One Street News

Summer 2021

Vol. 14, Issue 2

1. Bosnian Project Exceeds Expectations
2. Resources – Global Nonviolent Action Database
3. Hot Topics – Repealing Jaywalking Laws Gaining Momentum

Bosnian Project Exceeds Expectations

By: Sue Knaup, Executive Director

I’ve recently returned from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) where I was honored to work with some of the brightest and most effective community activists I’ve known. If you’ve read our previous newsletters or seen our GoFundMe page for the project, you’ll know that such success was not certain. The activists are the ones who are making the admirable changes for their communities. Our wonderful donors are the ones who made it all possible. Thanks to all of you!

As I traveled around BiH with my colleagues from Center for Environment (CfE), I was stunned by how far ahead all the campaign leaders were. I had asked each to meet with their officials prior to our visit to find out their reaction to the requested community change. Not only had they met with their officials, officials in most of the cities were already helping move the campaigns forward. Some even joined us on our visits.

In Gradiška, we followed Zorana, director of the nonprofit Most, to the intersection their campaign aims to reshape so that the most vulnerable travelers are the best served, especially disabled people. City officials had already offered support.

In Teslić, we walked with Nikola and Dragan of the Sports Club along the alignment for their proposed new greenway path. The director of planning for the city joined us for lunch to emphasize his support for the project.

In Goražde, Amela, a founding leader of the nonprofit Eko Habitat, gave us a tour of downtown to show how trash was thrown on the ground since there were no trash cans or trash disposal system provided. She pointed out the five or six priority locations for the first trash bins. This campaign had already gained so much popularity that the top TV station arrived to interview her.

In Sarajevo, Damir of the nonprofit Giro, showed us the first model of the bike parking racks their campaign aims to provide throughout the city. I was stunned that they’d already managed to get this first, quality rack installed.

In Bugojno, we arrived at a meeting led by Tidža, one of the leaders of the nonprofit Parents for Parents, and were amazed to find a room full of city officials, both staff and elected. All were eager to assist with the campaign that will reshape important intersections in the city to prioritize the safety of disabled travelers as well as parents with prams.

Along our tour, we learned that the Banja Luka campaign to create a new park on a vacant lot had received a big boost – city officials confirmed that the city does indeed own the entire property and so discussions for creating the park could begin.

We also visited Ugljevik where Aleksandar took us on a fascinating tour of their restoration projects around the massive coal mining operation. Unfortunately, he and his group could not participate in our project, but will work with CfE to continue their restoration and reforestation of the area.

After our tour we joined all the campaign leaders (two from each) at the Pecka Visitors Center southwest of Banja Luka, for our three-day intensive campaign planning workshop. We were also joined there by Siniša from Glamoč who participated in Phase I of this project in 2018.

I have refined the curriculum for such workshops over the years and had a lot of fun adding a few new activities to this one. These activists were so engaged, I had to keep up with them!

Find my photo journal of our visits and the workshop on the One Street Facebook page. I’ve also added a few photos and links to the One Street Programs page.

Phase II continues as these activists are hard at work following the steps of their campaign plans that they completed at the workshop. My CfE colleagues and I will continue to offer guidance as they progress. I’m looking forward to watching each of these campaigns blossom into real on-the-ground improvements for all of these cities around BiH.

Resources – Global Nonviolent Action Database

By: Sue Knaup, Executive Director

As I prepared for our workshop in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I searched for resources that would show participants the depth of campaign planning way back into history. I was thrilled to discover the Global Nonviolent Action Database, a project of Swarthmore College. Researchers have vetted and compiled hundreds of successful campaigns for positive change from all over the world, some dating back to ancient Roman time. If you ever feel like you’re the only community activist on Earth, take a break and click through some of the campaigns listed. That database is sure to lift your spirits. And be sure to suggest additions to the database so it can keep growing.

Hot Topics – Repealing Jaywalking Laws Gaining Momentum

In our Spring 2021 newsletter, our Hot Topic focused on decriminalizing jaywalking. Seems cities are taking this movement even farther by repealing their archaic jaywalking laws so that their citizens can once again enjoy streets as the public spaces they are. Read more here.