Living in Bryker Woods

A lot of Austinites like to talk about the good ol' days. I am not a fan of such rampant nostalgia, but I will say one thing that I miss about Austin: kids on bicycles. When I was in my later years of elementary school (yes, assume 4th-6th grade), I was an avid bike rider. I would ride to friends' houses when I could, my friends and I would ride as the school on the black top, my sister and I would ride to what was recently Lucky's but what was then 7-11. Friends and I used to play at the school, and I remember being particularly proud of myself for babysitting and getting the money I needed to pay for clothes at summer camp.

One time that shaped my opinion of a healthy neighborhood was when I decided that riding my bike with my eyes closed was a good idea. Well, of course it's not, but to a six-year-old, the idea is absolutely brilliant. So there I was, in my school's back parking lot, showing how well I could ride, and I promptly fell over and hurt my right hand. If you see me, ask me about my crescent shaped scar on my left hand. My hand was bleeding, I was crying, and I was scared because I was three blocks away from home. There were two landscapers at the school who noticed me crying, and without being asked by anyone (for it was only three of us), they helped me into the back of their truck, put up my bike, and drove me to my house. My parents were very grateful, and I learned that riding my bike with my eyes closed equals stitches.

I don't see this attitude in Austin anymore. Not only do I not see kids riding their bikes (and determining their independence), but I don't see this attempt to reach out to one's neighbors like they did 20 years ago. There is a real feeling that there are people who "understand" Austin, but don't understand that everyone's needs matter. Many of these people feel that Austin is being "infiltrated," as if human beings don't belong with other human beings. I wonder if these people would help a child if its parents lived in a condo and supported a streetcar system.

The reason I support density is that it supports an attitude of Austinites looking out for each other, small business owners, neighbors, visitors, etc. South Congress has had a number of break-ins, and that's largely because people don't see that the feeling of neighborhood closeness isn't something developed by businesses alone or neighborhoods alone. It's the attitude that we're all in Austin together, and we should look out for each other, from the grungy musician to the skipping toddler. We're all here anyway.