Sensible City’s Weblog

The seeds for the Ashevillage Building Convergence were sown a dozen years ago when a small group of people in Portland, Ore., transformed a run-of-the-mill intersection into an attractive public gathering space. They built an earthen teahouse, planted gardens, erected a kiosk for fliers and poetry, painted a vibrant design on the pavement, threw a block party and dubbed their creation “Share-it Square.”

What they didn’t do was ask permission first.

That drew the ire of city officials, who took a dim view of nonpermitted structures. But the grass-roots project proved wildly popular, and four years later, the Portland City Council approved an ordinance making such community-based enhancement efforts legal.

The impromptu street-corner team evolved into The City Repair Project, and for the past eight years, the group has hosted an annual festival called the Village Building Convergence. The 10-day event propels do-it-yourself, natural-building projects throughout the city, seeking to promote environmental health while building community. In 2002, Asheville resident Janell Kapoor appeared on the scene, befriended Mark Lakeman—an unconventional architect who’s a City Repair co-founder—and began helping out.

[Read entire article at Mountain Xpress]