Stories by Jay Walljasper

Jay Walljasper is editor of OnTheCommons.org, a news and culture website devoted to recognizing the importance of the commons -- those things that belong to all of us -- in modern life.

Why It's Time to Visit Motor City

Posted on: Dec 4, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Although struggling in recent decades, Detroit still offers experiences you expect from a world-class city.

Unexpected Ways That Bicycling Is Proving a Boon for Business

Posted on: Oct 24, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Cities across the U.S. are discovering that good biking attracts great jobs and top talent to their communities.

The Great Resurgence of Public Spaces

Posted on: Jul 19, 2012, Source: On the Commons

Here's why we need parks, streetlife, squares, markets, trails, community gardens and other hang outs more than ever.

Detroit as a Food Desert -- Another Urban Myth

Posted on: Jul 3, 2012, Source: Citiwire

The widespread belief that the city is a food desert is, like many myths about Detroit, simply not true.

The Simple, Inexpensive Breakthrough That Is Transforming American Cities

Posted on: May 30, 2012, Source: AlterNet

The Green Lane Project brings bicycling into the 21st century -- with positive results for the nation's health, economy, environment and commutes.

Goodbye Overconsumption: Why the Commons Can Save Us From Drowning in Too Much Stuff

Posted on: Feb 23, 2012, Source: On the Commons

Story of Stuff creator Annie Leonard talks about why the commons are so integral to our lives.

What Do Republicans Have Against Biking and Walking?

Posted on: Oct 28, 2011, Source: Shareable

In these antagonistic political times, bikers and walkers are now targets of controversy for some members of Congress.

A Surprising Town Is Now America's Top Bike City

Posted on: Sep 29, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Despite its cold weather and spread-out development patterns, here's how a Midwestern city beat Portland, San Francisco and Boulder for the title of #1 Bike City.

Here's How We Can Make Biking Utter Normal and Incredibly Sexy

Posted on: Jul 6, 2011, Source: Shareable

Here's how we can get more Americans to bike.

Who Says Suburbs Can't Be Cool?

Posted on: May 27, 2011, Source: Shareable

Why the author of "Bomb the Suburbs" has had a change of heart.

As Gas Prices Rise, Bicycle Ridership Is Up -- So Why Are Lawmakers Gutting Bike Programs?

Posted on: May 25, 2011, Source: People for Bikes

The price tag for more than 3,000 federally funded bike and pedestrian projects last year amounted to less than half the cost of one highly contested highway project.

What's So Great About Portland?

Posted on: May 16, 2011, Source: Shareable

Is it enlightened politicians? Their urban growth plan? Or something else entirely?

Vision: Kenya Enshrines the Environment in Its Constitution -- This Should Be Our Future

Posted on: Jan 3, 2011, Source: On the Commons

There's a misconception that all significant environmental progress begins in wealthy nations.

Vision: Reviving the Commons -- A Recipe for Political Optimism

Posted on: Dec 20, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The good life means more than private property -- all of us have a stake in what we share together.

How Portland Is Planning to Become the First World-class Bike City in America

Posted on: Dec 1, 2010, Source: YES! Magazine

Portland may be the only large city to earn the League of American Bicyclists' coveted platinum status as a bicycle-friendly city, but they have even bigger plans.

How We Can Ignite a Bicycle Revolution in the U.S.

Posted on: Sep 21, 2010, Source: AlterNet

A trip to the Netherlands offers insight into how American cities should transform our transportation culture and infrastructure to be bike-friendly.

Saving Water, the (Really) Old-Fashioned Way

Posted on: May 28, 2010, Source: OnTheCommons.org

Drawing on indigenous Indian knowledge of geology, hydrology and ecology, Rajendra Singh helped to save a watershed.

Despite Rising Demand, We May Be at Risk of Losing Public Services Like Transit and Libraries

Posted on: Feb 20, 2009, Source: OnTheCommons.org

Privatization is steadily undermining the things we all depend upon -- libraries, transit, parks, water systems, schools and public safety.

Good Thing Minnesota Has Someone in Charge Who Cares About Counting Every Vote

Posted on: Nov 25, 2008, Source: OnTheCommons.org

Mark Ritchie -- the man in the middle of Minnesota's Senate race recount -- is passionate about making sure every vote counts.

Is It Time to Rethink State Ownership of Corporations?

Posted on: Oct 6, 2008, Source: AlterNet

In the midst of a financial meltdown, a German brewery that's defying expectations raises questions about the role of government in the economy.

Water for All: The Leaders of a New Revolution

Posted on: Aug 20, 2008, Source: OnTheCommons.org

A gathering of international thinkers, artists, and activists is inspiring a new revolution in the right to water and what belongs to the commons.

Would Thomas Jefferson Refuse To Recycle?

Posted on: Aug 19, 2008, Source: OnTheCommons.org

As a recent example in Texas proves, what passes for "independence" these days is more like lazy and foolish.

Doctor Proves that Quality Health Care is Possible in the Third World

Posted on: Mar 19, 2008, Source: Ode

Millions of deaths in developing countries can be prevented by access to basic health care. Some medical professionals are doing something about it.

For Businesses, Small Is the New Big

Posted on: Jul 23, 2007, Source: Ode

A growing number of businesses are discovering that getting big is not the best measure of accomplishment. Which are the ones setting the trend?

Can Ecology and Commerce Coexist?

Posted on: Mar 7, 2007, Source: Ode

A new movement called "beyond organic" aims to save land and communities. Is it the next ecological and social revolution or just another marketing tactic?

Air Travel Is Killing the Planet

Posted on: Oct 16, 2006, Source: Ode

Burning jet fuel creates a large -- and growing -- share of greenhouse gases. But there may still be ways to see the world without harming it.

A Court That Countries Have to Answer to

Posted on: Aug 25, 2006, Source: Ode

The European Court of Human Rights shows how justice can cross borders. It could be a model for the whole planet.

The Real Thing Is Getting So Hard to Find

Posted on: Aug 20, 2006, Source: Ode

High-powered technology can manipulate reality and disseminate falsehoods on a scale never before seen.

One Is Not the Magic Number

Posted on: Mar 10, 2006, Source: Ode

Our greatest shortcoming in finding a solution to social problems may be the notion that there is only one.

If You Build It, They Will Come -- on Foot

Posted on: Feb 17, 2006, Source: Ode

From Copehagen to Bellevue, a movement has emerged to reclaim public spaces.

A Heretic for Our Times

Posted on: Jan 20, 2006, Source: Ode

Biologist Rupert Sheldrake's theories turn everything we know about the universe inside out.

Car Trouble

Posted on: Dec 28, 2005, Source: Ode

As millions of Asian citizens jubilantly embrace driving, some experts predict an enviro nightmare.

A Holiday Classic For City Dwellers

Posted on: Dec 22, 2005, Source: Ode

Has the power of TV and movies played a role in turning Americans away from cities and public spaces?

These Not-So-United States

Posted on: Mar 4, 2005, Source: Ode

When it comes to schools, stores, buildings, neighborhoods, civic groups and even countries, small is not only beautiful, but more efficient and satisfying.

The Coast of Bohemia

Posted on: Mar 2, 2005, Source: Ode

Is changing the world still hip? Two books that set out to chronicle the cutting edge of American culture give social change short shrift.

Even at a time when politicians in Washington are allocating billions for another round of mega-highway construction and pop culture celebrates the sexy supremacy of Hummer drivers, there is an emerging movement to reclaim our right to take a walk.

Am I a Food Snob?

Posted on: May 22, 2002, Source: Utne

Wealthy, educated urbanites who would never permit themselves to poke fun at welfare mothers or immigrants freely make cracks about spongy white bread and Miracle Whip.

The Horror of War

Posted on: Sep 19, 2001, Source: Utne

It seems important for us to remember that responding to terrorism with bloodshed on an even larger scale will only make us less safe.

Dream Cabinet 2001

Posted on: Oct 18, 2000, Source: Utne

Noam Chomsky as Secretary of State? Ralph Nader as Attorney General? Ann Landers as Postmaster General? The editor of the Utne reader puts together a most unconventional list of candidates for the next presidential Cabinet and other key Washington posts.

Saving the World From Itself

Posted on: Apr 25, 2000, Source: deleted

Are you nervous that fierce economic competition may force your employer to slash jobs or relocate overseas? Have you watched small shops and businesses in your neighborhood go broke as commerce flows toward mammoth superstores on the edge of town? Is it your perception that no matter how hard you try you always wind up feeling poorer, fatter, drabber, less sexy, less happy, and less fully alive than the people portrayed in advertisements? If so, you are like many of the six billion people who feel a mounting sense of pessimism about our prospects for changing the course of modern civilization. But there's hope, at least according to more than 1500 environmentalists, organizers, academics, economists, and activists from five continents who gathered in November at a conference at Columbia University in New York City. These problems are not inevitable nor unassailable, they said. We can succeed in challenging and overturning these social and economic trends, especially if we understand them all as part of the same problem: the widespread effects of economic globalization.

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