Places are produced in that wonderful interaction of people, place, narrative, and time. When the people desert these places, narratives are forgotten, ties break, and the place is unmade. What is un-remembered in abandonment cannot be re-remembered in transient automobile suburbs with too few places for shared experience and story making. The extreme is amnesia, and it means that those afflicted do not know who they are anymore. They are disoriented, isolated, and robbed of the ability to recognize emotional attachments to others. The sufferers do not have a coherent story anymore. Un-remembering is the enemy of good places and of public history.

Summary

This quote highlights the interconnectedness between people, places, narratives, and time. It emphasizes that when people abandon places, not only do the narratives and stories associated with those places fade away, but the very essence of the place itself becomes undone. It suggests that in modern transient communities lacking shared experiences and opportunities for storytelling, the erosion of collective memory can lead to a sense of disorientation, isolation, and a loss of identity. Without a coherent story, people struggle to form emotional connections with others, creating an obstacle to the creation of vibrant and meaningful public spaces. Thus, forgetting becomes a significant challenge for both the preservation of good places and the shared history of a community.

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