2020 Blogs Revisited: COVID, Racism, Homeless, Neighbourhood etc….
2020 will be a defining year in global history as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. Everyone has had to adapt to new ways of living. One of my mantras - “life is just a continuous series of adaptations” - was definitely tested over the past 9 months.
It may also be a defining year in North American history with regard to racism, homelessness and poverty. Having been in Portland in early March, I saw firsthand how these issues are interconnected.
I was shocked at the thousands of homeless people taking over the streets of Portland’s City Centre.
For Calgary, 2020 may well go down in history as being the beginning of an economic paradigm shift as strategies implemented by Calgary Economic Development, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, University of Calgary and others started to pay dividends.
It may also be a pivotal year in addressing Calgary’s affordable housing crisis given numerous new affordable housing projects were announced in the latter half of the year.
2020 may be remembered as the year Calgary faced the reality – “yes, there is significant racism in our city.”
As for our personal lives, with fewer opportunities to travel, less social interaction at work and recreational activities, it was the year we discovered the importance of family, friends and neighbours and the simple pleasures of walking and reading.
Here are ten 2020 Everyday Tourist blogs that deal with the above issues.
#1 Portland Oregon: A Visual Arts / BLM Mecca!
A look at how Portland celebrated Black History Month in 2020 with several major art exhibitions dealing with racism, injustice and stereotyping of Blacks in America.
#2 Calgary: Let’s Save “Giving Wings to the Dream” Mural
In Calgary, a group called Pink Flamingo wanted to paint over an existing well-loved mural on a building along downtown’s 7th Avenue transit corridor. This blog, turned out to be the catalyst for a petition to save the mural, which subsequently resulted in the Mayor and Pink Flamingo finding another location for Calgary’s first Black Lives Matter mural.
#3 COVID: Importance of Books, Library and Reading
As a result of being locked down for several months in 2020 (somewhat less restricted the other months), people shopped less, went to restaurants less and avoided the gym, while families had many of their extra-curricular activities cancelled. This meant more time for reading for many. One friend told me he read 60+ books in 2020.
#4 London Musings: Homeless, Poverty, War, Religion & Future
We were in London UK in late 2019, but this blog wasn’t posted until 2020. It looks at how society has been trying to eliminate homelessness and poverty for centuries without much success. It also looks at the role war and religion played in our past and asks the question, will the future be any different than the past?
Link: London Musings: Homeless, Poverty, War, Religion & Future
#5 It takes a lot of different villages to create a healthy city!
One of the great things about living in Calgary is you don’t “live” in a city of a million people, but rather in one of the 200 different neighbourhoods of about 10,000 people - each with its own name, character and community association. As well, we all live in our own special interest villages, from food to fitness, from religion to recreation and from caring to creative societies. Perhaps this is true of all cities?
Link: It takes a lot of different villages to create a healthy city!
#6 The Joy of Walking In Your Neighbourhood
One benefit of COVID was that more people had more time to walk in their neighbourhood and in the process, discover the joy of walking, connecting with neighbours and learning what their local neighbourhood had to offer in amenities.
#7 Alberta Road Trip: Delia, Castor & Lacombe
In the summer of 2020, with travel outside of Alberta not recommended, we took several road trips to explore Alberta’s villages, towns and smaller cities. The people and places we discovered were amazing and memorable.
#8 Staycation Tips: Explore Your City’s Historic Neighbourhoods
One of my 2020 blogs was 15 tips for a “staycation.” I subsequently posted blogs focusing on specific tips, perhaps the best one was to explore your city’s historic neighbourhoods as you can do that regardless of the restrictions. Learn why!
#9 Calgary In Crisis: Rethinking our Future!
Though this blog, written during the March to May lockdown, focuses on Calgary, many of the points could easily apply to many cities in North America.
#10 Fun Flaneur Finds In My Neighbourhood
One of my favourite things to do is to find, photograph and Tweet out the quirky things I find when flaneuring any neighbourhood. During the spring lockdown, my “flaneuring” ramped up to almost every day. This photo essay of my fun flaneur finds was a means of adding some humour to peoples’ lives and encourage others to do the same.
Last Word
A big thanks to all Everyday Tourist readers, especially those who have shared their thoughts and ideas about the various blogs. All the best in 2021 - and happy flaneuring! And with that, I leave you with: The Ten Commandments Of A Flaneur.
Link: The Ten Commandments of a Flaneur