So people blog for different reasons — to earn money, to be an author of sorts, to have an outlet for creative expression. And — I know I’m naïve when I say this — part of my reason for blogging is as a way of working out the question of, “how can I make a difference?”
See, it sounds cheesy even saying it.
But, anyway, the Chicago Tribune is running a new editorial series, “A New Plan for Chicago” and they’re inviting Trib readers to submit proposals which will have the chance of being published in some fashion or another. They’re calling on proposals to be practical and concrete rather than vague and theoretical, with the goal of shaping a new Plan of Chicago (playing off Daniel Burnham’s physical plan for the city) to address the city’s problems in order to save it from becoming another Detroit.
The topics planned for their editorial series include the public schools, the jobs gap, crime and criminals, and a vaguely-labeled “when families struggle.”
There’s no deadline specified. And their list of people they anticipate will respond include someone running a foundation, a Neighborhood Watch block captain, a college professor — so an amateur pundit doesn’t have much of a chance. But it’s an interesting project, something more goal-focused than collecting links to all the appalling ways Obama is implementing the Washington Monument strategy, for example. So I’m excited. (It’ll also test my ability to follow through on a project outside of work and its tangible deadlines and consequences.)
Reader suggestions and input welcome, of course!
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