Reword recommendations around self links in the item spec

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Removed
+
+- "Strongly recommended" language around `self` links in the item spec. ([#1173](https://github.com/radiantearth/stac-spec/pull/1173))
+
 ## [v1.0.0] - 2021-05-25
 
 ### Added

best-practices.md

@@ -561,10 +561,10 @@ just meant to give users a sense of what types of values they could expect.
 
 ### Use of links
 
-The STAC specifications allow both relative and absolute links, and says that `self` links are not required, but are 
-strongly recommended. This is what the spec must say to enable the various use cases, but there is more subtlety for when it 
-is essential to use different link types. The best practice is to use one of the below catalog types, applying the link 
-recommendations consistently, instead of just haphazardly applying relative links in some places and absolute ones in other places.
+The STAC specifications allow both relative and absolute links, and it is important to choose the correct link types so that
+your STAC catalogs are easy to explore and resilient to any future changes to their layouts. The best practice is to use one
+of the below catalog types, applying the link recommendations consistently, instead of just haphazardly applying relative links
+in some places and absolute ones in other places.
 
 #### Self-contained Catalogs
 

item-spec/item-spec.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ inherited from GeoJSON.
 | geometry   | [GeoJSON Geometry Object](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7946#section-3.1) \| [null](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7946#section-3.2) | **REQUIRED.** Defines the full footprint of the asset represented by this item, formatted according to [RFC 7946, section 3.1](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7946#section-3.1). The footprint should be the default GeoJSON geometry, though additional geometries can be included. Coordinates are specified in Longitude/Latitude or Longitude/Latitude/Elevation based on [WGS 84](http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/OGC/1.3/CRS84). |
 | bbox       | \[number]                                                                  | **REQUIRED if `geometry` is not `null`.** Bounding Box of the asset represented by this Item, formatted according to [RFC 7946, section 5](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7946#section-5). |
 | properties | [Properties Object](#properties-object)                                    | **REQUIRED.** A dictionary of additional metadata for the Item. |
-| links      | \[[Link Object](#link-object)]                                             | **REQUIRED.** List of link objects to resources and related URLs. A link with the `rel` set to `self` is strongly recommended. |
+| links      | \[[Link Object](#link-object)]                                             | **REQUIRED.** List of link objects to resources and related URLs. See the [best practices](../best-practices.md#use-of-links) for details on when the use `self` links is strongly recommended. |
 | assets     | Map<string, [Asset Object](#asset-object)>                                 | **REQUIRED.** Dictionary of asset objects that can be downloaded, each with a unique key. |
 | collection | string                                                                     | The `id` of the STAC Collection this Item references to (see [`collection` relation type](#relation-types)). This field is *required* if such a relation type is present and is *not allowed* otherwise. This field provides an easy way for a user to search for any Items that belong in a specified Collection. Must be a non-empty string. |