Ben Brown on placemaking implications of today's politics

"You know things are getting dicey when the outgoing president of the United States feels obliged to remind us there’s still hope for American democracy at about the same time the incomer is on Twitter alleging (again) that America’s democratic institutions are plotting against him."
"So just another day in the news. This one, Tuesday, January 10. President Obama was on stage in Chicago exhuming the 'yes we can' spirit. President Elect Donald Trump was at his favorite online podium calling allegations that the Russians are blackmailing him a 'witch hunt,' a conspiracy of government intelligent agencies and the mainstream media to undermine him."
For supporters of both Trump and Obama, "The difference in perspectives is the conviction that the other guys are the ones trapped in a bubble."
Brown has interesting perspective for what the decisive politics means for urban planners.
FULL STORY: Bubble Burst Strategy No. 1: Do something. Now.

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