Today marks the 15th anniversary of Damn Arbor's official launch. It is an occasion that mandates a stroll down memory lane. Pleased join me in this indulgence, gentle reader.
15 years ago we launched this little website in an effort to follow the trail blazed by Arbor Update and Ann Arbor is Overrated. 5 of us were were housemates in a drafty rental on 3rd st. G$ lived nearby on Ann st. The goal was to get young adults following local politics and to have a little bit of fun while doing it. Did we succeed? Well gentle reader, that is for you to decide.
In the early years, we were posting multiple articles per day. In March 2011, we averaged almost 4 articles per day. It's remember what that time was like. It was just before social media became so pervasive so there was a whole ecosystem of local websites covering politics, food, entertainment. More elegant tools for a more civilized age. Over the years, nearly 40 people have written for Damn Arbor. From the core group of 6 founders, we have produced two marriages and 5 children. I also like to think that G$ owes much of his success as a law professor at Cornell to the writing skills he honed on this humble website.
To commemorate the occasion, I've cracked open the Damn Arbor Vault to share some of my favorite articles with you:
Guest Opinion: Desolate and Uninviting—The Failure of 2018’s Proposal A and the Future of the Library Lot. November 10, 2022. Was this guest post by Dan Adams the first nail in the Center of the City's Coffin? Only history will know for sure.
Ann Arbor for the many, not the few. June 1, 2020. I have written this article many times. This is the time when I think I wrote it best. More housing in Ann Arbor will make it more affordable and will make it more sustainable.
The Bang! Must Die: the History of the Sweatiest Dance Party in Town. October 22, 2019. An oral history-style set of interviews to commemorate the last Bang! dance party.
Guest Article: Revisiting Water Rates in Ann Arbor. March 13, 2019. This article by Erich Z. does an incredible job explaining the difference between a 4-tier water rate system and Ann Arbor's old 3-tier system. Though the topic seems dry. I have had occasion, to re-post it almost yearly.
How a resolution to hold a hearing on affordable housing at Water Street became a flashpoint for controversy. September 14, 2017. A guest article by Nathanael Romero, this piece takes you back to the controversial International Village proposal for the Water Street site in Ypsilanti.An Afternoon with Dave Coverly. January 10, 2011. Erika is probably my favorite of all Damn Arbor's writers. Here she interviews nationally syndicated cartoonist, and Ann Arborite, Dave Coverly.
Much ado about Stuffing. September 23, 2010. This article by BC Houston takes us back to the era of the Great Porch Couch Bad Debate.
Looking back over the last 15 years, some things have changed. They city has begun to build out a more robust network of bicycle infrastructure. The university has grown. Pro-housing candidates have won the last 3 local elections. It feels like we are on the cusp of something really big with the update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan update currently under consideration.
Still, somethings have not changed. The city has not built a tall building in almost 60 years. How and weather the city should grow continues to be the spiciest local issue. As Ann Arbor has become more expensive, the character of the city has gradually changed. To paraphrase Pete Seeger, Where have all the Crust Punks Gone?
What will the next 15 years bring? Hopefully, a full implementation of the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan; an end to downtown height limits; better non-motorized infrastructure. We might eventually get around to the much anticipated website re-design.
