Cycles of Change

There is a sequence to recovery that the body enforces whether or not the city acknowledges it. The body does not care about policy timelines or intake forms or housing availability. It moves through its own stages of damage and repair at its own speed, in response to its own conditions. A system [...]

The term "homeless" identifies an administrative category. It indicates a legal and economic status for individuals lacking a fixed address. This term does not capture bodily, psychological, or social conditions. It fails to reflect varying circumstances. This label unites people with vastly [...]

Cities have battled homelessness for decades. Their efforts remain tangible and funding sources are reliable and accessible. Workers in this field care about their results. Yet, the number of individuals on the street does not decline. In many cities, it continues to rise. Series: Urban Survival — [...]

The body on the street is unstable. It shifts and it advances in one direction at a steady pace. Researchers and physicians have documented its stages. They can now describe this movement with a clock. Series: Urban Survival — The Spiral That Nobody Stops — Part 2 of 11 This is not a gradual [...]

Stand on any major street in a large city and look carefully at the pavement. Check near a building entrance, a freeway underpass, or a sheltered public park corner. There is a person there and they are lying on concrete. They have been lying on concrete for a long time. Series: Urban Survival — [...]

A farmer plants a seed that responds blindly to water and soil. The farmer controls every condition by deciding when to water and harvest. The relationship remains clear while the farmer thinks and the seed grows. Imagine the seed begins to learn by studying the soil and tracking the clouds. It [...]