Humanity 101 Campaign Cities could create curricula and coursework on the subject of humanity and make it available at all public institutions and in public spaces—like on billboards, in elevators, in taxis, or on subways. There would be a "humanity handbook" that instructs people about expected routines and rituals for city-living like “greet people by their name” or “look people in the eye” or “ask if someone needs help—don’t turn a blind eye, call 311.” Ultimately cities would expect their citizens to put their values and empathy on display, and live them out loud.
This is part 40 of a continuing brainstorm on the future of cities, inaugurated at the CEOs for CitiesVelocity conference in September, 2009. We’ll post a new idea each day until we run out, at which point we’re counting on you to come up with something smart. Do you have a good idea for improving your city? Add it in the comments below, or tweet it to @GOOD with hashtag #cityideas—we’ll publish the best ones. Tomorrow's idea: Habitual Ritual.
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