FACEBOOK AND EPA DEVELOPMENT

"Evidently, Facebook's more interested in charitable acts than justice. My suggesting a CSR policy moves beyond donating money, towards shifting the culture -— and possibly the mission of the corporation."

With two billion members worldwide, FB may be the only corporation that COULD shift the culture. It has become the global communication network that a highly integrated global civilization needs in order to communicate among its segments. Fortunately or unfortunately, EPA is the only community in the world to shift FB's culture and make it take this role seriously. The unfortunate part is that EPA does not seem to think it has such a major global role to play.

"Facebook/Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative's recent donations to EPA: $2 million for water shortage; $20 million for affordable housing (Catalyst Fund); and $3 million for legal support of tenants facing evictions (Community Legal Services). That's $25 million." 

Facebook face saving. Truly insulting. This piddly condescending stuff is not in their best interest either.

I don't see it as a matter of jobs, but rather of rethinking the nature of global development, shifting from a First World paradigm that is not sustainable to a Third World one that is. This is therefore not about shiny new buildings or hiring local people to populate and work in them. Just the contrary. It has to do with how to develop thriving Third World communities (in America and abroad) that address resource depletion, climate change, energy scarcity, and reflects the entire planet's populations. But then, EPA also has to take pride in its Third World composition.

Facebook's expansion must be expansion of the intellect and spirit--something inward and thoughtful--rather than paving over the planet in a very dated and destructive way they should by now recognize. The current building activities of FB are a disaster that will, with luck, be able to be mitigated in the future. They are using forest, fuel and other resources that we can no longer afford globally. They are contributing to warming an already catastrophically warmed planet.

Facebook must make a hard stop to their building program after this phase.

The main jobs I think we need and that FB can help enable are indeed building jobs, but they are not about house building. They are about making inconspicuous adjustments to existing buildings--repairing a basements, subdividing interior spaces, adding on tiny backyard extensions to existing buildings. It is most definitely NOT about changing the look of EPA. EPA will be the only city to not swallow the Koolaid of erasing its built environment in favor of a brand new one. Thereby making it more historic and a tourist magnet.

Where affordable housing is concerned, it is the land that matters most. It is too expensive, and FB should use its wealth to sequester land for affordable local use. Affordable housing doesn't require new building, but rather ways to share existing ones. Well trained landscape architects can make attractive housing from adapting and properly locating free abandoned school buses and RV's. Rather than demolishing movable houses, they can be trucked in from outside to make affordable living spaces. One size does not fit all.

I can't believe I wrote this nearly 30 years ago. So little has changed, including the stubborn refusal or inability of the many to understand it.

"By refusing 'business as usual' East Palo Alto could provide international leadership and set a unique example of development based on real human needs and limits. Nothing but such a utopian vision can save the world." This is not dependent mainly on money or on new buildings. But there may not be any organization strong and influential enough, beside FB, to empower such a vision.

https://www.context.org/iclib/ic26/burrowes/