Last week a tent full of coastal Mississippi politicians and insider businessmen received praise from President Bush for their "Can Do" attitude. "Do What?" is the question we should ask as we struggle to re-create our coast. To influence this answer, we must push our way into this tent now, for it will be too late before you know it.
We need people power now more than ever. Imagine if just one of those commonly-disparaged "Tree Huggers" had stalled the trackhoes' work long enough to protect the centuries-old live oaks along the Coast's federally designated scenic highway. People on the coast, if you see someone attacking another coast icon, drop your rake and STOP IT. If you ain't a tree hugger after what MDOT did, then pack up and leave - you don't deserve to live here.
Imagine if instead of having to fight over now-proven bad ideas, like dockside casinos, rows of beachfront condos, sprawl-inducing development that brings traffic to a crawl, wetlands destruction in flood-prone areas, inadequate drainage, improper storage or disposal of toxic materials in vulnerable sites, we worked together towards more intelligent, livable conditions for this area. Imagine instead if our governments paused for a few hours and actually embraced sustainable development as an ideal.
What would be the signs of it? Speed is not of the essence, even when it comes to debris removal, as the MDOT Memorial Live Oak Grove bitterly reminds us. We are kidding ourselves if we suppose that nothing else is going on right now that is equally as preventable as it is horrible. So it might be a good sign if we saw some inefficiency and delay in the reconstruction process. It would take time to learn from the mistakes of past development decisions, think through the solutions and get the best fit for the affected communities. One size will not fit all. But if the outcome produces a safer community, it would be worth the time "wasted."
Another sign would be indications that people actually were reading and understanding the volumes already written about how development affects our communities and how we can do it in a way that creates integrated, self-sustaining, human-friendly businesses and neighborhoods. Take the time to read Jane Jacobs, Paul Hawken, Ray Anderson, and others. Take the time to read the Coastal Environmental Impact Statement, especially the high-growth projections, because our reconstruction is going to light a fire under this area. Make sure our towns and neighborhoods have centers and that those centers are organically and economicially alive.
Another sign would be a wide-open power structure, with membership from communities and neighborhoods lost in the rampant annexation and homogenization of our rich coastal history. Point Cadet, Henderson Point, Mississippi City, Soria City, Handsboro, Turkey Creek. We are a Congressionally designated National Heritage area, so let's act like one. Each of our communities has the seed of originality, distinctiveness, and history that are the keys to a vibrantly re-created coastal Mississippi.
For this to happen, we cannot wait for an invitation. We need to charge into that tent.