Like any human endeavor, urbanity is noticed by artists. So, it's not surprising that there are songs about, say, sprawl. It's been noted before on this blog, and it's sure to come up again.
So, if you like urban theory in your music, here's one in which John Gorka laments sprawl's effect on the family farm: Houses in the Fields.
Top Posts - October 2010
What tickled readers' fancies last month? Well, one was Top Posts - September 2010 which, while virtually guaranteeing the return of this feature each month, didn't seem appropriate for inclusion in this list since it's not actually an October story! So, enjoy the list of the top five most viewed actual October stories:
#5 Four the Future - October 8 Four stories about energy: upgrades for the federal buildings downtown courtesy of the stimulus act, solar panels return to the White House roof, wind in Missoula, and utility-scale solar in California.
#3 (tie) Four the Future - October 15 We used to build dams, now we're tearing them down, but now we have beavers to build dams! And, we used to dump pollutants into the rivers, now we're trying to get them out, but now we have sewer plants to pollute again!
#3 (tie) Four the Future - October 28 Four foodies stories: chickens come home to roost in the Spokane Valley council chambers, underutilized properties being converted into food and community activity, lots of new restaurants being launched, and more diabetes on the way.
#2 Four the Future - October 1 Starting the month off with a high note! Millwood considering speed bumps, light rail produces jobs, slime mold designing transportation networks, and a "Goldilocks" planet discovered inspiring thoughts about human rights.
#1 Synopsis: Planning Theory for Practitioners The main points of Michael Brooks' book trying to bridge the gap between planning theory and practice which proposes a strategy for making planning more effective.
#5 Four the Future - October 8 Four stories about energy: upgrades for the federal buildings downtown courtesy of the stimulus act, solar panels return to the White House roof, wind in Missoula, and utility-scale solar in California.
#3 (tie) Four the Future - October 15 We used to build dams, now we're tearing them down, but now we have beavers to build dams! And, we used to dump pollutants into the rivers, now we're trying to get them out, but now we have sewer plants to pollute again!
#3 (tie) Four the Future - October 28 Four foodies stories: chickens come home to roost in the Spokane Valley council chambers, underutilized properties being converted into food and community activity, lots of new restaurants being launched, and more diabetes on the way.
#2 Four the Future - October 1 Starting the month off with a high note! Millwood considering speed bumps, light rail produces jobs, slime mold designing transportation networks, and a "Goldilocks" planet discovered inspiring thoughts about human rights.
#1 Synopsis: Planning Theory for Practitioners The main points of Michael Brooks' book trying to bridge the gap between planning theory and practice which proposes a strategy for making planning more effective.
Four the Future - November 3
Today: helping you breathe easier.
- New U.S. Standards Take Aim at Truck Emissions and Fuel Economy
Source: New York Times; October 25, 2010
Summary: The Obama administration is proposing new fuel efficiency rules for heavy vehicles, mainly "tractor-trailers, buses, delivery vans, heavy pickup trucks, [and] cement mixers" for vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2018. Changes are intended to reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 20 percent, depending on type. A recent study showed that fuel consumption could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
Opinion: The study cited above states that for the cost of $84,600 per tractor-trailer, fuel efficiency could be doubled, offering a return on investment of 10% as long as fuel was at least $1.10 per gallon. As of October 25, the cost of diesel fuel is $3.067 per gallon, up $0.266 from last year, which means the ROI would be much higher.
- Mercury emissions too high during incinerator test
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 17, 2010
Summary: During its annual air-quality testing, Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy plant failed its mercury emissions test. The plant has an effective "carbon pollution control system" to capture mercury prior to release, but it is turned off during testing to prove that it doesn't need it.
Opinion: Um, apparently, it does need it.
- Lowe’s and Wal-Mart pay multimillions in air pollution fines
Source: Los Angeles Times; October 29, 2010
Summary: Lowe’s will pay $2.75 million, and Wal-Mart will pay $2 million in a settlement for having sold paint that causes smog.
Opinion: One of the important parts of the green building movement is to make the places we occupy healthier for people. One of the requirements to qualify for recognition as a green building is the use of paints and coverings that emit fewer, or no, volatile organic compounds (VOC). Consumer Reports ran an article regarding these paints last year. Standards will change over time, producing improved respiratory health, but either our expectations for paint will have to change or the coverings industry must find ways to provide their product without harming their customers.
- Agency offers seminars on proper wood burning
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 21, 2010
Summary: The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) is offering seminars on how to burn wood cleanly at 11 AM to noon the next two Saturdays at three locations around the region. You may also receive more information directly from the agency with a brochure or DVD.
Opinion: Spokane sits in a big valley that, when there’s an inversion, the air near the ground cannot escape. In that case, all the smoke emitted by fireplaces stays here in the valley. The SRCAA is responsible for enforcing burning restrictions to maintain air quality in Spokane when there’s an inversion. When people burn cleanly, it not only improves our air quality, but clean-burners get to use their wood burning appliance when dirty ones cannot.
Four the Future - November 1
A special Four: these are some of the goings-on we talked about in Dr. Zovanyi's "Fundamentals of Planning" class.
- Biodiversity Conference Starts in Japan
Source: New York Times; October 18, 2010
Summary: Delegates to the United Nations conference on biodiversity will be discussing issues ranging from climate change to economic exploitation of developing nations by drug companies. The world is experiencing extinction at a rate 100 to 1000 times greater than average due to human activities.
Opinion: Again, these are critical issues, but there is likely to be little movement because the developed countries will want to protect the profits of multinational corporations despite overwhelming evidence that our activities are unsustainable. - [VIDEO] Stretched To The Limits: Still driving to qualify after the housing crisis
Source: Blueprint America; October 22, 2010
Summary: Despite continued foreclosures and abandoned neighborhoods, developers in the Phoenix suburbs continue to lure people out to the edge. Meanwhile, this is a story about a family who thought they were pursuing the "American Dream," but instead ended up upside-down in their mortgage. They find themselves waking their kids up at 4 AM to be able to have time to commute 120 miles to their jobs and childcare, dependent on their single remaining car, and so far away from transit that a local developer laughs at the prospect.
Opinion: People did not realize they were getting themselves into these situations. Who should they be able to trust? Can it be planners, perhaps, to help them think through these situations before they are stuck? We should consider whether standard mortgages be limited by the amount of money it costs to commute and the cost of the increased infrastructure costs directly attributable to sprawl. Maybe, then, people would realize that houses out in the sticks are cheap because it is very expensive to live there.
- Public Housing Repairs Can’t Keep Pace With Need
Source: New York Times; October 24, 2010
Summary: The federal government is not keeping up with the maintenance of public housing projects. Nationwide, 150,000 housing units have been lost due to the failure to care for them. In New York City, the maintenance backlog is three years long.
Opinion: They can give a whole lot of money to Wall Street, but cannot fix the holes in the walls of public housing. *shakes head*
- Seattle's proposed tree rules prompt opposition
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer; October 24, 2010
Summary: The city of Seattle’s trees inspired the nickname "Emerald City," but newly proposed rules would allow property owners to cut down trees without a permit. They are considering these rules at the same time that city policy calls for an increase in the tree canopy. Staff decided that a permit system would be too cumbersome. Instead, they will require tree credits for replacement of downed trees.
Opinion: Michael P. Brooks, author of Planning Theory for Practitioners proposes the "feedback strategy" in which planners offer alternatives as fodder for people to which to react as a way to gauge public opinion. If that is what happening here, they are certainly going to get a great deal of feedback! I wonder, by the way, how the city will know that a tree needs to be replaced if a permit isn’t necessary to remove it. Trees provide critical (and free!) services like soil retention and storm water mitigation that replacement will not remedy. How will they deal with that?
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