like I'm really a part of something, instead of just a nameless "consumer."
         McKinleyville is not Arcata or Blue Lake, and this is correct--it needs its own
identity, its own sense of community.  Becoming another mass-produced,
car/asphalt/tract-house oriented place slapped together for the quick buck will not help us find this unique personality.  Instead, we should think about our Landscape Architecture:  are we encouraging people to walk?  To know their neighbors?  To get out to local parks?  To take part in community activities?  Are we encouraging locally owned, unique businesses reflecting local values?
         There is much to work with here:  stunningly beautiful surroundings, the
Hammond Trail, Azalea Hall, the new library, Pierson Park and the Activity Center, a nice walking path along Central Avenue, a great local paper, a nice little airport, and a big totem pole.  Above all--lots of friendly, intelligent people.
         I don't have any answers, but I'm certain that increased public discussion about values and how McKinleyville is developing can only be for the best.
 
 

         The "Communities" page within the website of The Center for a New American Dream is a good place to find out more.  Also, you can click back to their "main menu" and study many related issues.
         The Northcoast Co-op (Arcata & Eureka) has a good website.
         The Cascadia Planet website has many fine articles.  Click on "Rebuilding Cities" for material related to community development.