Four the Future - January 28

For today: Pearl District, energy efficiency jobs, stimulated tarmac, and high-speed rail.

• What's next for Portland's Pearl District?
  Source: The Oregonian; January 9, 2010
  Summary: Retailers are beginning to move out of northwest Portland's Pearl District. It's not unusual for retails to reassess their positions during a recession, but the Pearl is so new, it feels unusual. The Pearl District was caught up in the bubble--too many condos, too many retailers, high lease rates. The executive director of the business association feels that this has more to do with national trends than local ones. Seventy-five percent of the retailers are local, and their numbers are increasing. Currently, space in the Pearl is going for mid- to high 20 dollars per square foot per year, which is typical of some other neighborhoods in Portland, and lower than on Northwest 23rd. National retailers are looking for rents around $16, however. The Pearl is perceived as a "hoity-toity" neighborhood, but local retailers say it's not.
  Opinion: I saw the Pearl just as it was starting to get off the ground. It was a promising concept. Prior to its renovation, the Pearl District was a warehouse district of little use. Now it has opportunities, the trolley system, and the legacy of a number of property owners who thought they'd make a fortune, and were disappointed because they limited the size of the market through fabulously high prices. Now that the market is correcting, actual middle class and young families will be able to move into downtown Portland. Again, the speculation, the casino capitalism, bit some people. Now it's time to rejuvenate the community by making a neighborhood for regular folks.


• Demand for upgraded energy efficiency at home is weak
  Source: USA Today; January 6, 2010
  Summary: With home construction lagging, companies are looking to upgrade existing houses. But, lacking financial incentives and a sluggish economy, homeowners are not taking them up on it. Last December, President Obama asked for a "cash for caulkers" program which would help reduce energy usage and get jobs for construction workers. On average, 150,000 homes are upgraded each year, mostly on programs to help people with low incomes. The research director for Change to Win says that there are up to 100,000,000 homes which could be improved.
  Opinion: First of all, I'm sceptical about that 100 million figure. With an average of 2.56 people per household (Census, 2007), and a population of 308,563,298 (US Census here and updated continuously), there are only 120.5 million households total in the US. Nevertheless, it is substantially larger than 150,000 that normally get upgraded. Avista provides energy efficiency rebates, so that's one incentive many people can take advantage of. I heard of a proposed program a couple years ago in which people could receive a loan in the amount of the upgrades, but rather than reduce the energy bill right away, the utility would pay back the loan with the reduction in energy costs. The benefits of reduced energy generation is felt immediately, and the cost of providing energy to the residence would eventually go down. Now you can add the benefit of putting people back to work during a recession. And, when the loan is repaid, it replenishes the pool for more upgrades. Hey, maybe Kiva could get involved--they need more people to lend to!


• Stimulus paves the way
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 7, 2010
  Summary: Spokane International Airport (GEG) got a rebuilt tarmac courtesy of $14 million of federal stimulus cash and otherwise-unemployed construction workers. According to Senator Patty Murray, a second stimulus bill is being considered. The airport's receipt of the stimulus funding will allow GEG to complete four years worth of projects in just two. TSA has brought in two canine teams which will be used throughout the airport, and full body scanners are on the way.
  Opinion: Accelerating capital projects often saves money because the increase in the cost of construction goes up faster than inflation. (That is a major argument to built light rail now, by the way: it's actually cheaper to build it and operate it than it is to wait until later.) And creating those jobs in a weak economy sure does help not only the construction workers, but also anyone he buys things from. Oh, and regarding the increased security measures...did I mention that you're 200 times more likely to be struck by lightning than be on a plane with someone intent on destroying it?


• Washington to get $590 million for high-speed rail improvements
  Source: The Seattle Times; January 27, 2010
  Summary: Federal stimulus funding will improve passenger rail travel times between Portland, Oregon, and Blaine, Washington, at the U.S.-Canadian border. Only 2 of 3 trips between Portland and Seattle are on time. These improvements are in the hopes of getting that up to 90%. The full corridor is Eugene to Vancouver, British Columbia. Five round trips run from Portland to Seattle each day. Washington and Oregon run Talgo trains capable of 125 miles per hour. Deficiencies in the track, street crossings, and congestion constrain them to only 79 mph.
  Opinion: These are important upgrades to our national infrastructure. The projects produce high wage jobs, support communities, and will be used to leverage private investment. All-in-all a much better investment of deficit dollars than giveaway tax breaks to the richest 1% of our nation.

Four the Future - January 27

In this issue: Wind power, Valley street work, dark skies, and greenhouse lawns?

• Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year
  Source: New York Times; January 26, 2010
  Summary: Due in part to the federal economic stimulus package, wind power generation is up by 9,900 megawatts last year, about 40% of all new generation capacity. Almost 2% of the U.S.'s power comes from wind now; that's behind Europe which is at 5%. Denmark has already reached the European Commission's goal of 20% by 2020, and occasionally produces more wind power than it can consume. About half of the components necessary are produced in the United States, creating 85,000 jobs. Lack of long distance transmission lines hampers development, as the wind is generated mainly in the Midwest and Texas while most energy is consumed on the coasts. Wind could generate five times more energy by 2020. Washington is the fourth-largest producer of wind energy in the United States.
  Opinion: Generating wind power creates electricity from a renewable resource. It creates thousands of jobs, potentially hundreds of thousands. It does not take away food to turn into fuel. It does not release carbon into the atmosphere. The cost is mostly in the construction and installation of the towers and turbines; maintenance is minimal, so it produces exceptionally cheap energy after the initial investment. The disadvantage? It's unpredictable, so some kind of energy storage mechanism must be devised. Creating fuel from electricity anyone?



• Spring will bring more street work to Valley
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 25, 2010
  Summary: Three construction projects will hamper auto traffic in the eastern end of the City of Spokane Valley. The intersections of Sprague and Sullivan and Sullivan and Broadway, and the widening of Broadway from Lowe's to Flora will be staged throughout the spring and summer. The intersections will be paved with concrete and partially funded by Spokane Transit Authority. The intersection of Broadway and Flora will be upgraded to a roundabout. There have been complaints about roundabouts, but traffic engineers say they are safer. (The article goes on to say, in a different section, that Bike to Work Week is May 16-22. Organizers are hoping for 1700 participants. It goes on to a third section which says that season weight restrictions are in place due to thawing, and this is earlier than normal.)
  Opinion: Welcome to the era of unending road construction. The reason why Spokane Transit is paying helping pay for the concrete intersections is due to a dubious claim that they are responsible in part for the degradation of the roads they turn on. It was a bribe, coordinated by the members of the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and Spokane Transit board to shift federal transit-only dollars into roads. Jurisdictions are permitted to "flex" monies from highways and transit. Spokane is the only jurisdiction in the United States which was bizarre enough to shift transit dollars to highways. The federal government has looked down on Spokane ever since. This replacement "program," called Cooperative Transit Funding, has shifted literally millions of dollars out of STA into city and county coffers. Then Attorney General Christine Gregoire issued an opinion on whether STA could use the money in this way. She concluded that as long as it was "providing tangible and accountable public transit benefits" it was legal. Let me ask you: what tangible benefit does transit get for the materials in the roadway? (I'll address the other issues another time in more detail, but I did want to say two quick things. 1: get over it people, roundabouts are safe; and 2: yay! bike to work!)


• California Town Receives Rare Award for Fighting Light Pollution
  Source: TriplePundit; December 25, 2010
  Hat-tip: CJ Tyler-Watson
  Summary: The City of Borrego Springs, California, has received a very unusual title: that of International Dark Sky Community. It was granted that distinction by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). A group of volunteers convinced local government, residents, and businesses change their lighting or simply turn them off to help reduce light pollution. Some cities can be seen from 200 miles away because of the glow they cast in the night sky. Borrego Springs is only the second city to receive this honor.
  Opinion: I remember as a child in Odessa, Washington, that just a mile out of town was a spot where no lights could be seen. It was only then that I understood that the Milky Way was very well named. It was stunning! Now, very few children in America know what it looks like. There are other reasons to adopt stronger lighting standards. The American Medical Association has come out in favor of dark skies for medical and public safety reasons. The IDA has a page with a number of lighting standards which can be adopted by local jurisdictions here. The City of Liberty Lake adopted stricter light trespass regulations. Others should consider the same for the safety and health of their residents, even if they couldn't care less about why the Milky Way is named as it is.


• Lawns may contribute to global warming
  Source: The Christian Science Monitor; January 22, 2010
  Summary: While grass is capable of capturing CO₂, four times more carbon is released into the atmosphere due to the production of fertilizers, mowing, leaf blowing, and irrigation. Parks were studied for this particular effort, but it applies equally to home lawns. Results for athletic fields were worse due to the harder use and the need for replanting. Currently, 2% of the continental US is planted in grass.
  Opinion: Yet another reason to cut down on our grass habit. I support highly shared grassy spaces, such as parks. But underutilized personal grassy spaces are expensive to maintain and irrigation has been reducing water quantities in the Spokane River. You can help reduce your water footprint by reducing your grassy area. If you can't do that because of the social pressure, make sure you do not water your grass during the heat of the day during which up to 50% of the water you use evaporates, and don't use more water than is absolutely necessary. Auto-turn-off sensors can be installed in your yard which allows you to eliminate irrigation cycles when it's not necessary. And one last thing: if you go to Seattle during the summer, the grass is brown. Water, water everywhere...but not a drop to waste.

Four the Future - January 26

Today: Real estate default, Phosphorus fertilizers, transportation connectivity, and animal control.

• N.Y. Housing Complex Is Turned Over to Creditors
  Source: New York Times; January 25, 2010
  Summary: Four years after the most expensive real estate transaction of its kind in US history, the owners of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village have turned them over to their creditors. The owners owed $3 billion after purchasing the 110 buildings and 11,227 apartments but could not collect enough rent to pay the mortgage. The development was built after World War II for middle class families, and it stayed affordable until the latest purchase. The new owners performed expensive upgrades to the apartments and attempted to rent them for higher prices, to no avail. The owners had been warned that their plans were risky by tenant advocates and urban planners.
  Opinion: Another part of the real estate bubble bursting. Clearly they had too much money on their hands and needed to purchase something. They depended on highly speculative instruments and their willingness to move out middle class renters caught them with their pants down. There is way too much irrational speculation in America.

• No P on Grass
  Source: The Inlander; January 21, 2010
  Summary: Washington State Representative Timm Ormsby and Senators Lisa Brown and Chris Marr are sponsors of a bill which would ban the use of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers. The purpose is to reduce the amount of fertilizer entering the Spokane River. Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District banned phosphorus several years ago. However, the Washington Friends of Farms and Forests opposes the measure, as it does not think it will help. The State of Minnesota banned it years ago, and the City of Ann Arbor banned it and phosphorus pollution in the river went down by 28 percent. Marr and Ormsby say that Costco and Wal*Mart are amenable to stocking low phosphorus fertilizers.
  Opinion: One of the ways this region will become compliant with future limits on phosphorus in the Spokane River, not to mention cleaning it up so we can eliminate unnatural algae blooms, is to reduce what is called non-point (or "not-from-pipes") sources of pollution. The soil in Spokane County is naturally rich in phosphorus, and needs no amendment past the first year of growth for lawns. The City of Liberty Lake took the initiative to stop using phosphorus for regular use on the golf course, and there were no complaints. It's simply not necessary. (However, it must be noted, that the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District's ban is nothing but talk. They don't have any authority to any such thing. Even if they did, to be effective the ban must be region wide.)
• Complete Streets needs you
  Source: Down to Earth; January 24, 2010
  Summary: Spokane County is updating its subdivision ordinance regarding transportation connectivity. Connectivity is a measure of how "connected" the community is--how many ways there are to travel from one place to another. Connectivity is important for cars, bikes and pedestrians to get around, is more compliant with other jurisdictions' street plans, and saves taxpayer dollars for emergency management, transit, and cooperation with other jurisdictions. The Spokane County Planning Commission approved of the change, but Commissioners Mielke and Richard don't find their work valuable. However, the commission receive no opposition and the Cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley, the Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, Futurewise and the Neighborhood Alliance all approved of the change. Details, and the letters of support, can be found in the planning commission report.
  Opinion: People who like gated communities and long commutes are not going to like this change. I'm all for it. Having multiple routes to where you're going means that you're not going to be forced onto as many congested arterial roads. Additionally, vehicle accidents are less frequent on connected roads than on unconnected roads. Then add that this will make the routes our children take to schools safer, and it's a home run.
  Update: Heard from Kitty Klitzke. She says, "In the face of overwhelming public support two commissioners want to...extend the public comment period." I guess Mark and Todd didn't want the public opinion they got, so they're ordering new opinions.
• Animal control options limited
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 23, 2010
  Summary: The City of Spokane asked voters to support funding to expand the regional animal control facility to allow the entire region to have a single animal control authority, but didn't get the funding. They have now asked Spokane County to ask for $14 million for the region to build the facility. Such a tax would cost $14/year for a $200,000 home for 6 years. Commissioner Mielke says we should look at building a new facility, but Commissioner Richard says he can't support a new tax. SpokAnimal is raising rates by 5% a year, but wants to get out of the animal control business.
  Opinion: I have advocated a regionalized animal control policy for years. This is something that just must be figured out. Some of the readers' comments that are on that page show that not everyone understands that this is a service to everyone, though I do support the idea that animal owners do have a greater responsibility. Ultimately, the real problems that we face are not caused by animal owners, though, as there is also a feral animal population which we all have responsibility to manage.
  Postscript: The City of Spokane did renew the SpokAnimal contract.

Four the Future - January 25

On Tap: Building demolition, county sued again, smart meters (audio!), and avoiding stimulus funding.

• Bid to save warehouse fails
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 24, 2010
  Summary: A warehouse on the southeast corner of Riverside and Division will be demolished to make way for an extension of Riverside Avenue. Developer Dan Spalding attempted to save the building, but Washington State University and the City of Spokane are moving forward to preserve the availability of federal transportation dollars and to prevent the loss of parking for SIRTI. Alternatives were considered and found to be unfeasible. Historic preservation advocates say the process was not respected. The new road, to be called Martin Luther King Jr. Way, will connect Riverside to Trent.
  Opinion: First of all, I have to say that I don't have the skills to determine the historical value of this building. However, I should point out that what this building is in the way of is greater automobile use in downtown Spokane. I'm not sure that's of a very high priority. On the other hand, there is an underutilized area between Trent and the rail line. Let's make this even more complex. Part of the conceptual engineering of the light rail also determined that the building to be demolished was also in the way of that project. All in all, a mess. But, I don't think there's anyone here with bad motives. I have found that it is possible in planning that there are two goods which are incompatible with each other. I have also found that early participation in the process is the most effective way of making sure your voice is heard in the final product. Governments need to be better at letting people know what's going on, yes, but each citizen also has a responsibility. If your circle of concern includes historical buildings, then you have a responsibility to make sure you're involved. Because once they're gone, they're gone.
• Plan change appealed to state hearing board
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 21, 2010
  See Also: Four the Future - December 23
  See Also: Four the Future - December 12
  Summary: Spokane County is being sued by Community Addressing Urban Sprawl Excess (CAUSE) in response to the county's recent rezoning of a property near Liberty Lake. The county's comprehensive plan declares the area rural, but Commissioner Mark Richard and an unnamed commissioner voted to allow 6 units per acre, with an additional condition of approval that it not be greater than 5 units per acre.
  Opinion: The unnamed commissioner is Todd Mielke. I'm sure the people up on the south hill would be interested to hear that the commissioners suddenly believe in conditions of approval. To the main point, however: Mielke and Richard ignored the law which only allows one house per 10 acres and now they're being sued for it. No one should be surprised about this. Even Mark Richard knows which way the wind blows when he said that the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board "has a tendency to decide against the county." Well, duh, Mark. When you ignore the comprehensive plan, that happens. And now he'll be using your tax dollars to defend himself in a losing battle because he wants to make a point to developers that he'll do whatever it takes to help them. But, the citizens of this county should learn a lesson, too: that Mielke and Richard are willing to use your resources against you.
• Debate: Do Smart Meters Curb Energy Use?
  Source: National Public Radio; January 8, 2010
  Summary: Google is pushing a new device which can track your energy use, and alert you in real time on your desktop. Using it, a person can see what appliances in your house are driving up your energy costs. (Energy is delivered in an odd way. Imagine that when you went into a grocery store, nothing had a price tag on it. Then, at the end of the month, you'd get a summary bill without any itemization.) The theory is that if you were aware of how much energy you were using, you would reduce. However, the debate comes in when one notices how cheap energy prices are. So, perhaps, you would actually use more. The offered solution? Have a machine make those decisions for you.
  Opinion: Energy prices are low to many people, but part of that is only because there are massive externalities (carbon emissions, habitat destruction, etc. which energy companies are not required to mitigate) and federal subsidies which make it cheap. For commercial buildings, at least, I think it's a pretty good idea to have automated energy usage decision making. I also think that energy companies should be allowed to charge based on the time of day so that our peak energy usage can be reduced (although, still regulated!).
• What We Learned From The Stimulus
  Source: Smart Growth America; retrieved January 25, 2010
  Summary: The amount of work generated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was twice as great per dollar for transit than for highway infrastructure. For every billion dollars spent by the federal government, the Surface Transportation Program (STP) created 8,781 job-months and public transportation dollars created 16,419 job-months. Far more dollars were spent on the "shovel ready" STP projects. Texas received six times more STP funds than transit funds, yet transit created 15 percent more jobs. Transit creates more jobs because they spend less money on land and more on people, projects are more complex, and they buy and maintain vehicles.
  Opinion: A lost opportunity for Spokane. Spokane was ready to build a light rail system. Indeed, construction could have been underway as we speak. But certain "conservative" members of the STA board--most egregiously Al French--and STA CEO (and anti-transit activist) E. Susan Meyer used public dollars to withhold information from the public and purposely failed to educate the public about the light rail vote that they had deliberately obfuscated. (Why conservative in quotation marks? They're not actually conservative in this matter. They're anti-transit, which is much different. Many conservatives embrace light rail because it's more efficient than buses and better for economic development. See Paul Weyrich, for example.) In the end, what did they do? They redirected transit funding to other cities, and left people here unemployed. Way to go, "conservatives!"

Four the Future - January 24

Today: Parking policy, greenhouse gas inventory, seeking public input, and climate change planning.

• Seattle to allow all-day parking lots near light-rail stations, after all
  Source: Seattle Times; January 11, 2010
  Summary: Despite a ordinance which bans it, newly seated Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will permit all day parking near Link light rail stations. Originally, the plan was to ensure that parking was limited to only a few hours per day. It was intended to help local businesses by making sure available parking wasn't taken up by light rail customers, and to protect local neighborhoods from a flood of commuter traffic. However, local businesses near McGinn's campaign office asked for the change last year. A new proposal will be made later this year.
  Opinion: Parking is a bizarre topic for planners because no one seems to know what amount of parking is appropriate. What I do know is that our policies are wrong, wrong, wrong because they almost always fail because the same policy can be too much in one location, and too little in another. Part of the problem is that parking is free. Well, actually, it isn't: it's built into the cost of every product and service in the nation, but no one recognizes it. And you pay it whether you park for 1 minute or 8 hours or not at all. The more people who know about the seminal work The High Cost of Free Parking (Amazon, $48.28), the better our cities and towns will be. What it argues, in part, is to let the market decide how much parking is worth, rather than having a government mandate to increase the amount of parking and crush the market into worthlessness. I agree.


• Climate Protection
  Source: City of Vancouver, BC; December 2009
  Summary: the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, has published its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (PDF, 4.86 MB). It calculates the amount of GHGs that are being emitted by category, such as commercial buildings, residential buildings, and transportation. Vancouver has much to be proud of, as they have reduced GHG emissions to 1990 levels, and the document states the city's belief that it will reach Kyoto goals in 2012. Vancouver has the lowest per capita major city GHG emissions rate in North America at 4.6 metric tonnes. Seattle is 7.1; Portland is 11.9.
  Opinion: In an easily readable form, the City of Vancouver has shown that it's possible to document and track GHG emissions. Everyone should be doing this, because you can change what you can measure.


• Choices for Cheney
  Source: City of Cheney; January 19, 2010
  Summary: The City of Cheney's comprehensive planning process, Choices for Cheney, is going on the road. the city is displaying data regarding their plan for the year 2030 in various locations around the city, even at multiple locations on Eastern Washington University's campus. Additionally, the displays are staffed to receive in-person input and answer questions.
  Opinion: Plans which are not rooted in public input are worse than useless. For Cheney, in particular, bridging the gap between the university and the rest of the community is important. Kudos to Cheney Community Development Director Brian Jennings for taking it to the people where they learn and work and shop. As a member of the Cheney community, I will be visiting one of the displays so I can reemphasize the importance of housing for low income transitory populations (students!) near the university. As long as the land is available on the edge of the city, there will be more apartments and more transportation headaches (both roads and parking) to deal with. New multifamily housing is mandatory. Where they put it should be obvious.


• Water planners look ahead
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 23, 2010
  Summary: the Army Corps of Engineers is working with the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group to determine changes in the way dams are used to deal with flooding. As the climate changes, more water is running off in the winter, and less is flowing in the spring and summer. The simulations are anticipating a global change of +3.6 Fahrenheit (+2 degrees Celsius) by 2050.
  Opinion: This is the tip of the melting iceberg. A couple of years ago, reinsurance companies started to raise rates for hurricane damage on the American east coast. It's getting very expensive and in some cases difficult to purchase. And it's becoming necessary in places as far north as Connecticut. This is an example of the market responding to climate change, not scientists. Time to get serious.

Four the future - January 23

In this edition: critical areas, telecommunications, solid waste, and rain gardens.

• Mudslide toll reaches 75
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 4, 2010
  Summary: Mudslides in Angra dos Reiso, Brazil (near São Paulo), shut down highways and killed at least 75 people. Brazil's only nuclear power plants were shut down due to concerns related to the loss of escape routes during an emergency. About 20 areas are still at risk, and people are being evacuated.
  Opinion: In Washington, counties and cities are obligated to identify erodible soils as part of its critical areas analysis. The reason why it's important can be seen from this story: it's inappropriate to build on--or below!--these critical areas.




• Americans say they are spending more time on Internet
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 3, 2010
  Summary: Americans say that they are spending about 8% of their time online, about 13 hours a week. That is down by one hour a week a year ago, but double what it was 10 years ago. The Harris Poll, which conducted the survey, said the increase is due to watching TV on the Internet, and online shopping. Half of Americans purchased something online in the past month. People aged 25 to 49 were online longest at 17-18 hours per week. Seniors spent the least at 8 hours. The time did not include time using email, nor time browsing on a smart phone.
  Opinion: It's important to enough bandwidth for all these communications. Governments have a duty to ensure that there is sufficient space for everyone and that companies don't "redline" neighborhoods (that is, deny them service). Cities and communications companies have been in a pitched battle in Washington, D.C., for years over 'Net neutrality, ownership of the roads under which many of these cables are strung, Internet sales and use taxes, and the right for municipalities to install telecommunications fiber. Fun factoid #1: the word "Internet" is capitalized because it's a proper noun. Not-so-fun-but-important factoid #2: Washington residents are required by law to fill out a document from the Department of Revenue when they make a purchase online and sales taxes aren't charged and send the tax to Olympia. Here is a fact sheet. And, no, the federal ban on Internet sales taxes doesn't change it: the federal law only applied to taxes which didn't exist at the time of the law, and the Sales and Use Tax has existed in Washington for a long time, even for online purchases.


• The Smoldering Trash Revolt
  Source: Miller-McCune; January 21, 2010
  Hat-tip:Barb Chamberlain (Twitter @barbchamberlain)
  Summary: Americans' per capita solid waste disposal rate is still going up, and recycling has flattened. States and municipalities end up raising costs upon their citizens in order to pay for its disposal. States are considering collecting fees for the production of hazardous wastes in order to have the money they need to deal with them. However, hazardous waste producers, including pharmaceutical companies, are resisting the call for corporate and personal responsibility.
  Opinion: The State of Washington has a program which requires manufacturers to take back electronic waste. However, this still doesn't take care of all the consumer waste (boxes, plastic cases, etc.) which municipalities must manage. The core question is: why should anyone be responsible for other people's waste? There is a disincentive for people to create less waste if you still have to pay the same high price. Retailers would very quickly reduce the consumer waste in this country if they were required to open their dumpsters to the garbage they make us take home.


• Shelter: Rain Gardens May Save the Sound
  Source: Seattle Magazine; January 19, 2010
  Summary: One of the best ways to protect your house and clean up Puget Sound is to install rain gardens. The City of Seattle is going to provide rebates to people who create them. Water running off your impervious surfaces can be redirected into shallow depressions in your yard which collect the water. They act as filters for the water before it reaches the Sound. There are limitations on where they can be dug. You can get advice on it at the city's RainWise site.
  Opinion: People in the Inland northwest recognize this concept as "swales" or "bioswales." Obviously, "rain garden" is a friendlier name for them. Either way, there is now a government in Washington which is encouraging people to create them on existing developed areas. This may be a good program for the City of Spokane to consider after they complete its fixes for its combined sewer overflow issues, which is also caused by poor stormwater management. There are some areas which would have some difficulty with rain gardens, notably, the south hill where a layer of clay hinders percolation, but the valley is ideal for this kind of treatment.

Four the future - January 4

And we're back! Today: planning is contentious, greenhouse planning, skyscrapers, and another of poverty's costs.

• The quest to designate Portland's growth areas sets counties against each other
  Source: The Oregonian, 091227
  Summary: Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah Counties, Oregon, will increase in population by one million in the next 20 years. Washington County is arguing that it is the economic engine of the region and need extra space for growth. Clackamas County agrees with the Washington County Farm Bureau, saying that too much farmland is being destroyed by Washington's proposals. Metro, which is responsible for creating the plan, has offered a map which creates 24,000 acres of additional urban reserve areas and 224,000 acres of rural reserve lands (pdf map, 7.22MB). The intent is to allow for 40-50 years of predictability for both government, and private sector decision makers. There are nine areas on the map where there is disagreement.
  Opinion: Portland, Oregon, and its suburbs are the poster children of good urban planning. It is instructive, therefore, to realize that even when the broad goals of growth management are embraced, there is contention. Just because there's disagreement doesn't mean that planning, as a function, is a failure. Indeed, if everyone always agreed, neither planning nor politics would ever be necessary.


• Air Quality Guidelines Face Unexpected Critics
  Source: The New York Times, 091226
  Summary: San Francisco will soon be responsible for regulating the emission of greenhouse gases. The guidelines being considered by the air pollution control authority would cause larger developments, both suburban and urban, to pay fees for emissions mitigation. Previously, developments in previously urban areas were exempt from environmental review.
  Opinion: A couple of the problems with some planning schemes is that they exempt small projects and only lay requirements on larger ones, and they treat each project as an individual problem rather than as a part of a regional issue. For example, here in Washington, you can use water from a residential well without a permit. As a consequence, thousands of individual wells have been drilled. Each one has limited impact, but as a group, it's having a major impact on those who have issued water rights. Shared resources, such as water and air, could be managed by individual requirements mitigated through a transfer of development responsibilities.


• Redefining skyscraper
  Source: The Spokesman-Review, 100104
  Summary: The Dubai Tower, Burj Dubai in Arabic, opened Monday under tight security. The actual height has been kept a secret, but it is reported to be 2,684 feet. The second tallest occupied building in the world is the Taipei 101 at 1,667 feet. Not only is Burj Dubai the tallest occupied building, but also the tallest structure, beating out a broadcast mast in North Dakota.
  Opinion: First thought: this is a legacy of the real estate bubble, just like the massive housing bubble here in the United States. Just because there's money to do it doesn't mean it's a good idea. Adam Smith's "Invisible Hand" can be defrauded, too. Second thought: I wonder what kinds of transportation assets they have for this massive structure. If they're dependent on automobiles, I wonder how many of its 124 stories is a parking garage. Third thought: The City of Spokane turned down the construction of the Rob Brewster's 32-story Vox Tower because it was one block outside the downtown core, which prevented the 300-foot tower from being built over 150 feet (amongst other objections which came along after the cited article). Currently the tallest building in Spokane is the 22-story, 288-foot Bank of America Building.




• Poverty shortens healthy years
  Source: Los Angeles Times, 091228
  Summary: Poverty is the strongest predictor of poor health, even greater than lack of education, smoking, and obesity according to a study published online in the American Journal of Public Health on December 17, 2009. The average person who earns less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline, which is the bottom third of all earners, will lose 8.2 years of good health. Other factors reduced health expectancy less: smoking by 6.6 years, high school dropouts by 5.1 years, and obesity by 4.2 years.
  Opinion: Just like public safety and welfare, public health is a planning issue. If you want a growing community, with lots of available workers and low absenteeism costs, make sure your community pays well enough for people to have access to robust preventative medicine. If you don't, be prepared to get hit by high medical costs.