“It was predominantly the collapse of the car-dependent suburban fringe that caused the mortgage collapse… Simply put, there has been a profound structural shift — a reversal of what took place in the 1950s, when drivable suburbs boomed and flourished as center cities emptied and withered.” So says Christopher B. Leinberger [...] Read more »
I’m in a hurry to finish this post cause I have an impromptu community picnic in the park to make it to. I’ll be wheeling the barbecue, table and chairs over to enjoy some quality time with my neighbors while my kids tear around with their little friends from across the alley. I’m a lucky [...] Read more »
“We have finally uncoupled VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) growth from GDP growth in the U.S., largely because Millenials don’t want to drive.” That was one of the fascinating tidbits which I took from the Smart Growth in Small Towns and Rural Communities Workshop that Katie and I checked out Friday in Salida. Here’s another one: [...] Read more »
Good urbanism has a hard time competing with solar panels and wind turbines as a symbol of sustainability. So it often takes one of those light bulb moments to realize the truth about Urbanism: it’s probably the most comprehensive way we can address climate change in this country.
This video of Vince Graham, the founder of I’on, an excellent TND in South Carolina, is a presentation he gave last December to the homeowners of the neighborhood. He beautifully articulates the fundamental and timeless qualities that traditional neighborhoods have. His project has been a model to emulate for us all. [...] Read more »
Everyone knows that stuff like quality jobs and schools are the main reason people choose to live where they do, right? Wrong, suggests a recent study by Gallup and the Knight Foundation. “Surprisingly, social offerings, openness, and beauty are far more important than peoples’ perceptions of the economy, jobs, or basic services in creating a [...] Read more »
Last night I was reading David Brower’s Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run. This is a guy who founded the Sierra Club and The League of Conservation Voters, helped prevent the damming of the Grand Canyon, and was designated by the New York Times as ‘the most effective conservation activist in the world.’ [...] Read more »
James Howard Kunstler is one of the most outspoken and well-known critics of sprawl and proponents of New Urbanism. This talk is Kunstler at his best- witty, humorous, inflammatory. Kunstler is a futurist who understands that we’re basically f*$#*d as a country if we don’t abandon our car-centric, sprawling lifestyles immediately and start building places [...] Read more »
We have one of the smallest and most awkwardly-shaped lots in South Main. Shaped sort of like a badly cut piece of pie, it seemed our yard was doomed to not be much- besides our wonderful vegetable garden. But I have a son now so we built a sand box. We never used the space anyways- why not? The sand box started an inquiry that has ended with, in my mind, a surprising realization of just what can be done with a small yard.
I often wonder when I hear things like ‘change a light bulb, save the world’ just how deep our culture’s understanding of sustainability is. I’ll read an article that discusses how the American lifestyle needs to change, but the answer at the end has more to do with fuel efficient cars than urbanism or smart growth. This article is compelling to me because it demonstrates with solid data how New Urbanism and Smart Growth are a systemic approach to sustainability and dealing with the climate crisis…
