Planning the Future

Cascade Collaborative: A Planners Conference

2011-10-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

For the next three days, the Washington and Oregon Chapters of the American Planning Association are meeting in Portland, Oregon for their annual conferences. But, rather than operate separate events, they are working together on one which will serve the needs of both organization's members.

Today's events include mobile workshops, discussions about topics while traveling to sites to show planners how the topic affects what happens on the ground, in the world. While there are several mobile workshops underway, this blog will address two: Portland's Food Carts, and the Beaverton's EcoDistrict. Entries will be linked from here when they become available.

Over the next couple days, there will be numerous other entries, and they will be linked from here as well.

Q&A with the Deal Makers

2011-05-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Moderator:
Denice Trimble, GordonDerr
Speakers:
Denice Trimble, Partner, GordonDerr
Seth Hudson, Weston Solutions Inc
Don Moody, First Vice President, CB Richard Ellis
Ed Morales, Environmental Risk Officer, Sterling Savings Bank

10:15 AM: Denice Trimble introduced this session as an opportunity to talk about what financial resources are available for brownfield projects, and the legal and risk concerns on these projects.

How do the current economic conditions affect the negotiations these days?
Don Moody: brownfields are very similar in process to other properties, but with the inclusion of costs associated with the remediation. But, there are simply fewer buyers. Since 2007, there was a 70% decline in large lot sales. Same for brownfields. But, activity if picking up. Brownfields are becoming more positive because they tend to be in urban settings. Tearing down a building have costs, too.
Seth Hudson: They do 6-8 deals across the country for brownfield purchase and development. There has to be a trust relationship and a exit strategy. They do not hold property for more than 5 years. They clean them up and move on. This is easier with access to capital.

How has the economy affected the financing of brownfields?
Ed Morales: There haven't been many deals lately, as developers have been licking their wounds on construction loans. But, there is money available. It's important to try to understand the risk. U.S. Bank wants to do these kinds of loans because they have internal expertise. Private investment brownfield "flippers" are saying that there are places where brownfields are ready to be taken up, and the Northwest is one of the hot areas, particularly Seattle and Bellevue.
Hudson: Agreement on that last point.

How do you identify the right properties?Moody: There is movement away from greenfield development. From a financing perspective, owner may have to finance half the cost. But, sometimes, there's no point to insuring a building, except for liability, because it doesn't matter if it burns down. But sometimes they can be used for purposes which provide low incomes. In the end, though, it's important to have good exit strategies.
Hudson: It used to be that if you build it, they will come, so it's little more than buying it, cleaning it up, then selling it to someone. The market is changing because you can identify a customer first and find a property that best fits their needs. Now they can set criteria for site selection because they know a specific need. That's what has changed the most. But, sometimes, current owners call to dispose of it.
Moody: It's almost impossible to find financing for a new building right now, even if the need can't be met elsewhere. That's new. So, it may be that they must use a brownfield site because it doesn't exist any other way.
Hudson: There are finance structures which recognize that the land might be upside down prior to the environmental concern. In that case, property owners might provide the land for free (even with cash) to get it off their books. Alternatively, the payment for the sale might happen on the back end after the final owner receives it.
Morales: Indemnity flow is important: who is ultimately responsible for the cost. This will also be a variable in the financial and insurance arrangements.
Moody: You must be highly curious to make these work. Every deal is different.
Hudson: people involved must be open about the situation. Testing in areas where there wouldn't be an issue isn't appropriate.

What kinds of clients are you looking for? How many are there?
Moody: there are very few buyers. there are no 30-60 day sales. These can take 3-5 years, and you don't get paid until the back end. Sales are always a team effort, including sellers, buyers, and government agencies.

From a lending perspective, what are you expecting to see during the due dilligence phase?
Morales: Do as much as possible. You're risking capital. The amount of due diligence is very important. Characterization of the site is key, and how much has been done to mitigate, and what plans are in place to complete it, including the costs. Regulators require a course of action. Insurance may cover those costs of the presumptive solution. How often does this happen? On occassion.
Hudson: this is a costly, time-consuming process. Sometimes gaining that time requires hard or soft money to hold it off the market. Sometimes a government can assist on those costs, if they're important sites. Remediation can take a year or two.

Does the size of the site matter? Are small ones worth it?
Moody: There are hundreds of small sites in Tacoma. Almost every gas station is simply too small. Aggregating them makes more sense. In old cities like that it's even difficult to determine what the source is because the contamination plumes can overlap.
Hudson: the best use for fomer gas stations are...gas stations. But there are also similarly sized uses, such as fast food drive through restaurants, so there's some possibility of that if the city will allow it. A gas station in Fresno is different from one in Beverly Hills because it has to do with land value. You can do more with it if the land value is higher.
Morales: one of the ways to make the credit people in the banks happy is to provide an insurance policy against the cost of remediation of these small sites.

Can the insurance policy actually solve the problem if there's a new owner afterwards?The term of the insurance policy is usually pretty short because there's usually enough time for big oil to finish cleaning it up within a couple years. So, it may not be necessary for later owners. But, they could also add a new beneficiary to the existing insurance policy.
Moody: It's important for brownfield experts to be a source of information for the clients so they can learn about what is actually going on here. Others may not be willing or able to provide useful information.
Hudson: For his company, the land is owned by an LLC created for that purpose, and the insurance is transferred to the corporate parent. This allows them to bankrupt the LLC while protecting the corporate bottom line.
Morales: This also helps with funding because the banks are more willing to provide dollars to the guarantor: in this case, not the LLC, but the mother corporation, which balances the risk load.
Hudson: And they provide a guarantee that if any further contamination is found, they will go back to finish it up.

How do attorneys affect this process?Trimble: This is a partnership amongst all the members of the transaction. But, yes, as attorneys are very risk averse. There is a spectrum: "as is" to "full indemnities" (though that never happens). there has to be sufficient time for due diligence. What are the representations and warranties? What is the source of the information? Some information is more reliable. There may be a limit to the indemnification. Are there sunset provisions which provides a number of years before the seller is off the hook?
Morales: the strength of the legal team is very important. Good representation makes a difference. The context is also important because there may be superfund exposure and interaction with environmental assets off site.
Hudson: But, it's important that the business terms are clear before you bring in the attorney otherwise it will never get off the dime
Trimble: Non-binding terms!

Mr. Hudson, do you work with the public sector?
Hudson: Yes.
How long are you willing to hold the properties?
Hudson: 5 years was what was said in the past. Now it's more like 5-7 years. We don't want to clean for one year then hold it for several more years. We are looking for jobs that would take longer now because there's the time. In hot markets, you have to move faster, and that's difficult with brownfields because they simply take time.

What about brownfields without a building?
Morales: There isn't alot of that going on right now because you need to know that the building was substantially leased. It was 50%, but now more like 70%.
Hudson: this requires pre-leases, even. They moved into a building they were building in order to have the building leased.
Moody: There is little market for this. It's simply not happening right now. It will take a year to get the funding and you will have to prove you don't need it to get it.
Morales: Confirmed. That's the current conditions.

What about land banking?
Morales: Yes, you can get liability insurance for a longer term after remediation. There's only three markets, though, for environmental remediation coverage, down from five last year. It's easier to do this if you're bigger. One-offs are far more difficult.
Hudson: insurance is flexible, you may put in large deductables or insurance for a part, then no insurer liability for a range of values, say between $5 million and $10 million where the company is self-insured, then the insurance kicks in again above that.

Denise Trimble thanked the participants.

A Developer's Perspective

2011-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

9:09 AM: Presentation by Jason Wheaton, President, Greenstone Corporation

9:11 AM: Jason came from California, which he likes, but this area is paradise. They consider themselves as a communication company rather than a developer. When things go wrong it may be because they failed to communicate well with their internal and external customers. They tell themselves that 30% of everything they're doing is wrong. It's a hard thing to say. If you have the attitude that 30% of what you're doing is wrong, you can always get better. 30% of environmental regulations can be better, too.

9:15 AM: Market Conditions...job growth and interest rates will be the driving force in the recovery. With efforts to reduce the deficit loom, the effect on local and regional governments should be monitored. Vacancy rates are leveling off. There are opportunities, and there is some optimism.

9:17 AM: Housing inventory is beginning to be depleted. California still has a great deal of inventory. We're in a better situation. But, our market is fragile. They closely monitor the Spokane MLS Quintile Analysis. Greenstone tries to serve the middle three quintiles. There's little margin at that level for brownfield remediation.

9:21 AM: Spokane is a relatively affordable market for nice housing. The community is "tremendously appealing." With the medical base, there's good economic prospects. There are existing opportunities as demographics change. The current housing mix isn't good for our future demographics. "Investment Capital is very difficult to attract." Money is currently going to markets which were hardest hit. Spokane isn't in that category.

9:25 AM: Greenstone has adjusted to the new market, bringing down their labor force by 25%. "Hope is not a strategy." Buyers are purchasing homes for shelter, not investment.

9:26 AM: How does out region manage growth. Greenstone is pursuing a "Sustainable Growth Model." "We need strong urban growth in the next 20 years." The baby boomers are aging and are looking for a different kind of lifestyle. Empty nesters will increase by 244%. "This will be a huge burden on our government."

9:29 AM: We spend about 32% of our income on housing, and 17% on car ownership. That's 49%. If we can develop lands to reduce auto dependency, then more can go to housing and less to cars. "Shelter isn't going to be less expensive." Health care is getting more expensive. What's happening is that discretionary expenses are going away: entertainment, clothing, household furnishing, education, pensions and social security contributions. It's an attack on what made the middle class feel prosperous.

9:35 AM: Municipal infrastructure is crumbling, and it will be expensive to repair. $21.8 billion annual need for over 20 years just for transit. $131.7 billion and $9.4 billion annually for deficient roads and bridges. Water will be $151 and wastewater will be $390 billion.

9:37 AM: Only 10% of the growth is occurring in the areas which are designated as centers and corridors. Development is happening in the wrong places. There are several incentives to encourage development in the right places, but it's not happening. The brownfields in Spokane are so intense, the original map was impossible to read. There are significant areas which cannot be utilized because of this. You can follow the rail line through town on the brownfields map.

9:39 AM: Jason recommends very strongly the Department of Ecology's "Guide to Leveraging Brownfield Redevelopment for Community Revitalization." (Publication number 10-09-054.) He read the full first page of the document.

9:41 AM: There are benefits to brownfield development: creating jobs, leveraging existing infrastructure, neighborhood revitalization, new local revenue and taxes, clean up environmental problems, reduce urban decay. "Neighborhoods are always getting better or getting worse."

9:43 AM: Developers need information about the land in order to create economic certainty. Financial institutions resist investment due to "perceived long term liability and marketability issues." Brownfields depress land values, this prevents investment for remediation, so it perpetuates the problem. Most of the brownfield projects are downtown because land values are higher. This is highly inelastic, small price changes eliminates the ability to build. Worse, it affects adjacent properties' value that discourages continued investment.

9:48 AM: A review of Kendall Yards and its changing ownership. Had to leave to prepare for next section, entitled Q&A with the Deal Makers.

Welcoming Remarks

2011-05-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

8:45 AM: Melissa Wittstruck introduced Mayor Mary Verner. Mayor Verner is thanking people for attending and encouraging the participants to see how Spokane has changed over the years.

8:50 AM: Mayor Verner is reflecting upon how Riverfront Park used to be a brownfield site, contaminated by the presence of the rail yards. University District is also a brownfield site with its remediation currently underway.

8:56 AM: Mayor Verner continues: There will be a tour tomorrow which will include many sites around Spokane which have been recovered. They include buildings such as the Saranac, the Main Street Co-op (which has been certified LEED Gold). Kendall Yards (formerly a rail yard) is also being remediated, and will include commercial and residential properties for all income levels.

8:58 AM: Joanne, a representative of the EPA Region X office introduces the types of assistance they provide to help conversion of brownfields to productive use. They are actively engaging other federal agencies to participate. They train people to help residents get the skills to help remediate brownfields, to help them get jobs and stimulate the economy.

9:04 AM: The EPA has not been informed as to its budget at this point. The EPA is receiving unusual scrutiny, and people should forward to them their success stories.

9:05 AM: Melissa Wittstruck is a city planner with the City of Spokane, and she is struck by the complexity of brownfield development, financial and legal. She has worked with both the environmental and development communities. We want more than just cleaned up land, but reuse as well. We try to work realistically together. Developer community assistance is necessary.

This blog continues with A Developer's Perspective

Transportation and Public Health Survey

2011-03-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a group of volunteers and I worked for a couple hours for the Spokane Regional Health District surveying residents in the northwest corner of the East Central neighborhood and observing the physical conditions of their neighborhood. This area (south of the Spokane River, east of Division, north of 2nd Avenue, and west of Sprague Way and the Hamilton overpass) is part of Spokane's University District. The effort was conducted to survey the residents' attitudes about the proposed pedestrian overpass between the Riverpoint Campus and the warehouse district. But, additionally, the survey's observations can serve as a baseline for any changes that occur due to investments made in the area. That is, we're taking the "before" picture. The results will be used to help inform the health district in their recommendation to the City of Spokane.

Wondering why this is being conducted by the Health District? The Health District has a Physical Activity and Nutrition program which, in part, encourages pedestrian and biking activity. The Health District is performing this research in order to estimate what kind of change in physical activity is likely to occur as a result in a change in the pedestrian infrastructure.

There was only about a dozen of us, but we did survey the entire area in just a couple hours. I was working with Mohammed Aly, another graduate student in the urban and regional planning department at EWU. The area we were assigned was the southeastern portion, mostly auto-oriented businesses, self-storage, some office spaces, and, from what we noted, one residence. We walked up and down the streets wearing orange vests assessing the prevalence of vandalism in the area, including graffiti and broken windows.

I think there's something very useful in having people actually take a look at their environment. It's difficult to change something unless you take the time to truly take a look at it. What I would have enjoyed in addition to this is to go with one of the residents and business owners (or more) to allow them to point out what they think is important. We did meet a gentleman there who certainly seemed engaged and willing to share his community with us, and I suspect it's not any different in many other places, too. In an ideal planning activity, you'd want to include that kind of data to ensure that you're not trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist in the minds of the people who are involved.

It was an excellent experience, one I'm looking forward to repeating, especially if the weather is as nice as it was yesterday!

For more information on the pedestrian bridge, and many other transportation- and transit-related projects in the downtown area, you are invited to an open house from 4:30 PM to 7 PM on Tuesday, March 29, at the Spokane City Council Chambers on the lower level of Spokane City Hall, 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd.

Optional Reading List - Winter 2011

2011-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

As part of a continuing series of recommended readings from the professors and students of Eastern Washington University's Urban and Regional Planning program, here is your latest optional reading list!

The works, and my understanding of them, are below. If the descriptions are inaccurate, then it's because I misunderstood and I'd appreciate a heads-up!

A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, nonfiction recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. In a beautifully written series of essays about his observations of nature, Leopold expresses the importance of preserving the environment and his concept of the Land Ethic.

Our Ecological Footprint, by Williams E. Rees and Mathis Wackernagel, nonfiction recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. This is the book that defines the concept of our "footprint" and argues that our combined footprint is exceeding the planet's capacity to renew itself.

The Last Landscape, nonfiction by William H. Whyte recommended by Dr. Hurand. This book, published more than four decades ago, urges Americans to make better use of space. While others noted its importance at the time (Jane Jacobs called it "an excellent book"), it is relevant to today's sprawl-oriented nation searching for an alternative.

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, fiction recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. I reviewed this after I read it a few weeks back. It's a story about Mother Culture, and a challenge presented to her by a telepathic gorilla. No, it's not science fiction: it's a survey of human history and human present, and asks us to consider what the human future is going to be.

Integral Urbanism, by Nan Ellin, nonfiction recommended by Dr. Winchell. It documents the transition from mechanical, rigid modernistic architecture to humanist post-modern architecture and its application to New Urbanism.

Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development, nonfiction by Herman Daly, recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. This is an economic treatise recognizing the upcoming change to the very nature of economics when the irrational assumption of unending growth is finally overthrown.

House Form and Culture, nonfiction by Amos Rapoport and recommended by Dr. Hurand. Amos Rapoport is an environmental psychology researcher, studying the complex interplay between how people change their environment and how the environment affects human behavior. In this work, he discusses the connection between the culture of a people and the kind of housing they construct.

The Levittowners, nonfiction by Herbert Gans and recommended by Dr. Hurand. The first infamous suburban development is studied to determine what kind of culture was being created in an extended area of mass-produced, identical houses.

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America, nonfiction by Timothy Egan, recommended by, well, everyone. Just over 100 years ago, there was a spectacular fire here in the northwest in which an area the size of Connecticut burned in a weekend. The flames moved faster than a horse at full gallop. The frontier was officially closed by this point in American history, and Roosevelt was trying to ignite a tradition to conserve this nation's wild spaces. This work tells the story of the fire, and how it changed the way America treats its public lands.

Thank you, IES-APA Part Deux

2011-03-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last quarter I wrote about a couple of the books that I purchased for classes using the money I was awarded for a short essay I wrote entitled "The Purpose of Urban and Regional Planning." The $500 award was more than necessary to purchase my books for last quarter, so the remaining funds were used to purchase books this quarter.

The first book I purchased is the fifth edition of Urban Land Use Planning by Berke, Godschalk, Kaiser, and Rodriguez. (Now that I'm typing this out, I recognize Kaiser and Godschalk from an essay I read during my first quarter, "Twentieth Century Land Use Planning," which on my list of articles to review on this blog.) I purchased the book for PLAN 440 (Land Use Planning). Flipping through the pages I see that its pages are highly colorful with the pictures and graphics you'd expect from an undergraduate textbook.

The second book is the second edition of Understanding Your Economy by McLean and Voytek. This is the required textbook for PLAN 504 (Planning Methods II). It is published by the American Planning Association and conforms to the format that I've learned to expect from the APA, even in fonts and horizontal rules. This one, however, is beginning to show its age, as the exhibits are sometimes blurry or indistinct. And, certainly, the data is elderly and I noticed it is using SIC codes (valid from the 1930's) rather than NAICS (established in 1997). This is understandable as this second edition was first published in 1992.

I have one other class this quarter, PLAN 460 (Urban Design), but the bookstore is unaware of any textbooks which may be necessary. But, even if there were a book for it, the $500 ran out with the purchase of the two books above. Still, that's a total of five books which didn't come out of this poor student's wallet, and that is greatly appreciated!

Separated Bike Lanes

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

One topic often addressed by this blog is that of bike lanes due to their importance in creating complete streets to increase transportation choices, improve air quality, and decrease our dependence on oil. But, it also gets significant attention here because it is the subject of significant controversy.

One of the ways that a safe, welcoming bike lane can be provided to the public is by separating the bike path from the auto lanes. (Want to see the study on separated bike lane safety? Here it is from Injury Prevention.) These separated bike lanes not only make clear the place where bicycle riders are to be, but also exclude dangerous elements, such as moving automobiles or stationary ones with their doors suddenly opening in the path of a biker ("dooring"). And, yes, it does happen, and it can be fatal.

Spokane has a separated bike trail: the Centennial Trail. However, that's more of a bicycle highway, which allows people to travel long distances undisturbed, but also fails to successfully deliver bike riders to their destinations without, as Danish architect and infrastructure consultant Jan Gehl says, "[letting] people fend for themselves once they reach the city." Nevertheless, it's a commendable achievement that we should build upon.

The true usefulness of separated bike paths is when they're permitted to enter the core of the community. A local example of that is the bike system in Liberty Lake. It connects to the Centennial Trail, consists of a number of interconnected trails (though, not all are separated from the road), and many are surrounded by trees and grass. But, these are not urban trails as would be necessary in downtown Spokane or anywhere else where they'd need to be shoehorned in. So what do we do in that situation?

Well, it's pretty congested in New York City:

The first separated bike lane in NYC was proposed in 2007, and its cross-section is below. In this case, a 15-foot wide planted area was inserted into the right-of-way to come between the moving automobiles and the bicyclists. The planted area also includes parking while protecting the bikers from being doored.

The video above did note that there are places where solid barriers would be inappropriate, such as when emergency or delivery vehicles must approach the curb. In that case, a double rolled-curb barrier such as the one displayed here (thank you to StreetsWiki) could be more appropriate. Other options mentioned in the video include bollards (removable vertical poles) such as the ones you see where the Centennial Trail crosses roads. They prevent vehicles from passing, unless you have the authority that comes along with having the key.

Coming back to the Pacific Northwest, the current issue of Planning Magazine brings the story of Vancouver, British Columbia's newest experiment in separated bike paths. While separated bike paths were available along the water's edge, last summer brought a proposal to separate the bike path on Hornby Street, penetrating into downtown.

Could Spokane do the same thing? It does present challenges. It is more complex than laying down stripes and it does need to be designed into the physicality of the road. Second Avenue, for instance, would need a concrete strip of some kind in order to move the parking meters away from the sidewalk. However, for much of Spokane region, the roads are very wide, and a few feet for a concrete strip would be easy to accommodate. Plowing would become impossible in the bike lanes in that case, but the city doesn't sufficiently maintain the bike lanes in those situations, anyway. Indeed, you might be able to pitch it as an alternative to piling up snow in the middle of the road during major storms.

As always, the character of the neighborhood and the people's transportation demands will be key to deciding what form a transportation asset will take. But, no matter what you may think about them in general, building separated bike lanes is a valid alternative, and no transportation plan proposal should be presented to the public without it.

Fracking

2011-02-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that I'm adding "Planning Magazine" to my list of major sources for this blog, as it includes interesting information about a broad set of topics. This month's issue begins with a story (subscription required) about environmental concerns about a process called "fracking," which is in use in the petroleum industry.

Fracking is short for "hydraulic fracturing." It involves injecting a fluid of some kind into a well in order to clear out sediments between cracks in hard rock in order to make a clear path for...well, whatever you want that's down there. In the case of the people at Fogle Pump, a company here in Spokane, Colville, and Republic, Washington, they're trying to clear out sediments in water wells in order to increase flows. Fogle maintains a page where they describe and illustrate the process. They also host a video showing workers performing the task. The infamous Halliburton corporation also has an online explanation of fracking, though in their case it appears that they are creating fissures then using sand to hold them open.

The controversy that arises is: what happens if the hydraulic fluid used in the process contaminates drinking water? This has become a concern in New York because the source of water for New York City is in a geological region called the Marcellus Formation (or Marcellus Shale). The source of the image below is Earthjustice, and can be found as part of a web page here.

The use of fracking has been banned by outgoing New York Governor David Paterson by executive order and the EPA has questioned Halliburton about the kinds of chemicals contained in their proprietary hydraulic fracturing solutions. Halliburton responded by making their fluid disclosure available online (click on Pennsylvania to see what they're using in the Marcellus Shale), but in a public-relations format, not in a the replicable, scientific format ordered by the EPA.

Normally, I give a company the benefit of the doubt, but Halliburton's corporate honesty isn't rated that high, and you can also see their sneering attitude in this
condescending newsletter.

The application of fracking is an environmental issue, even if it is seems somewhat remote. It alters the configuration and operation of natural systems as surely as rerouting a stream or river. And, because the part of the environment which is being altered is difficult to see and conceptualize, unintended consequences are likely to occur. Take the West Plains Aquifer from which communities such as Airway Heights, Four Lakes, Fairchild Air Force Base, and Medical Lake draw their water. This basalt aquifer has been failing to keep up with human consumption for years. One might consider fracking in order to gain access to more water. But, there's significant risk. There are many wells in the West Plains Aquifer, and when you provide an advantage to one well, you are likely to merely divert water from other wells. Very little is known about the aquifer, but the various municipalities are trying to do something about that. In the meantime, the actual structure of the aquifer remains unknown.

There is another, more fundamental, problem. The West Plains aquifer does not have inflow from surrounding mountains like this region's more famous aquifer, the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. This aquifer is only recharged by the rain and snow that falls directly upon it--and that doesn't account for much. So, fundamentally, the aquifer will fail, fracking or not, unless human consumption is no greater than the infiltration of precipitation over the aquifer. That represents a hard limit to the aquifer's capacity. At a deeper level, fracking cannot solve the problem on the West Plains, or even on the Marcellus Shale. It merely creates a much larger risk in the future.

Planning Magazine

2011-02-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of being a member of the American Planning Association is receipt of its monthly magazine, "Planning." Members have access online as well. (That link is available to anyone, though the links on that page are not normally available. Having said that, I do remember that the APA gave access to certain articles on a case-by-case basis.)

Planning Magazine is fascinating for a couple of reasons. Of course, you must know by now that I find planning fascinating in general, otherwise I wouldn't be making the $50,000 bet in the form of student loans and years of my life to get a degree in it. But, also, it is fascinating because of its breadth of field. (This is also a criticism. Remind me to tell you about Aaron Wildavsky's classic article "If Planning is Everything, Maybe It's Nothing" someday.) The point is, if you can't find an interesting topic in the planning field, you're probably not trying very hard.

So, what's the point of this blog entry, then? Simply, to let you know that I'll be reviewing some topics brought up by Planning Magazine on occasion, so you'll be able to see just how broad planning is. Also, you'll find that many of the topics we struggle with in Spokane are being faced in other places--and they're doing something about it! Maybe we can, too.

Jefferson Elementary Update

2011-02-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

Spokane Public Schools has released plans for the construction of the new Jefferson Elementary School. The presentation provided at the recent open house has been posted on its web site.

This new site has been the subject of considerable controversy. Proponents of the location change pointed to a survey conducted by the district in favor of the move, preservation of the use of the old elementary building, and a $4 million cost savings. Opponents delivered 900 signatures against the move citing increased traffic and harming residential property values.

According to the Spokesman-Review, the design of the site retains the old stand of trees which was feared to be lost as a result of the construction. The new plan actually increases the number of trees on the site along both 37th Avenue and Manito Boulevard.

There will be additional open houses this year to show progress on the project. The first will be on March 31, before the design presentation to the board on April 13. The second will be on September 29, after design development is complete. The project is anticipated to go to bid next winter, with construction occurring throughout 2012 and into 2013, just in time for the 2013-2014 school year.

Triumph of the City

2011-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Harvard economist Edward Glaeser was a guest on The Daily Show. His book, Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier is the subject of the segment. Just as Lewis Mumford observes in his classic "The City in History," Glaeser states that the proximity of people within cities allow interactions that increase our knowledge. In modern times, life expectancy is actually greater in cities due to better lifestyle habits, such as walking, and due to investments in key health technologies such as the provision of clean water. Additionally, cities are economically stronger places.

Despite these advantages, Glaeser points out anti-urban federal policies such as the home mortgage interest deduction ("we make a fetish of home ownership in this country") and higher highway subsidies in suburban areas ("[funded] two to one in the lowest density areas").

Obviously, no place or form is perfect. Every neighborhood must choose its own best solution. But I believe that Glaeser is setting up an important point: if cities are so bad, why do we subsidize the suburbs?

h/t to Studio Cascade for bringing this to my attention!

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Ishmael

2011-02-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.

I originally scheduled, for today, an "Optional Reading List" for Winter 2011, just as I had for Fall 2010. However, I've preempted it because, due to the kindness of a friend, I actually got the chance to read one of the books contained in the Winter list.

"Ishmael," by Daniel Quinn, consists almost exclusively of a dialogue between a human and a telepathic gorilla named Ishmael. The discussion posits an ongoing conflict between two groups of people, the takers and the leavers. Today's society is cast as the ever-expanding culture of the takers, so-called because we take more than is necessary to survive. This is not just American culture or European culture, but all cultures who participate in the agricultural revolution. Quinn makes an excellent point: the agricultural revolution was a seminal even in human history, and we're taught when it started, but did you ever think about when it ended?

The gorilla's name comes from Genesis, wherein the first son of Abraham, Ishmael, was cast out and remained wild and always in conflict with the people. This is apt, as our gorilla is a representative of the leavers, never taking more than is necessary to live. Taker culture casts leavers as wild and in need of education to raise them out of their wretched state, that is, the culture needs to be destroyed.

As the self-appointed judges of what should live and what should die, the takers have transformed the world into a massive food production processor. But at what cost? "Ishmael" explores the dangers of our present course. While I personally find dialogues difficult, this was a relatively easy read, its 260-some pages going down in just a couple hours. And it has hand-drawn maps. How could you go wrong with that? I recommend it, and I'm looking forward to discussing it with you!

Purpose-Driven Planning

2011-02-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I mentioned that I had won an award for writing an essay on the purpose of urban and regional planning. I am still grateful for the recognition, and glad that I had the opportunity to thank Tirrell Black, the Book Scholarship Subcommittee Chair, personally after a planning education event.

Today, I'm releasing the essay to the public to give it the opportunity to provide a new perspective on the public planning function. It is by no means the only possible purpose and I do not know to what extent this perspective is held by others. However, it is a purpose that resonates strongly within me, and I anticipate that it will inform my personal planning context quite strongly.

In order to have it be around for a while, I have published it as a permanent page on this blog. You can find it (at the time of the writing of this blog entry) on the top of the right hand column. But, you can also find the 547-word "The Purpose of Urban and Regional Planning" on that finely crafted link.

Planner-talk

2011-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

A friend posted this, and I had to pass it on due to its lolzy nature.

Talking to a Planner from Robert Voigt on Vimeo

None of the planners I know talk like this, but sometimes their legal responsibilities force unnatural language when they're communicating with the public. Of course, for some people, couching planning efforts in uninviting language is purposeful to avoid the responsibility of responding to public expressions. However, my sense is that resides more in politicians than in planners. There was a move to use natural language in the State of Washington. I wonder if things are getting better on that front....

The AICP and Exam Study Guides

2011-01-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

Planning is a profession, that is, it's not solely an academic activity in which people discuss theory and leave it at that. While theory is important, and certainly research is an important tool for establishing "the way things are," it is not in any way the focus of the industry.

Since planning is a profession, you shouldn't be surprised to know that planners can be certified, just, for example, as engineers can be. When you become certified, you join the American Institute of Certified Planners, and you earn the privilege of appending "AICP" to your name, as in "Josephine Planner, AICP." Being a certified planner means that you have been recognized by the industry as a professional in the craft, and that you are bound to the AICP code of ethics. Certified planners maintain their certification through the AICP Certification Maintenance program, which requires 32 hours of instruction every two years, and which must include at least 1.5 hours of planning law and 1.5 hours of ethics training.

In order to become a certified planner, you must achieve certain prerequisites, including a specified combination of education and professional experience. Once you have met these prerequisites, and are a member of the American Planning Association, you are eligible to take the AICP exam.

The AICP exam is administered twice annually, and the application and exam cost is currently $485. An exam outline is also provided by the AICP which also makes exam prep notes available in paperback and CD for $195.

Having said that, there are other study guides, too. The Washington APA offers the APA Chapter Presidents' Council Study Manual for $15. Online study guides also exist, such as the APA Florida Treasure Coast Section's AICP Exam 2011 Study Links.

The Treasure Coast Section's offering is an exhaustive list of links to books, reviews, and other resources, and I intend to spend a significant amount of time going through it. I'm glad to have found it. And how did I find it? Apparently someone found my blog entry regarding Michael Brooks' "Planning Theory for Practitioners" worthy of inclusion on the list. I am flattered, but the credit goes to EWU's Urban and Regional Planning program for inspiring (requiring?) the work. It just goes to show how the EWU program contributes to the future of our region.

Thank you, Inland Empire Section

2011-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last quarter I submitted an essay to the Inland Empire Section of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association for their annual Student Book Award. Today, I'd like to publicly thank the IES for selecting my essay, "The Purpose of Urban and Regional Planning," as the first place entry. I am honored.

The essay contest is called the "Student Book Award" because the prize is a gift certificate to Spokane's EWU Bookstore. So far, I have purchased three textbooks, one for each of my classes this quarter, on the $500 prize. I may be able to purchase two more for next quarter.

Model Subdivision
Regulations

The books contain information about how to analyze policy similar to Lindblom's interpretation of the rational planning process, the law regarding the creation of subdivision ordinances, and how people perceive and react to the urban environment. I anticipate they will all be useful when I reflect upon the various functions within the planning profession.

So, thank you very much, IES members, for your assistance in my education. I hope I can return the favor someday.

Four the Future - Energy Generation

2011-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Wind farm proposed on Palouse
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 27, 2010
Summary: Even though the Palouse is not as well suited for wind turbines as the Columbia gorge, a ridge near Oakesdale is and a permit has been requested to create a $170 million wind farm which will meet the needs of 25,000 homes.
Opinion: The saddest part of the article reads as follows: "[The Palouse has] been farmed for over 100 years, so it doesn’t have great wildlife habitat left. It’s pretty well suited for development." I hope that wind power is the only development it attracts.
Harnessing the wind
Source: Ashland Daily Tidings; December 22, 2010
Summary: Smaller cylindrical wind turbines are quieter than bladed windmills and can take advantage of winds closer to the ground. That makes them safer for birds, too. These Michigan-manufactured windmills cost, including installation, around $11,000 early last year, but demand is making for long delivery times, and have driven the cost up to $15,000 now. However, Oregon and federal tax credits shaved $7,500 of the cost of each.
Opinion: The earlier concerns about noise and extremely large towers are partially mitigated by this turbine format. They also have the advantage that it doesn't matter from which direction the wind blows, as it doesn't need to turn to face into it.
PGE's coal-fired Boardman plant gets approval to close in 2020, with fewer pollution controls
Source: Oregonian; December 9, 2010
Summary: A coal-fired plant in Boardman, just south of the Columbia River in eastern Oregon, avoided adding $500 million in additional pollution controls by receving permission from Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission to close by December 31, 2020. Instead, $60 to $90 million in pollution controls will be installed. The plant produces 4 million tons of greenhouse gases and more than 25,000 tons of other pollutants each year, including acid rain and smog producing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. A Sierra Club lawsuit is attempting to close the Boardman plant earlier, asserting that more pollution controls should have been installed upon initial construction. The agreement still requires EPA approval. If approval is given, the Boardman plant will be the youngest coal-fired plant to be closed due to environmental concerns.
Opinion: There will be more stories like this, but not necessarily due to environmental concerns. A great number of coal fired plants will get old enough to be abandoned anyway, and we must either find a way to replace the energy they produce or reduce our demand. The second is preferable, being the more resilient position.
Interest in algae's oil prospects is growing
Source: Los Angeles Times; September 17, 2010
Summary: While we here in Washington are trying to get rid of algae, there are nearly 300 Californians who are raising it on purpose in order to create liquid fuel. $176 million was invested in one year to develop biofuel from algae, but what it currently produces is exceptionally expensive, between $20 to nearly $33 per gallon (and some estimate rise as high as $60 per gallon). Kai BioEnergy Corporation claims that it can currently produce 20 gallons per minute and just needs to get to 300 gallons per minute to become economically viable.

Opinion: If they reach their price point at a 300-gallons-per-minute daytime average, and considering solar obliqueness in the morning and evening, they’d be making around 144,000 gallons per day. The United States currently consumes nearly 900,000,000 gallons per day. Thousands of such facilities would be necessary to make a significant dent in the problem.

Spokane County Travel Behavior - Times They Are A-changin'

2011-01-15T16:11:00.000-08:00

Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'
- Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-changin'

I suspect that none of you would be particularly surprised when told that single-occupancy vehicles (SOV's) are the dominant form of transportation for commute-related travel. Indeed, that's such a yawn, that I can hardly believe that I'm about to display it on a graph:

(All of the data being presented in this article are derived from the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey for the years 2002 and 2009.)

As you can see, almost-empty vehicles are so dominant that all other forms are dwarfed. But, maybe you see what I saw too: from 2002 to 2009, the share of commuter-related travel held by SOV's went down from 82.8% to 77.3%. SOV's are starting to lose market share (or its "mode split" is decreasing). Here is a summary of the relevant statistics:

In this chart, note that all forms of transportation increased in the number of trips made, but notice something else: every mode's share increased except for SOV's. There was more carpooling, more walking, more public transit use, more biking, more everything, and even more staying at home to work. When we look at just the change in the number of trips for each mode, we find something quite unexpected:

This graph demonstrates that as Spokane County grew from 2002 to 2009, the new trips were overwhelmingly not served by SOV's. Of the new trips, only 21.9% were new SOV trips. The other 78.1% were served by alternatives. The largest single change was due to people beginning to work from home.

With all the discussion about how to spend transportation dollars, it's important to remember that as this region comes to grip with limited resources, increasing fuel prices, climate change, and the cultural changes we're experiencing, our transportation choices will also change. If this seven-year period is indicating a change in Spokane County travel patterns, then our transportation investments must change, too. Which makes you wonder: what would happen if only 21.9% of our new transportation investments went to serve the needs of mostly-empty cars?

Four the Future - SARP

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan (SARP). For those who are unfamiliar with it, SARP is a plan adopted by the Spokane Valley City Council. There were several controversial aspects to it, including "down-zoning" areas along Sprague Avenue east of the Sprague/Appleway couplet, and converting Sprague back to two-way traffic. Several of the city councilmembers who supported the SARP were turned out of office in the following election by a group calling themselves the "Positive Change" coalition.

SARP Opposition
Summary: At the west end of the SARP area, officially called the Gateway Commercial Avenue and Gateway Commercial Center zones, the rules for mixed-use development were changed by the "Positive Changes" coalition to allow Harlan Douglass and Elephant Boys operate an auto-sales business. This amendment occurred after Douglass had sued the city, but the city successfully defended the original denial. The planning commission had recommended that wall signs be banned above the first floor. Councilmember Rose Dempsey indicated support for that recommendation, but Councilmember Dean Grafos "abruptly shut down discussion" (Spokesman-Review, "Ordinance allows vehicle sales in mixed-use avenue zone", September 16, 2010) and the council overturned the commission's recommendation. A month later, in a 5-2 vote, the City Council voted to kill SARP with Bill Gothmann and Rose Dempsey in opposition. Gothmann argued that some plan needs to be in place, even if it's not SARP. Councilmember Bob McCaslin argued that there is a plan: private enterprise. Carlos Landa, who owns a strip mall that is 80% vacant at the corner of Sprague and Pines, said that he won't commit to invest $250,000 in improvements without a plan to revitalize the corridor.
Opinion: The advantage of planning is that people can make commitments with the confidence that the plan will be executed. In other words, plans reduce risk and that encourages investment. In a wider context, the problem is more than mixed use area codes and down zoning, etc.:
- Spokane Valley is totally lacking in identity, so they can't leverage that into a vision for the future. The absence of neighborhood councils contribute to this problem.
- Spokane Valley is the definition of sprawl, with far more authority to develop than the economy could possibly support. As a result there is no guidance as to where people should invest in the community. It used to be that transportation and communications were limitations where a person would develop. But, with Spokane Valley's history of indiscriminate public "improvements," the aphorism "location, location, location" means nothing and Bob McCaslin's misguided denial of responsibility all the more disappointing.
Commission won't back zoning change
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 16, 2010
Summary: The new Spokane Valley City Council wanted a change to the comprehensive plan to allow an automobile dealership in the area the previous city council wanted to more walkable, more densely built city center. The city council declared an emergency declaration to change the plan out of cycle, and sent the change to the planning commission. The planning commission, however, did not see that there was an emergency and voted against the amendment.
Opinion: The commission was responding to the changes the City Council requested on behalf of Pring Corporation between Sprague and Appleway on Dartmouth. One of the commissioners stated that they existed in order to assist the city council, and should consider the council’s recommendation. Another observed that they should not just rubberstamp everything. The second is correct. Congratulations to the Spokane Valley Planning Commission on having a backbone. Too bad the council will likely ignore them. Clearly, the city council has no idea what an "emergency" actually is. It's not a convenience for political considerations, but used for the adoption of regulations to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare.
Couplet likely to remain
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 30, 2010
Summary: While the Spokane Valley City Council has begun the process of discarding SARP, one of its elements, converting Sprague back to a two-way street, is still on the table. Except, there's no money. It would cost $1 million to restripe and change stop lights. Additionally, it would cost millions more if landscaping other tweaks are included. Mayor Towey believes that it will take 9 to 12 years to gather the funds to do such a thing. Business owners in the SARP area, pedestrians, and the fire district are opposed to the couplet, while many drivers prefer the wide open driving experience.
Opinion: The article didn't mention the possibility that the state would force the City of Spokane Valley to repay the millions of dollars the state gave in grants to reconfigure Sprague in the first place. Spokane County engaged in some shenanigans to get that money in the first place, bypassing the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and spending money not authorized by the regional plan, so the other local governments will be less than excited to spend even more regional dollars on authorizing the change anyway.
Emergency ordinance Jan. 11 would bury vision of SARP
Source: Spokesman-Review; January 1, 2011
Summary: With apologies to Shakespeare, City Councilmember Rose Dempsey adapts Mark Antony’s oration at Julius Caesar’s funeral ("Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears") to plead for public involvement in the upcoming hearing regarding SARP’s fate. She points out that recently deceased King Cole had a vision for the City of Spokane, and great things happened. She says that disposing of SARP, which is intended to encourage the economy of a low-performing area of the city, is happening merely for the advantage of one person (presumably Pring).
Opinion: In choosing Mark Antony’s speech to imitate, Councilmember Dempsey not only appears to supporting the SARP as a platform from which a reasonable plan can emerge, but also appears to be encouraging people to question the honor of the "Positive Change" coalition. After all, how many times can one person say that the "council is honorable and just" without others considering whether it is true or not? This is no mean disagreement. These are people fighting over the plan, and it has become highly political as important plans tend to become. But, it has also become personal, which is simply embarrassing.

Four the Future - Water Quantity

2011-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

A look at water quantity issues, both through increasing flows in the rivers and decreasing flows for wasteful human purposes (figuratively and literally).

Sullivan Lake flows to allow development
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 22, 2010
Summary: The Pend Oreille County Public Utility District has agreed to release 14,000 acre-feet of water each summer from Sullivan Lake in exchange for $14 million from the Washington Department of Ecology. Two-thirds of the additional flow will be used to grant enough water rights for 23,500 new homes in Pend Oreille, Ferry, Lincoln, Douglas and Stevens counties. The remaining flow will be to enhance in-river flows for fish, other wildlife, and recreational uses.
Opinion: 14,000 acre-feet is equal to one acre of land flooded 14,000 feet deep in water. It's the same as putting Riverfront Park 140 feet underwater. This additional water will flow down through the Columbia River, but it is of no use to salmon until it reaches Grand Coulee, a dam which lacks a fish ladder, an issue that the public seemed unconcerned about at the time, and the Canadians didn't care about as there was no commercial salmon industry on the Columbia.
Northwest tribes want input on Columbia River Treaty
Source: Spokesman-Review; November 16, 2010
Summary: The United States and Canada have a treaty manages the flow of the Columbia River. It can be altered with at least 10 years notice, and the first chance it can be changed is in 2024. Native American tribes want to have a voice in the negotiations in order to restore river flows capable of restoring salmon runs. The treaty is currently under review.
Opinion: This is a major opportunity to restore the relationship between Native Americans and the river. The issue of water rights is key. Native Americans have the most senior water rights of any group, and if they can successfully argue that they used the water for salmon farming then they could argue that they have a right to the volume of water necessary to restore salmon above Grand Coulee for their own use. This should be a respected argument, since, if they had pumped it out for cattle, they would have a recognized claim! They merely farmed them in place. Any requirements beyond that, like for a non-native fishery, the United States and Canada would have to further increase flows. But, as mentioned earlier, Canada has no financial interest in fishing, so that may be a complicating factor.
Ultra-low-flow flush toilets are on market
Source: Denver Post; November 13, 2010
Summary: Installing high-efficiency toilets can save you money by reducing the amount of water you use. In the 1990’s, the federal government mandated 1.6 gallon per flush toilets. Previously, they could use up to 3.5 gallons per flush. The Environmental Protection Agency is promoting a 1.28 per gallon voluntary standard. A recent price for that ultra-low-flow level was recently noted at $147. Using a low-flow toilet can save $90 per year for an average family. A company has developed even lower flow vacuum-assisted toilets at only 0.8 gallons per flush.
Opinion: Cities and counties can influence the amount of water used by mandating higher efficiency toilets in new construction, and, like this event last year in California’s West Basin Municipal Water District, swap out old toilets for low-flow ones. Taking less water out of the environment is good, but there are also downstream advantages. When there's less water in the sewer line, existing sewage treatment plants can handle more flushes, extending their current capacity. Because the waste is more concentrated, the treatment plant operates at higher efficiencies, reducing the amount of pollutants that enter the river.
Lushest lawns will require more green
Source: Spokesman-Review; January 3, 2011
Summary: The City of Spokane is increasing the cost of high water usage to encourage conservation through pricing. For most people who use little water, their bills will go down. For those who use much more, their bills will go up a great deal. Councilmember Snyder contends that this is an advantage to those who conserve and are of low-income, but Councilmember McLaughlin argues that the city shouldn't be penalizing people for their "lifestyle choices."
Opinion: The people of this region use an immense amount of water for their lawns compared to people in other regions. And, yes, it is because of a lifestyle choice, but that lifestyle is harming the environment and everyone else in it. So, if they really want to keep that lifestyle choice, then they should be quite willing to pay more for it. For many people, though, I suspect that they’re not going to give up their lattes for their habit of wasting water. Eventually they will find more efficient ways to manage their water usage or pay the penalty that should come with sticking their heads in their grass.

Housing in the Quincy Valley

2011-01-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

In what appears to be a useful planning tool, Photovoice is a process in which people are given cameras to take photos of what's important to them in their community. This is not only an excellent way of problem identification, but also a form of data collection. The resulting images can be quite compelling and the process has several useful side effects. It engages the participants in the planning work by getting people to feel involved, to think about the problem as they are documenting it, and potentiating action to solve it.

Shawn Vestal of the Spokesman-Review wrote a story about a Photovoice joint venture between Washington State University and the Quincy Community Health Center. Here are the English language and Spanish language videos they produced:

En Español:

Four the Future - Air Quality

2011-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Four air quality articles, including an update to the Waste-to-energy mercury violation, power plants killing plant life, smoking-related deaths, and improvements in a world city's air.

City, air agency could settle fine, upgrade incinerator
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 28, 2010
See also: Four the Future – November 3
Summary: The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has offered to settle a Waste-to-Energy air quality violation from last year for $5,000 and a required upgrade. During a test, the City of Spokane turned off a pollution control system they normally use to prove they didn’t need it. Under the deal, a carbon-based system will be installed at a cost of approximately $40,000. The director of the Spokane Regional Solid waste System says the cost won’t make much difference because the plant was already committed to using the new system.
Opinion: The attitude that argues that air quality control measures are unnecessary might stem from a philosophy of maintaining flexibility or being scientific in their approach, and not merely to thumb their noses at regulators. Indeed, the former what the city is claiming. Latest update: the city agreed.
Is coal-fired power plant killing farmers' trees?
Source: MSNBC; December 28, 2010
Summary: Farmers in central Texas are losing their crops, they say, because of the sulfur dioxide emitted by coal-fired plants. Sulfur dioxide, combined with water, makes sulfuric acid, a source of acid rain. It is known that sulfur dioxide kills trees, especially pecan trees. The Fayette Power Project has operated for 30 years, mostly without emissions control. The Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates the plant, and the state regulator both say it is not the plant's fault, but the EPA is suing Texas over its failure to enforce the Clean Air Act. There are 19 coal-fired plants in Texas. Each place where the trees are dying off there is a plant nearby. The EPA’s criminal investigation branch is getting involved. In the meantime, the Fayette plant is receiving a $500 million upgrade to scrub sulfur.
Opinion: This is one of the difficulties with coal, other than coal not being renewable and its combustion causing climate change. Coal contains about 1% sulfur. Lower quality coal (which is what is used because much of the high-quality anthracite has already been burned) has more sulfur.
More Than 600,000 People Killed by 2nd-Hand Smoke
Source: ABC News; November 26, 2010
Summary: Annually, passive smoking causes about 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lung disease, 36,900 from asthma, and 21,400 from lung cancer. This accounts for about 1 percent of all deaths. This is in addition to the 5.1 million deaths caused by smoking. Children are especially affected due to SIDS, ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma.
Opinion: If smokers as a group killed 600,000 non-smokers a year by any other means, it would be called murder. Hopefully legislation such as the Washington Clean Indoor Air Act will show a reduction in deaths over time. However, since it doesn’t apply to homes, children will still be disproportionately harmed.
What's missing in Mexico City? Dirty air
Source: McClatchy; December 2, 2010
Summary: In 1991, Mexico City’s air had only 8 days with air quality below hazardous levels. This year, however, adequate to good air days has set a record of 193 days. This is a result of policies such as emissions testing every six months, reductions in lead and sulfur in fuels, and the relocation of the heaviest polluting factories. In 1989, the city created Hoy No Circula ("No Driving Today") that prevents driving one day per week. They also expanded the subway system and extended bus-only lanes for low-emission articulated buses. Still, ozone is a problem 180 days per year, complicated by the city’s high altitude.
Opinion: Mexico City is an mega-huge, sprawling city. Just like Los Angeles, it is heavily auto-dependent. And like Los Angeles, they have air quality issues and are embracing infrastructure-intensive transit as a solution. Smaller cities would be smart to heed the lesson and avoid the auto-centric, sprawling pattern that made those cities so dirty.

Air Quality - A Tease and a Warning

2011-01-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Last week I decided that this Wednesday's "Four the Future" would be about air quality, and I assembled the post. But tonight, I'm just going to make a quick mention that, in the interim, the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) has issued a stage two burn ban within the Smoke Control Zone due to poor air quality conditions.

According to the Spokesman-Review (Agency orders ban on burning, January 4, 2010), the last two times a stage two ban had been ordered were in April 1998 and February 1993. A stage two burn ban means that wood burning may only be employed if your home has no other source of heat. People with respiratory disease are urged to stay indoors and avoid exertion.

SRCAA states on their web site that the burn ban will remain in effect until air conditions warrant it be lifted. A storm capable of clearing out the tainted air may come by the weekend.

Four the Future - Housing

2011-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hailey council repeals affordable housing rules
Source: Idaho Statesman; October 13, 2010
Summary: In a report mentioned in my Foundations of Planning class last quarter, the resort town of Hailey, Idaho, repealed its affordable housing requirement due to fear of litigation. Prior to the repeal, 20% of new subdivisions were required to be deed-restricted community housing. This is a tool used nationwide. Annexations and planned developments will still have the requirement.
Opinion: The comments on the article are telling. One person wants a reduction in all regulations (Somalia-style, apparently). Another (sarcastically, I hope) calls for "your kind" to live elsewhere, and just drive into town to "do our yard work, teach our children and protect us from fires and criminals." I could not have said it better. There's no better way to make a disgruntled working class by banishing them to the sticks each night.
CNU and NTBA's Reform of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and related housing programs
Source: Congress for the New Urbanism; December 17, 2010
Summary: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two federally chartered secondary mortgage agencies are implicated in the housing bubble. Part of the meltdown was precipitated by the distortionary effects of HUD, Fannie, and Freddie’s policies of limiting the amount of non-residential space included in mixed use developments. Mixed use developments have held their value, yet remain substantially excluded from the secondary mortgage market. Fannie Mae allows projects to be up to 20% non-residential; Freddie Mac allows 25%. HUD’s capital program restricts imputed non-residential rent to 20%. The Congress for the New Urbanism and the National Town Builders Association propose to raise these limits to 50%. This would allow the market to determine the mix, rather than federal policy.
Opinion: When these loans are ineligible for the secondary mortgage market, banks must carry the note and they become unable to resell them in an efficient manner. And while I do believe that banks should be required to retain a portion of the project risk (after all, if they have no skin in the game, they can do whatever they want and have proven they will), I can see how these limitations could limit the availability of funding for mixed use projects. Alternatively, it could cause the residential uses to be exclusively high-rent in order to make the retail space a small percentage of the overall cost. Either way, it is bad for cities and causes sprawl through federal housing policy.
Tiny house movement thrives amid real estate bust
Source: Yahoo! News; November 29, 2010
Summary: Despite of the housing crisis, or perhaps because of it, one sector of the housing market is booming: that of the "tiny house." Tiny houses can be as small as the 89 square foot house mentioned in the article, but entire families can live in a 500 square foot house. They invite a comparison to trailers, but these are built with higher quality materials. They range in cost from $20,000 to $50,000.
Opinion: You can visit the tiny house blog at tinyhouseblog.com. This concept could be useful for accessory dwelling units (also known as granny flats). Basically, you’d put this in your backyard, and you’d have a room for another (tiny) family. This allows the community to grow without sprawling further. The back of the envelope calculation ($25,000, 20-year, 6% loan) is only $179.11/month, which is affordable for all but the most destitute. And R. Buckminster Fuller would be proud (I’ll explain that statement in a later post!) This is unlikely to become a large segment of the housing market, but jurisdictions should be prepared to deal with them.
Homeownership stays at the lowest level in a decade
Source: USA Today; November 2, 2010
Summary: Prior to the Clinton and Bush administrations, home ownership rate was level at about 64%. Upon the deregulation of the investment banks, home ownership rose to 69% in 2004. With foreclosures and weak demand, home ownership has now dropped to 66.9%, the lowest since 1999. Housing vacancy is now at 18.8 million units, or 14% of all housing.

A man rides a horse by an abandoned home in Las Vegas. Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Opinion: This statistic would tend to indicate that we still have a bit lower to go to return to the levels before the unwise deregulation of investment banks. But, note, that the small percentage increase caused a massive increase in the cost of home ownership and shenanigans on the part of casino owners…I mean bankers. The increase in the ownership percentage was clearly not worth the worldwide pain being suffered now. Please let it be a lesson.

Changes for a New Year

2011-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! After my first quarter as a graduate student and a heavy quarter of blogging about issues related to planning, I've learned a great deal about both the activity of planning and the activity of blogging. Some observations:

Planning comes in many styles and planning theory has much to say about "how things ought to be."
The blog stats seem to indicate that when someone stumbles upon the blog, they'll read several entries, but not ones with dates on them.
I only rarely receive comments.

So, I'm going to make some changes around here. First, I'll be writing about what I've learned about planning theory and the activity called "community development." I have lots of articles I've read about planning activities around the country and around the world, and I'll abstract them for you in a way that I hope is interesting and applicable to our corner of the planet. Also, I will be changing "Four the Future" to have a theme, usually, and the theme will be in the name of the blog entry.

But, most importantly, I want to hear from you to find out what kinds of content you're most interested in. How can I make this blog better for you? As I've mentioned in another place, the product I want to create for this blog is "Knowledge and Hope." How can I best do that for you? The comment button is right down there, and I'd be grateful to see any observations you may have.

OK, that's it for now. Thanks for a great 2010, and I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2011.

Four the Future - December 31

2010-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Part two of a two-part climate change focus: what's being done because of global climate change. You can find part one here. Go ahead and take a look, I'll wait. Go on.

Obama drops plan to limit global warming gases (Federal Response, Part One)
Source: Washington Post; November 3, 2010
Summary: Due to political reasons, the Obama administration has dropped its proposal to regulate greenhouse gases through a cap-and-trade system. The proposal passed the House, but it was blocked in the Senate. Obama claims there are other ways to get the job done.
Opinion: This is not a Democratic/Republican thing, or else it would have passed when the Democrats had a supermajority. This is a matter of whether the US legislative branch has enough statesmen to actually do their job. The answer is clear. But hopefully, the people in this next story will give Congresscritters some backbone....
Climate scientists fighting back (Climatologists' Response)
Source: Spokesman-Review; November 8, 2010
Summary: Though traditionally scientists attempt to stay out of the political fray, many have decided that the threat of climate change is too great to be left to the politicians. Originally of the opinion that the truth would win out, they have seen two decades go by without sufficient action. They are now changing their strategy. The American Geophysical Union announced that 700 climatologists will be available to speak as climate experts to ensure that the threat is being conveyed accurately.
Opinion: It's unfortunate that truth is not a respected commodity in politics, so it was inevitable that people with more credibility than politicians would be necessary to straighten this out. You'd think it wouldn't be that hard to find people more credible than politicians, but that's not actually how people think. Mostly, people believe people who tell them things that confirm their preconceptions. But, that's a topic for another time, and another blog....
As nations dither on climate change, big cities step up (Cities' Response)
Source: McClatchy; November 23, 2010
Summary: Much of the world’s economic activity occurs in cities, so some large cities want to start playing a role in dealing with climate change rather than wait for their national governments. Consequently, several cities joined in the UN climate change talks this month.
Opinion: This is effort is not new. Former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels initiated the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that allows cities to commit to the goals of the Kyoto Treaty. As of December 20, 2010, there were 1044 cities ( map) which have signed on, including Spokane and Sandpoint. However, having the cities asserting themselves at the international level is new, and a sign that the US federal government is making itself irrelevant through inaction.
Poor countries join the rich in agreeing to monitor emissions (International Response)
Source: McClatchy; December 11, 2010
Summary: The UN climate change talks were successful, but stopped short of a full treaty. All countries, including the major powers, approved what is known as the Cancun agreements. The agreements commit nations to cutting emissions, includes monitoring of the greenhouse gas emissions of emerging nations, such as China, and creates a Green Climate Fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, $30 billion to start, and $100 billion annually beginning in 2020. The agreement buoys hope for a treaty at the next climate conference next year in Durban, South Africa.
Opinion: It would be helpful for me if anyone could tell me the difference between an agreement and a treaty. I’m not sure how an agreement could commit a country to a task if it's not solemnized as treaty. I’ll put it on my to-do list, but if you happen to know, please let us all know!
EPA to set pollution limits on power plants, refineries (Federal Response, Part Two)
Source: McClatchy; December 23, 2010
Summary: The EPA is adopting standards which will reduce allowable carbon emissions from new and heavily renovated refineries and fossil fuel burning power plants. This new regulation is made under the authority of the Clean Air Act. The new regulation does not affect current plants. Existing plants (about 500 coal-fired plants and 150 refineries) are unaffected until states adopt their own regulations under EPA guidelines to be published in 2015 or 2016. The current set of proposed regulations will be issued in 2011 and put into effect in 2012.
Opinion: The Bush administration argued that the EPA did not want to regulate carbon emissions, but in 2007 the US Supreme Court said that it was required to determine whether carbon emissions were a threat before it could decide to do nothing about it. Two years later a proposed finding and a final ruling found that that carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride constitute a threat to public health and welfare, and that they had reached unprecedented levels due to human activity. With that finding, the EPA was obligated to issue regulations to treat them as pollutants. Which just goes to show that elections matter (as to whether science is respected or not).

Four the Future - December 29

2010-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

The first of a two-part 'Four the Future' to end the year in an attempt to influence your New Year's resolutions. Today, the effects of climate change; next time, what some people are doing about it.

NOAA: Warming Arctic unlikely to return to how it was
Source: McClatchy; October 21, 2010
Summary: NOAA’s annual arctic report card states that the changes to the arctic are likely to be permanent, and the weather in the United States will be affected as a result. The melting of the arctic caused last year’s extreme cold in eastern North America, northern Europe and east Asia. Greenland had its warmest year on record, and sea level rise will be greater than predicted. Sea ice cover was one of the lowest on record.

Opinion: Last year when climate change deniers like Senator Coburn (R-OK) were laughing about how last winter’s extreme cold in Washington D.C. (“Snowpocalypse”) was making a fool of Al Gore, they were actually observing the effects of climate change.
If an island state vanishes, is it still a nation?
Source: Yahoo! News; December 6, 2010
Summary: As the sea level rises, nations such as the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu are on the verge of literally disappearing. When it happens, do those countries still exist? No nation has simply disappeared of the face of the earth. Consequently, international law is silent on the issue. And what of the people: are they stateless? And what of their exclusive economic zones owed them due to their nations’ existence? Do they lose the right to fish and prospect in those areas? And what of their seats in the United Nations?
Opinion: We make assumptions all the time about what the world will be like in the future. The nature of sovereignty in international law apparently still requires the occupation of dry land. Is that necessary? Is the nature of sovereignty such that you must have dirt to exercise it? Of course, it may all be moot. Other nations might want to acquire the oceans that these atoll nations currently possess, so they may be sacrificed, along with these native people’s rights, unless there are other alternatives.
Columbia dam plan ‘ugly,’ fish backers say
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 30, 2010
Summary: NOAA has been sued (again) for failing to deliver a salmon recovery plan for the Columbia River. They are charged with failing to offer a plan based on science. While NOAA’s plan does include information regarding climate change, the latest charge is that there is no plan to mitigate any of the anticipated changes.
Opinion: This has been going on for years, and it appears likely to go on. The judge for this case has rejected earlier plans for lack of scientific basis, so if the charges are true, this will go on.
International investors issue global warming warning
Source: Los Angeles Times; November 16, 2010
Summary: 259 asset managers and owners representing one quarter of the world’s capitalization urged the world, and especially the United States, to deal with climate change or face massive economic disruptions.
Opinion: Asset managers are only interested in the financial success of the companies in which they invest. They see the world being less worthy of investment if the dire consequences of climate change are not addressed. They are now making the economic case for dealing with climate change. Next time, we’ll see what’s been happening lately.

Part two....

Four the Future - December 27

2010-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today, a macroeconomic view of the national economy and a discussion of a real problem which begs for long-range planning.

Many Americans are being more careful with their spending
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; November 12, 2010
Summary: People’s spending habits are beginning to change. Looking for bargains is becoming a badge of honor. Bargain shops, including places like Goodwill, had a stigma, but those days have passed for many shoppers. One previously high-end shopper said, "My spending patterns will probably be a lot more conservative for the rest of my life."
Opinion: Many people who lived through the Great Depression also had different spending habits from those who came after. When planners analyze economic growth projections, the prospect of a return of the ultra-consumerism of the last couple decades should not be accepted without significant evidence.
Iron fences just aren’t for everyone
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 9, 2010
Summary: The income gap between the richest and poorest increased to the greatest level ever. It’s not all bad: the rich seem to like it a lot. The top 20 percent of the population made almost 50 percent of the income. Those making $180,000 per year saw their incomes go up. Those earning $50,000 or less saw their incomes decrease. The 400 richest people in America made more money than the lowest 50 percent combined, more than 150,000,000 people. This is not new. In 1780s France, there was a huge gap in incomes. Of course, there were some bad moments for the rich including "several uprisings, a few guillotines." In the end, it all worked out (due, in part, to the guillotines).
Opinion: We don’t even have to go that far back. The 1920’s demonstrated what was going to happen. Regulations were put in place to prevent another Great Depression. The plan was to separate commercial banking (which provided loans for things such as buildings) from investment banking (which takes higher risks to increase profits). There are other factors, but when those regulations were repealed in the 1990’s, they created the conditions necessary for the housing bubble. However, Congress doesn’t seem to have the statesmanship necessary to fix the problem this time.
Make Gov Work Sayrs Call-in
Source: MakeGovWork; December 17, 2010
Summary: The taxpayers with the highest incomes receive all of the same tax cuts as the middle class, yet the tax cut bill gives additional tax cuts beyond that. It seems unreasonable that people making $250,000 should be considered middle-class. The wealth inequality in America is causing inflation even as wages are going down, in part because the richest people in America, with their excess wealth, invest it in various industries. These industries are not worth more, but their cost does up because of excess investment case. Consequently, there is has been a succession of bubbles: the dot.com bubble, followed by the housing bubble, then the petroleum bubble. The people who suffer from this are the lower and middle classes.

Opinion: Now, in this context, see how it affects the local economy, and the Spokesman-Review's uncritical boosterism....
Modest hopes harbored for commercial real estate
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 12, 2010
Summary: The River View Corporate Center in Spokane Valley lacks tenants. There is relatively high vacancy in the region, especially in the valley, making it a renter's market. Vacancy in downtown Spokane for Class A office space is 8 percent, but 17 percent for Class B space. More people will enter the market when it hits bottom, especially when they realize the stock market won't perform as well. The tax cut deal in Washington, D.C., is buoying hope that there will be more investment in commercial real estate.
Opinion: Please note that it's a problem that it's a renter's market, but, apparently, that the problem will be solved when Congress puts us deeper in debt by encouraging the richest among us to continue with their distortionary investments. Seriously, is this our only alternative?

Four the Future - December 22

2010-12-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Changes, and their regional ripple effects, in and around Riverfront Park.

YWCA’s riverfront land sold for $3.2 million
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 17, 2010
Summary: The land on the north side of the river where the YWCA used to be has been sold to Lawrence Stone. The property overlooks the north channel of the river.
Opinion: This property is situated north of Anthony’s, west of the pedestrian bridge to Riverfront Park’s Canada Island, east of the future Native American museum, and two blocks from the Arena. Any function there would be well advised to take advantage of the high community and tourist traffic. Perhaps a mix of retail and some professional offices with upper level residential to overlook the falls would be profitable. A quick jaunt over to Spokane’s site selector would help determine appropriate long term uses. By all means, however, make sure you have good public access along the top of the gorge so that people can easily travel through your property to get between the arena, bridge, museum, and restaurant. It will give you the opportunity to sell something to them on the way without having to supply them with a parking space.
Beware Of Falling Trees-- City Removing 26 Trees From Riverfront Park
Source: KHQ; December 17, 2010
Summary: After Expo ’74, Riverfront Park was deliberately overplanted. Now, nearly 4 decades later, they are in the middle of their lifespan. Some are diseased and many are crowded. Thinning them will give the remaining trees the chance to reach their full potential. The trees will be used for mulch or given to SNAP or other charities to help low-income families heat their homes.
Opinion: It’s important to maintain a mix of trees, both in species and age, so they don’t all die at the same time. Maintaining the mix sometimes means direct action. There are over 1000 trees in the park, so this is less than 3% of the trees. I wonder if anyone would notice if it weren’t mentioned.
Commission: YMCA ineligible for historic listing
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 16, 2010
Summary: The Spokane City-County Historic Landmarks Commission voted unanimously to find the YMCA lacking in historic value. The YMCA is expected to be demolished in February.
Opinion: My recent experience has taught me that this is the correct ruling. The Avista building on Mission has a similar architectural style, and the testimony tended to indicate that the YMCA building didn't have a significant role in Expo '74. Preserving this building for historic reasons isn’t the right path. Preserving it, or replacing it with another structure, for its usefulness in providing functionality to the park would be the right decision.
Editorial: Natural area acquisitions suffer from YMCA deal
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 12, 2010
Summary: The hasty purchase of the YMCA building by the Park Board, followed by Spokane City Council's acceptance of Spokane County's offer to bailout the board, has placed a huge burden on the otherwise popular Conservations Futures program. Worthy lands are being offered to the public in lieu of inappropriate development, but they will not be protected because of the purchase of the YMCA, which has taken up approximately one third of all the costs of the program.
Opinion: Not to mention the failure to keep the property as a useful contributor to the tax rolls. The sale of the YWCA land across the river shows that there is interest in making the property work, and Mark Pinch's offer to keep the land along the river open to the public shows he understood this property's correct role. In the end, this property has been wasted, and the result will be additional sprawl on the lands not preserved by the program.

Four the Future - December 20

2010-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

The current controversy over the construction of a new Spokane County Jail.

King County faces glut of jail space
Source: Seattle Times; December 8, 2010
Summary: King County has such a large a glut of space in their jail that they are reducing their per inmate fees to the cities in order to stay competitive. This is despite increasing costs.

In addition, there are several cities in south King County which are considering the construction of another jail. The council is considering a reduction in the corrections workforce, but the last time the King County Council reduced the number of corrections officers, their union sponsored an initiative to reduce the number of county council members to 9 from 13. If the number of inmates continues to decrease, they will consider closing the Kent jail.
Medical Lake site chosen for jail in 2-1 vote
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 29, 2010
Summary: Spokane County Commissioners voted 2-1 (Mielke and Richard in favor, Mager opposed) to adopt the "Medical Lake" site for the new county jail and voted, by the same margin, to declare an emergency to exempt the necessary land use change from the normal comprehensive plan amendment schedule. The site at the I-90 Medical Lake exit was chosen despite two consecutive studies that recommended a site near the county courthouse. Operational costs at the downtown site are lower due to transportation costs. The comprehensive plan will still need to be amended to allow the jail at that location. Sheriff Knezovich said that the downtown jail is overcrowded and the Geiger Corrections Center is unsafe. Spokane County laid off 67 corrections officers this summer due to a reduction in inmate population. Spokane County Commissioners have scheduled a ballot measure for April to raise taxes to build the jail. A group called "No New Jail Project" has been formed to oppose it.
Opinion: The first time the recommendation favored the downtown site, the same county commissioners (Mielke and Richard) didn't like it. So, they ordered a new study so they could get an answer they liked. But, the second study said the same thing: build it adjacent to the county courthouse. The are significant advantages to having the jail near the courthouse that can't be swept away by simply doing a new study. Not only is it better for transportation issues, but for providing services to the people who are being incarcerated and their families. Also, for those who are not incarcerated but can benefit from the same kinds of family- and community-centered services, having a downtown location is better for them as well.
Jail site choice a crime
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 16, 2010
Summary: A letter to the editor by Bart Haggin. The jail shouldn’t be placed out on the West Plains. The transportation costs will be huge. Better, yet, don’t build it at all because "building more jails and prisons to prevent crime is like loosening your belt to prevent obesity."
Opinion: Since transportation costs escalate faster than general inflation, and the indirect costs of sprawl is also well understood (after all, this new jail will need sewer and water services and new roads, etc.), the 40-year ROI that Mielke and Richard cites is actually not anywhere near that long. In the final calculation, Mielke and Richard are seeking the more expensive option.
County Jail Populations Drop: So What Should We Do?
Source: American Civil Liberties Union of Washington; December 14, 2010
Summary: While several King County cities are considering the construction of a new jail and Spokane County will be asking for funding for a new jail in spring 2011, jail populations are going down and jails are experiencing a glut of space. The lessons here are: 1) population forecasts are unreliable, and are determined by policy changes not societal factors; 2) crime rates have been going down for decades, but populations have increased despite it; 3) alternatives to incarceration are working, so investments should be in rehabilitation programs, not new jails.
Opinion: No one claims to know why there is a drop, but it's acknowledged that a large part is the increased use of rehabilitative programs, rather than merely storage of offenders in little boxes where they can turn bitter and learn the more advanced skills they could not out on the streets. It is easy to conceptualize that separating people from society makes them less connected to society, and less concerned about society's welfare. Keeping them with their families and in society could, for those who can be rehabilitated, reduce recidivism. Ironically, recent cuts reduced the alternatives program in Spokane County. So, who knows, perhaps the Spokane County Commissioners will increase crime enough to need the jail after all.

Four the Future - December 17

2010-12-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today: Housing, casinos, panhandling, and community organizing. Theme? We don't need no stinkin' theme....

U.S. Home Prices Face 3-Year Drop as Inventory Surge Looms
Source: Bloomberg; September 15, 2010
Summary: After the exuberant homebuilding over the past decade and the foreclosure crisis, the nation is facing a much larger inventory of housing than is necessary to house the population. Homebuyers sense that there’s too much inventory, and seem to be waiting for prices to keep coming down. The median price of a previously owned home is $182,600, equivalent to 2003 levels. Analysts are predicting a further price drop of 5% to up to 15%. In Nevada, 68% of homes were "underwater," or more money was owed on the mortgage than the house was worth.
Opinion: Investing in sprawl real estate is a losing deal for multiple reasons. In addition to falling property values, the governments don’t have enough resources to provide services, either. Looks like it wasn't sustainable. The communities which bought into it weren't resilient enough to retain their value.
Proposed Airway Heights Casino could have national implications
Source: Indian Country Today; October 6, 2010
Summary: Tribes are permitted to build casinos off of their reservations provided that there is some reason why the reservation itself is unable to host a casino. In the case of the Kalispel Tribe, a casino was built in Airway Heights, Washington, because their reservation "located on a flood plain with no potable water" met the criteria. The Kalispel is now arguing that the Spokane Tribe, whose aboriginal land the City of Airway Heights now sits, should not be permitted to build there, too, because the Spokane reservation is larger and already supports multiple casinos. According to Kalispel Tribal Business Council member Nick Pierre, "If a purely market driven desire becomes an approved exception to federal law regulating where a casino can be built, it will become a dangerous model for our communities and our tribes."
Opinion: Echoes of European treatment of the tribal communities that preceded them. As tribes rightfully begin to assert their inherent sovereignty, there will be more and more issues like these. A great deal of work will need to be done to resolve these issues, and good strategic, communicative, and potentially advocate planning must have a major role in it.
Millwood officials report sharp rise in panhandling
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 16, 2010
Summary: Spokane Valley passed a panhandling law. Now neighboring Millwood is experiencing a sharp increase. They are not sure what they are going to do about it, or even if it is a long term issue.
Opinion: Spokane Valley’s ordinance doesn’t go to the root of the problem (poverty, joblessness, etc.) so it could not be expected to have done anything except move the problem. You can’t solve problems by treating the symptoms. You need to treat the disease.
Neighbor group sues over parking lot
Source: Spokesman-Review; December 16, 2010
Summary: Families of Manito has appealed the hearings examiner’s decision to allow the construction of a larger parking lot for St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
Opinion: There is something going on in this area of the city where community members are taking on developments and the city. They community around Manito Park has already elected a couple of city council members due to its members networking activity. Whether you think there should be greater parking in this area or not, the existence of ongoing community activity is remarkable.

Summary and Discussion of "Spatializing Culture"

2010-12-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

What follows is a report I wrote on an article on two open spaces in downtown San José, Costa Rica, which may very well have bearing on Spokane's culture. --Brian

---

Two open spaces in downtown San José (see Map 1), Costa Rica, are compared by the way they were constructed and by the way they are used in extracts from an article by Dr. Setha M. Low in "Theorizing the City: The New Urban Anthropology Reader," published in 1999 by Rutgers University (CUNY Graduate Center PhD Program in Anthropology).

Map 1: Parque Central and Plaza de la Cultura, San José, Costa Rica (Google, Inc.)
Parque Central is marked, Plaza de la Cultura is one block north and three blocks east,
adjacent to the blue roofed building.

Parque Central

The Central Park ("Parque Central," see Figure 1) was established shortly after the founding of the city in 1751. Like many plazas of its time, the park was surrounded by civic and religious buildings and operated as a center for the exercise of political power. The cultural histories of Europe, expressed through elements of medieval bastides, and Mesoamerica, expressed through elements of plaza-temple complexes, can be seen in such colonial constructs. The very way they are constructed is a social statement made manifest.

Figure 1: Panoramic Photo of Parque Central from the southeast corner. The 1944 kiosk is on the left, Catedral Metropolitana is on the right (Redondo, Panoramica Parque Central San Jose Costa Rica image by delpierocr on Photobucket).

The park maintained its form into the mid- to late 19th century when an English fountain, iron fence, and wooden Victorian kiosk ("kiosko") were added. Apparently, however, some changes went too far: a protest ensued when a single tree was cut down in 1902. At this same time, a transition was underway. While there was still the perception that the park was populated by the elite, photographic evidence shows that workers and members of the middle class are evident.

The conflict between the elite and common folk is ongoing, as evidenced by the controversy over the removal of the original kiosk in 1944 in favor of a giant cement replacement. "The citizens who are attempting to reconstitute Parque Central in its elite turn-of-the-century image are not the daily users or the municipal designers but professional and middle-class residents who yearn for an idealized past" (Low, 2010, p. 286). The conflict is not over the physical structure itself, but over "the meaning and appropriate use of public space" (Low, 2010, p. 286).

Upper class families have left the urban environment, so Parque Central is left to the poor and working classes. The "informal economy is very visible in Parque Central" (Low, 2010, p. 287) with shoeshine men, vendors, salespeople, day laborers, sex workers, and fencers. The sign of what Low refers to as "middle-class businesspeople and nonusers" (2010, p. 287) is seen through increased police presence.

Different groups possess different areas of the Parque Central, but the geography does change slowly over time. The shoeshine men are located in the northeast corner and though they have no legal standing to do so, they intend to pass their locations down to their heirs. Real estate agents take up space on the benches. Pensioners spent their days in the southeast corner, but moved to the inner ring because of the odor from the buses. There are clowns, but they spend less time in Parque Central as the conditions at the Plaza de la Cultura are more conducive to receiving tips.

Plaza de la Cultura

The Plaza of Culture ("Plaza de la Cultura", see Figure 2) is a newer space, having been constructed after the demolition of a number of other privately held and, in some cases, historically significant buildings. The plan was to site a pre-Columbian gold artifact museum ("Museo del Oro") in the block adjacent to the National Theater, the Gran Hotel, and the Arcades (a shopping structure). In order to create a grand space, the gold museum was built underground (the gold and chrome pipes on the left side of Figure 2 are adjacent to its entrance).

Panoramic photo of Plaza de la Cultura from the northeast corner (Redondo, Plaza de la Cultura image by delpierocr on Photobucket). Note the blue-roofed National Theater on the left.

Again, the functional design of the space was a result of the culture of its time, that is, Costa Rica, 1982. "When the plaza was conceived, global capital was already fueling the Costa Rican economy" (Low, 2010, p. 289) and its development reflected the influence of North American money through the status of the Gran Hotel as a North American tourist residence, the National Theater and gold museum as tourist activities, and "McDonald’s, Burger King, and Sears" sited on the plaza.

The Costa Rican government employed three architects to design the space. People who visit get an "ambivalent experience" (Low, 2010, p. 290) due to the conflicting forces: the lack of a single architectural vision, street performers, religious expressions, politicians, teenagers, and gay cruisers. Unlike the Parque Central, vendors here are licensed and "the intensity of social and spatial control" (Low, 2010, p. 290) is more obvious with the presence of uniformed police and guards. Tourists and users of the space seem comfortable in its use, but nonuser media consumers believe it to be unsafe.

The Plaza is a place of culture, but much different from Parque Central. Whereas Parque Central is a place where the relationships between different classes of Costa Rican culture play out, in the Plaza de la Cultura:

North American culture is "consumed" by Costa Rican teenagers carrying radios blaring rap music, and North American tourists "consume" Costa Rican culture by buying souvenirs, snacks, theater tickets, and artworks as well as the sexual favors and companionship of young Costa Ricans. (Low, 2010, p. 284)

Even with these significant differences, both locations have a physical construction that expresses the culture of the time and a social construction that expresses the daily culture of the people who inhabit is. These spaces are both contended between the people who use the spaces, and the nonusers who consider them a threat in their current form and demand concessions to make them safer.

Discussion

Presumably, both locations experience the same overall social and economic pressures because of their location in downtown San José, yet the differences in the geography of these two locations are striking. While they are nearly adjacent, they take on a very different character due to the surrounding uses and the development of the local culture.

A similar contended space exists in downtown Spokane: the STA Plaza. The building was conceived as a 20-story multiuse tower including the transit center, urban park, retail, hotel, and condominiums. However, a lawsuit challenged the public/private partnership. While the court found the partnership to be legal, the resulting structure nevertheless included only the transit center, park, and a minor amount of retail. The urban park has some "usual characters" amongst the thousands of passers-through utilizing the surrounding transit center. Security is uniformed and highly visible, and the non-user businesspeople in the nearby businesses complain about the park’s users. This appears to be another example of the social conflict between users and nonusers over the proper use of public space.

References

CUNY Graduate Center PhD Program in Anthropology. (2010, July 27). Setha M. Low | Ph.D. Program in Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from The Graduate Center, CUNY: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/anthropology/fac_low.html

Google, Inc. (n.d.). San Jose, Costa Rica - Google Maps. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=San+Jose,+Costa+Rica&sll=9.932985,-84.077618&sspn=0.009025,0.021136&ie=UTF8&hq=Parque+Central,&hnear=San+Jose,+Costa+Rica&ll=9.933096,-84.078197&spn=0.002124,0.005284&t=h&z=18

Low, S. M. (2010). Spatializing Culture: The Social Construction of Public Space in Costa Rica. In G. Bridge, & S. Watson (Eds.), The Blackwell City Reader (2nd ed., pp. 284-292). Singapore: Wiley-Blackwell.

Redondo, V. (n.d.). Panoramica Parque Central San Jose Costa Rica image by delpierocr on Photobucket. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from Photobucket: http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z223/delpierocr/100_2933pano.jpg?1291096605

Redondo, V. (n.d.). Plaza de la Cultura image by delpierocr on Photobucket. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from Photobucket: http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z223/delpierocr/100_2924.jpg?1291100657

Musical Urban Theory

2010-11-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

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.

Four the Future - November 3

2010-11-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

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?

Nightclub Urban Theory

2010-10-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

It happens all the time. You're at your local hot spot and the DJ is playing great songs like Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" (or even Counting Crow's respectable cover) and Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" and yet, inevitably, someone yells out, "Play more urban design songs!!!"

Well, here's one for you to help out the DJ.

h/t Kitty Klitzke

NOW from Antti Seppänen on Vimeo.

Four the Future - October 28

2010-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Foodies, rejoice! Home grown chickens, new local restaurants, community gardens, and, sadly, more diabetes to come?

Council broods over looser chicken regulations for Valley
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 25, 2010
Summary: A citizen requested that the Spokane Valley City Council expand the number of places where chickens can be raised. Currently, it is restricted to lots of at least 40,000 square feet (almost an acre). There are currently 1,300 single-family lots of that size, and code enforcement receives one or two complaints a month.
Opinion: First, city dwellers, you do not need a rooster for eggs. You only need hens for that. If you want more chickens, then, that is when you need roosters...and a lot more distance between you and your neighbors. Odor can be a problem, so the city should be prepared to enforce strict hygiene standards. Second, city dwellers, it is crazy that there are 1,300 single-family residences of one acre or larger in a city. But, the history is that they were in existence prior to the Growth Management Act, so there are few things that can be done about it now except prevent the creation of more. But, I'm not sure that Spokane Valley is committed to that concept.
Tripling of diabetics possible
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 23, 2010
Summary: If current trends continue, there may be a tripling of the number of diabetics in America by 2050, up to one third of all adults. While part of the increase is due to diabetics living longer, much of it is due to obesity rates.
Opinion: Hey, what if there were an alternative to all the fatty, sugary foods we eat? Hmmm....
Shared farming program harvests food, community
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 24, 2010
Summary: An acre of surplus land that was doing nothing but being mowed was converted to gardens this year to benefit the Dalton Gardens community. A group recruited 30 "shareholders," half paying $200 up front, the income-qualifying other half paying nothing. Then, all participants received a box of produce every other week all summer. The income-qualifying families paid just $10 per box of food. First-graders from Dalton Elementary participated by planting the pumpkins and came back as second-graders to harvest them.
Opinion: Educational, local, organic urban farming which supports the efforts of local food banks. Seriously, how do you beat that? And, the waiting list is long. I know of several acres owned by Vera Power and Water at 16th and Sullivan. All it is doing is being irrigated and mowed. Where is the local underutilized lot in your neighborhood? Is it yours? (Hey, Angie Foltz: I know you have something to say about this!)
Despite slow economy, new eateries are springing up all over
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 24, 2010
Summary: There are a large number of new restaurants opening in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene region. People are beginning to go out again, especially to neighborhood locations. Banks are supplying funds to people who are attempting to get jobs by creating them, provided they have management experience.
Opinion: A weak economy with people looking for paradigm-changing food choices will mean many restaurant failures. That, in itself, is nothing new. But, humbly, I recommend that these new restaurateurs attempt to leverage the local, organic movement just in case. It will capture those people who want it, but have not found the way to achieve it just yet. Better yet, make sure you have a garden, and show people how you connect to it! Show me the ~~money~~ freshly grown vegetables!

Optional Reading List - Fall 2010

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Part of being in a graduate-level planning program is hearing about all the wonderful things that can (and really should) be read as part of your education. Of course, there's never enough time to read everything, so some very good works get set to the side. (We've also been told we will never be good planners until we've read them all, though I'm hoping that is a bit of professorial hyperbole!)

The works, and my understanding of them, are below. If the descriptions are inaccurate, then it's because I misunderstood and I'd appreciate a heads-up!

Walden Two, by B.F. Skinner, was recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. It is a fictional work portraying a rural utopia in which democracy and capitalism are abandoned and where children are reared according to the principles of behaviorism.

Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, by Robert Reich, was recommended by first year graduate student Karl Almgren. A non-fiction work focused on how to reverse the increase of "income inequality" and the decreasing size of the middle class.

How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill and recommended by Dr. Winchell. When the "dark ages" descended over Europe, the knowledge of the past was lost to areas dominated by the church. But, there were some places the church did not go....

Redesigning the American Dream, by Dolores Hayden, recommended by Dr. Winchell. A non-fiction critique of the suburbs and exposing the social isolation which has torn at the fabric of society.

You Owe Yourself a Drunk, by James P. Spradley, recommended by Dr. Winchell. A non-fiction ethnography looking into the lives of urban nomads (city dwellers who have no home), including the realization that you must be in a culture to be allowed to see it. In this case, he uncovered a governmental scandal in the process.

Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam, recommended by everyone. A non-fiction work which provides results from studies of "social capital," and what it means, for instance, that even though more people go bowling now than in the past, why there are fewer bowling leagues.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, non-fiction recommended by Dr. Winchell. An explanation about how cities work, and don't work, from a resident of New York City who delivers a blistering critique of urban "renewal" activities in inner city neighborhoods.

Garden Cities of To-morrow, by Ebenezer Howard, non-fiction recommended by Dr. Hurand. Though a stenographer, Howard described a way of constructing Utopian city clusters out in the countryside in an attempt to avoid big city problems.

Better Not Bigger, by Eben Fodor, non-fiction recommended by Dr. Zovanyi. Fodor argues that the earth cannot sustain us as we currently live, so it is time for us to find a lifestyle that emphasizes quality over quantity.

The Image of the City, by Kevin Lynch, recommended by Dr. Winchell. Non-fiction. Lynch presents results from a study which indicates how people interpret what they see when they're in a place. From this, he provides a model by which we can analyze, and create, places.

Idiocracy, directed by Mike Judge. Fictional video recommended by Dr. Winchell. A dystopian comedy about two Americans who sleep for 500 years to find a world on the brink of disaster from, well...too many idiots in the world. Rated R for language and sex-related humor.

Four the Future - October 25

2010-10-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

This week, you have several public participation opportunities.

STA seeking public input on budget cut proposals
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 4, 2010
Summary: Spokane Transit is preparing for service cuts next September. Planning for the cuts is already underway. The cuts affect a number of areas and STA projects they will to reduce ridership by 6 percent. You can read the proposed plan and share your opinion right now.
Opinion: The board was preparing to cut service by 40% back in 2004 when the voters of the region forced them to put a revenue enhancement on the ballot. Transit will become a more and more important part of our transportation mix in the future. It is important for us all to make sure it is there when we need it.
Help shape Spokane's transportation future!
Source: Spokane Central City Transportation Alternative Analysis
Summary: Focusing on the needs of downtown Spokane, this effort needs input to help guide the future of transit for the region. The Open House is on Tuesday, October 26 from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at Riverpoint's South Campus Facility at 412 E Spokane Falls Blvd.
Opinion: Lots of studies have been done. This is intended to pull them together, and your input should be provided to ensure that the transit options are made available and are integrated into everyone’s planning.
Is The Suspense Killing You?
Source: SRTC Transportation Blog; October 22, 2010
Summary: The whole region is waiting with twitchy mouse fingers to play Spokane's transportation planning game. It should be available on Wednesday, October 27 at the Spokane Transportation Vision web site.
Opinion: *twitch, twitch*
Change in greenhouse size limits proposed
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 15, 2010
Summary: Spokane County has been petitioned to allow larger commercial greenhouses on rural lands. The current limit is 20 percent of the least dense rural zones, 25 percent on Rural-5 zones, and 50 percent on rural activity center zones. The public hearing is at 9 a.m., Thursday, October 28, in the basement of the Spokane County Public Works Building at 1026 W Broadway, Spokane.
Opinion: Really? They want rural conservation lands, the ones specifically held aside for important wildlife habitats, to be completely covered by buildings? Irrational. I don’t even understand why 20% is permitted in those areas currently. Unless the farm is actually using the ground as the growing medium, greenhouses shouldn’t be in rural areas, anyway. In that case, put them in the marginal lands currently designated for industrial purposes. After all, we have a serious oversupply of that.

"Mixed-income housing, successes for whom?"

2010-10-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Because you all know I'm a party animal, and I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint any of you, tonight I was reading an article entitled "The Role of Public, Private, Non-profit and Community Sectors in Shaping Mixed-income Housing Outcomes in the US."

Yes, I know! As one of my friends quipped when I mentioned it, "I can't wait until you're in charge." I'm with ya, but I'd rather have noble, workable ideas in charge, not people. Can such ideas be found here?

The article outlines the two types of goals revitalization efforts can pursue. First are place-based goals, such as building of "housing stock, business development, telecommunications, water/sewer/electric and roadways" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2358). The second type are person-based goals which are the "building of individual and social capital so that they may take advantage of economic opportunities (such as, job skills development, educational improvement, poverty amelioration and moving people into homeownership)" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2358).

(Sidebar: this was written in 2007, before the general public realized that home ownership isn't always an economic opportunity. On the other hand, researchers engaged in urban studies really should have known better.)

The authors posit that successful achievement of these goals depends on 1) agreement upon the goals of the program between the public, private, non-profit and community sectors; and, 2) sufficient organizational capacity to achieve the goals. In effect, they say that even if everyone agrees, it is not enough until everyone is has the managerial skills and monetary resources to achieve them. They also observe that place-based goals are most easily achieved through cooperation between the private and public sectors and person-based goals are best achieved through cooperation between the non-profit and community sectors.

The article documents two neighborhood revitalization projects, one in Durham, North Carolina, the other in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The projects were similar (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2362) in that they :

each are "an extension of the downtown revitalization effort";
"have the goals of creation of favourable people- and place-based outcomes";
"mobilised by a belief in the proposition that concentrated poverty is unhealthy"; and
private stakeholders...need to be persuaded to invest in the target areas".

Durham failed in a spectacular way, including public scandals and the total revamping of the Durham Housing Authority (DHA). Two reasons were given:

the DHA "did not have the skill sets or capacity necessary" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2366); and
"there was clearly less political will on the part of the public or private sectors to focus on the expressed goal of poverty amelioration" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2367).

Chattanooga apparently succeeded by changing the property value of the area, but significantly only for those who moved into the neighborhood. Original residents remained poor or were driven out by higher property taxes or incentive to sell at higher, gentrified, prices. The authors note that "many of the public-sector actors in Chattanooga were the private-sector actors" including the fact that two successive mayors of Chattanooga at the time were "both private-sector developers who own a great deal of downtown property" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, p. 2372). "Greater capacity through unity...could guarantee the place-based success of mixed-income changes" (Fraser & Kick, 2007, pp. 2372-3).

The central criticism of the piece is, "mixed-income housing, successes for whom?" (Fraser, J. C. & Kick, E. L., 2007, p. 2373). The answer as to whether revitalization efforts are successful depends on whether the focus is on the place (buildings, roads, and cable TV) or on actual real-live people.

Reference: Fraser, J. C., & Kick, E. L. (2007). The Role of Public, Private, Non-profit and Community Sectors in Shaping Mixed-income Housing Outcomes in the US. Urban Studies, 44 (12), 2357-2377.

Synopsis: Planning Theory for Practitioners

2010-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

In "Planning Theory for Practitioners," Michael P. Brooks, FAICP, argues for a change in the attitude that planners take toward their practice. It is apparent that he believes that planning theory can help planners perform their work, but he's critical of past theories due to various deficiencies and proposes his own strategy.

What follows is a synopsis of the book, digested into two or three key ideas for each of its 13 chapters.

Citation: Brooks, M. P. (2002). Planning Theory for Practitioners. Chicago, Illinois, United States of America: Planners Press.

Planning occurs in a chaotic environment. Planning is a broad, complex profession. Additionally, planning is an inherently political profession, but strategies exist that planners can apply to help navigate public controversies.

Theory and practice do not always go together. Planning theories may be categorized: they are either positive or normative, and the normative theories are further divided between ethical and functional types; alternatively, they can be considered based on their intent, whether they are "about planning...of planning...for planning" (Brooks, 2002, pp. 24-25). Inasmuch as it exists, the gap between theory and practice is mainly self-inflicted and, considering the gap in other professions, not particularly unusual. Planning theory is moving away from functional normative prescriptions because, in this post-modern world where the problems planners face are considered "wicked," contemporary planning theory focuses more on helping planners help themselves with observations on what kinds of techniques seem to work.

Planning, as a concept, has critics. Critiques of planning fall within one of several categories, none of which is sufficiently convincing to prevent public planning from being an important, vital activity. Of these critiques, only the assertion that planning is impotent has some validity due to the planner's self-censorship of valid alternatives stemming from the planner's assessment of the political environment. Despite these critiques, planning remains a widely applied practice precisely because it is an indispensable tool for communities for public policy-making.

Planning has a purpose. Outside of support of the so-called "public interest," finding a clear, defensible rationale for planning activities is difficult. There is no mechanical method by which the "public interest" can be identified. Consequently, values are the bedrock upon which planning is built.

Planners must apply their own values to their profession. Due to the complexity of human society, no universal, timeless set of values exist to which planners prescribe. Planners face ethical dilemmas in their work, so they subscribe to an enforced, but ultimately subjective, code of ethics. Planning can be a noble profession provided that each individual engages in ethical, value-driven behavior.

The Rational Planning Model. Though technically discredited and despite individual and organizational inability to be fully rational or to fully quantify our world, rational planning theory is often cited as the mode within which planning is performed. Rational planning theoreticians have developed a number of models for planning activity, each one displacing the last as it comes into vogue. Rational planning fails to adequately deal with real-world problems because it fails to address the inherent non-rationality of the political realm within which planning occurs.

Disjointed Incrementalism. In contrast to rational planning theory, non-rational theories emphasize the actual practice of planning as iterative processes within which participants have the freedom to adjust both methods and goals and adjust the scope of their deliberations at will. Non-rational theories fail to provide normative guidance on the practice of planning. Disjointed incrementalism, in particular, fails to recognize that not all human processes are incremental, therefore may be incapable of dealing with rapid, broadly-based change, particularly when politically disadvantaged groups are most greatly affected.

Advocacy Planning. Advocacy planning is a value-driven, conceptually democratic approach to planning activities that embraces the issues of a politically disadvantaged racial, economic, neighborhood or other group rather than to the broad "public interest." Advocacy planning did not live up to the expectations of the planners who adopted it. Though it in itself did not survive in its original form, the "spirit" (Brooks, 2002, p. 117) of advocacy planning lives on through adoption by some liberal city planning departments, issue-oriented programs such as economic development and housing programs, people and issue advocacy, non-profits, and neighborhood planning.

Communicative Action Theory. The communicative action planning theory enrolls the planner as a negotiation mediator to provide comprehensible, sincere, legitimate, and true information to disparate groups in the effort of building a consensus. Communicative action planning theory overestimates the utility of merely discussing things. Communicative action planning theory is useful, however, in that it bears insights into some proportion of the daily activities of planners.

Where do we really get ideas? Ideas and goals can come from many sources, though each source has its strengths and weaknesses. Generating feedback through the mechanism of trial balloons allows each interest the opportunity to air its views (positively, negatively, or not at all) by giving everyone something to which to react.

A Proposal: The Feedback Planning Strategy. The feedback strategy of public planning (which integrates elements of rational, disjointed incremental, advocacy, and communicative action theories) does not only present a normative "attitude" toward the planning process, but also describes in many ways the actual practice of planning, which Brooks presents as a realm of social experimentation. While the feedback strategy specifies six steps through which effective planning should occur, the steps are not as important as the concept of early and continuous feedback from all sources and experimentation to produce additional data from which comes a disposing decision focused solely on the needs of the client it is meant to benefit.

Being Politically Savvy. There is no alternative but that planners be politically savvy. Being politically savvy can be taught because it consists of a set of skills of which the most important can be learned and practiced.

Pursuing a Vision. Seeking power is pointless, indeed potentially dangerous, unless the planner seeks authority to pursue a system of interrelated goals, a vision, for the community. Some may fret that having a strongly articulated vision may be a threat to employability, however, having a vision is merely a set of interconnected goals, not a "starry eyed" fantasy.

Four the Future - October 15

2010-10-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

River issues, including building dams, removing dams, discharging into the river, and cleaning up earlier discharges.

Beavers just too dam busy
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 15, 2010
See Also:Four the Future - December 20
Summary: The Lands Council is actively seeking beaver families to relocate around the region. They received a permit from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to trap beavers so that family groups could start building dams in areas where beavers had been eradicated. The new colonies will build dams which retain water and release it more slowly during the summer months.
Opinion: I posted this video 10 months ago, and it was very popular. Just have to post it again:
Wash. state approves permit to remove Condit Dam
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek; October 13, 2010
Summary: A critical water quality permit was issued for the removal of Condit Dam from the White Salmon River. The purpose is to restore chinook and steelhead habitat. More permitting is necessary. Removal is slated for 2020.

Opinion: There was a time in the past when the rivers ran lousy with salmon. Prior to European contact, there was a vigorous trade in dried salmon meat. When they didn’t have enough money to purchase food during the Great Depression, people would go to the river to catch their fill. Salmon were so common that people in the northwest began to think of salmon as poor people’s food. Of course, that seems ridiculous today.

This has been a long running issue, starting back in 1999, as documented by this 2002 High Country News article ( Condit Dam removal hits snags). You can get the governmental project information from Ecology.
Wetland project a boon for birds along Coeur d'Alene River
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 30, 2010
Summary: $3 million has made 400 acres of wetlands along the lower Coeur d’Alene River safe for migratory birds by removing sources of lead. Lead levels at hot spots in the basin are 10 times the safe level for waterfowl. The land is now protected by an $875,000 conservation easement. There are 18,000 acres remaining to be remedied along this one river.
Opinion: This is the legacy of the mining that occurred in this region. Lots of money was made. Now the costs are coming to us all. This is why it’s important for businesses to pay their full share of the costs of environmental mitigation rather than burden the taxpayers now or in the future.
Public to review water quality permits for Spokane River dischargers in Washington
Source: Washington Department of Ecology; October 4, 2010
Summary: The State of Washington is proposing new limits for pollutants dumped into the Spokane River by the City of Spokane’s Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility, Inland Empire Paper, Kaiser Aluminum, and Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District. New limits will be established for phosphorus, ammonia, and carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand. The permits are available for review at the Department of Ecology's Spokane Office, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, Wash., 99205. Call 509-329-4004 for an appointment. The deadline for submitting comments is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010. Submit comments to the Permit Coordinator at stra461@ecy.wa.gov or by mail at 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, WA 99205.
Opinion: Just like the mining interests, the costs belong to the ones to discharge. There has been debate over the technical ability to achieve certain limits, but working on this issue for the last decade, I've been convinced that it's doable.

Four the Future - October 14

2010-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Four stories on reducing the cost of housing for those most in need.

New Hillyard apartment offers hope
Source: KREM-TV; October 13, 2010
Summary: Market Street Station is a new housing development in Hillyard for people making no more than 50% of the county’s median wage. They are single bedroom and studios. While funding has fallen through on several occasions, the current funding sources all have at least 40 year commitments.
Opinion: The piece points out some of the issues associated with providing access to housing for those who don’t have a lot of cash. I've heard city council members actually attempt to convince people that if the market sensed a need for workforce housing, then the market would supply it. So, there is a significant amount of ignorance, willful or not, about housing financing.
Habitat building 114 low-cost homes in Deer Park
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 10, 2010
Summary: Habitat for Humanity is building 114 houses in Deer Park for people making less than 30% of the county’s median income. The houses are less expensive to pay for because they depend on volunteer labor, including 500 hours of labor from the families who occupy the homes. The project costs about $12 million. The homes have energy efficient appliances, heating, cooling, and windows. Deer Park was chosen because nearly 40% of the households within 1 mile of the site qualified based on income.
Opinion: That housing is averaging $105,000 apiece, which is quite a bargain. I have two comments. First, is Habitat actually arguing that they placed the housing way out in Deer Park because there are already lots of low income people there? If they argue that the locals will just move, what will happen to the old homes? Will they sit empty, or will even more low-income folks move out to Deer Park to occupy them? Either result is bad. Don’t get me wrong: I think Habitat provides a vital service to the community when many people around here would just prefer to assume that people with low incomes are just lazy and deserve what they get anyway. But, what am I missing here in choosing Deer Park? Wouldn't Spokane or Spokane Valley be better? (Actually, I think the problem is more insidious, and related to general developer's denial that they have any responsibility in this problem, see below.)

And, second, is America such a small-minded place that our dream is nothing more than owning a house? It’s not my dream. My dreams are not so materialistic, and I bet that it's not everyone else's number one goal in life either. Not even close. It's time to retire that tired marketing slogan.
Green revolution comes to urban neighborhoods
Source: Los Angeles Times; September 3, 2010
Summary: Up to now, the "green movement" has been marketed almost exclusively to people with money. Low income neighborhoods don’t have financial access to solar panels, hybrid cars, and energy-efficient appliances. Programs are now in place to help disadvantaged youth to learn the skills necessary to go back and help their communities to save money through better energy management.
Opinion: This is great, especially when you’re creating jobs in a neighborhood which provides a positive feedback by reducing the costs of living in a neighborhood which may help people get in a better economic position. There are other things to be aware of, however. A planner I spoke to once told me that they had run into issues with improving the conditions of rental homes. When they'd get a grant to improve the facility, the intent was to reduce the cost of living in those units. However, with the building in better condition and with lower utility costs, the landlord would inevitably kick out the low income renters in order to get higher rents for the better accommodations. It's important to know who you're trying to help, and build the intentions into the plan. If money is used to improve the living conditions of people with low incomes, then there must be a requirement to keep the rents low even after the improvement.
Face Time: Advocate discusses efforts to reduce homelessness
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 27, 2010
Summary: Cindy Algeo answers questions about the current state of the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium. While the inventory of housing accessible to people with low incomes has increased, but there are times when we go backwards, as in 2007. There are still 1,200 homeless people in Spokane County. A recent survey of Spokane County voters showed that people are aware that there is a problem that government should solve, but do not support raising taxes to solve it. More than 50% of Spokane County voters know someone who’s having difficulty paying their rent.
Opinion: Clearly there is a deficiency of available housing. There is a potential long-term fix that I’ve devised, but it involves Spokane County and other local jurisdictions recognizing the developers have a responsibility to have a hand in solving it, so it won’t happen any time soon. The base concept is simple: require each development to have its fair share of low-, moderate- and average-cost housing. Allow limited exchange of this “responsibility” between developers, which would create a market for buying and selling the credits. The sale price for the credits would help subsidize the cost of low income housing. That doesn’t solve the immediate problem, but it would prevent the problem from returning if anyone had the courage to fix it in the first place.

Spokane County Urban Growth Area Update

2010-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Wednesday, October 13, 2010, Spokane County is holding an open house regarding an update to the Spokane County Urban Growth Area (UGA) at the Spokane County Public Works Building, 1026 West Broadway Avenue, Spokane, WA, from 4-7 PM. The Land Quantity Analysis (LQA) is updated every 10 years to ensure that there is sufficient land available for accommodate growth.

(For those of you who believe we've already grown past the region's ability to sustain us, RCW 36.70A.130(3)(b) states that the UGA "shall be revised to accommodate the urban growth projected to occur in the county for the succeeding twenty-year period." Denying availability of land for growth is not an option. Not adding land for that purpose is an option, however.)

The results of the LQA are as follows: We're already set. The LQA projects a 2031 Spokane County population of 612,226, and the current ability to accommodate 4,864 more than that. It also analyzes the availability of commercial lands, and concludes that there's 60% too much available. But, that's nothing. It also finds that there's more than 4-1/2 times as much industrial land available than is necessary.

Conclusion: were not just sprawling now, if we change nothing except grow, we'll still be sprawling in 20 years.

Does this end the debate? Not at all. Some of the first salvos of the battle have already been fired, with some developers arguing that because Spokane County isn't building densely enough, we need to spread out more. So, unless the planning department gets your input, the UGA may expand despite this analysis.

(Did I mention that planning is an inherently political activity?)

The county released two documents, one technical, the other summary. If you'd like to take a gander, here they are:

Four the Future - October 11

2010-10-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Bikes!

Getting There: Road-sharing just got easier
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 27, 2010
Summary: Using a combination of dedicated bike lanes and sharrows, the City of Spokane has created new bike corridors on Howard Street from Fourth to Buckeye and a loop around downtown. A sharrow is a marking on a traffic lane that looks like a biker with arrows. It warns automobile drivers that if they see a bike, the bicycler owns the lane. (An excellent Inlander Q&A gives great detail into what sharrows can and can't do.) The new routes are the result of a $600,000 federal grant. This was a non-controversial way to add bike lanes.
Opinion: At last count, there were 33 comments on the story on the Spokesman web site. There doesn't seem to be anything non-controversial when it comes to drivers in downtown Spokane. What's truly sad is that the bike has always owned the lane when they're in it. And yet, if there's a reminder to help make people safer, the contrarians come out in droves. I wonder if they hate painted crosswalks, too. Stories like the next one drives them into a frenzy.
City analysis notes bike route's potential for snarled traffic
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 4, 2010
Summary: Removing a lane of auto traffic for a bike lane on second avenue would cause backups during rush hour in downtown Spokane, according to a city analysis. Councilmember Bob Apple said that a bike lane wouldn't be safe, and is annoyed by the assertive behavior of bicycle transportation advocates. He suggests bicyclists be moved to fourth and fifth streets. Bob Lutz, former chair of the city’s bicycle advisory board, says the analysis is flawed: it assumes increasing automobile traffic over time despite recent trends. Councilmember Jon Snyder points out that the route is on the master bike plan and connects other important bike routes in the city.
Opinion: What's the point of a plan unless it's implemented? There's more on Second Avenue in the next story....
Second Avenue: Crossroads or Opportunity?
Source: Spokane Council Member Richard Rush; October 5, 2010
Summary: Spokane City Council Member rebuts the city's assertion that revising 2nd Avenue to include a bike lane would require that a lane of auto traffic be eliminated. He notes that Second Avenue has an unusually high accident rate, so sorely needs to be subject to "traffic calming" methods, like making the wide 13-foot lanes narrower. He cites a study which shows that 10-foot lanes do not cause more accidents than 13-foot lanes. So, with the current 51-foot road width, Second Avenue could continue to have three 10-foot lanes, two parking lanes of 7 and 8 feet respectively, plus a 6-foot bike lane.
Opinion: City council members who read traffic safety studies. They’re a rare breed! The images he includes showing the increase in cycling safety and a sample of what bike lanes should look like are convincing. But, is it too late? The next story answers that....
Final touches on Second Avenue will likely come next year
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 4, 2010
Summary: There have been delays in the reconstruction of Second Avenue so it will continue until after the winter. Business has been suffering serious sales declines. While the major construction will be complete this year, a final run of asphalt will be laid down next spring.
Opinion: All this means that it doesn't get its final striping until after the snow has finished for the year. Time to adjust the lines on the road, guys.

Four the Future - October 8

2010-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

An energetic Four the Future! Solar, wind, and stimulating efficiency.

Courthouse, post office getting energy upgrades
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 17, 2010
Summary: Spokane's Federal courthouse and downtown post office are getting energy upgrades courtesy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or "the stimulus"). The goal is to reach silver LEED status with a 30 percent energy savings. The upgrades cost $45.9 million over the course of 20 months.
Opinion: It would have been nice to know how much money that 30% energy savings is. What's wrong with this town that they don't seem to understand investment? All investments include cost and benefit.
Here comes the sun: White House to go solar
Source: Yahoo! News; October 5, 2010
Summary: The White House will be fitted with solar panels over the living quarters. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush installed solar energy collectors previously. The photovoltaic cells will generate approximately 19,700 kilowatt hours, saving an estimated $2,300, per year. The solar hot water heater will save about $1,000 per year.
Opinion: Carter’s photovoltaic panels were removed by President Reagan. It was there making free energy, and it was taken down. Any comments about attitude here or the mind-set which contributed to Reagan's deficit? I'd love to hear any rational justification.
Missoula may allow urban wind turbines
Source: Spokesman-Review; October 4, 2010
Summary: Missoula is considering allowing wind turbines in the city limits, provided they are not taller than the maximum height for the zone. To get a taller tower, a special use permit would be necessary.
Opinion: We talked about this story in Dr. Zovanyi's class on Tuesday. The types of issues that come up for these kinds of issues include aesthetics, public safety (proper installation to make sure it can’t fall or shed pieces), and noise. Also, it was noted that it would be unusual to require a special use permit (which allows an activity at a place that wouldn't normally be allowed, but the use is already allowed). Normally, a variance procedure is used (which allows construction outside the normal regulations because of unusual conditions of the particular lot).
1,000 megawatts of solar power approved for California desert
Source: Los Angeles Times; September 29, 2010
Summary: The California Energy Commission approved two new solar power stations, one of 250 megawatts, and one of 709 megawatts. In just a little more than a month, the commission has approved the construction of 3,000 megawatts worth of projects. California has a goal of 20% of its energy from renewable sources by the end of this year, and 33% by 2020. The projects will generate 2,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs. Some of the solar projects have been approved despite environmental attempting to protect the flat-tailed horned lizard and the desert tortoise. One project was changed to avoid dry creek beds which flood periodically.
Opinion: The solution of our energy issues will be a combination of strategies. Efficiency is the most important, but beyond that, there are the simple reduction in energy use (waste not, want not), and alternative energy sources. My other thought, though, was: why did someone have to get a concession out of a company to not put their equipment in the path of a flood? Do the people designing these things really lack common sense, or did they purposefully propose putting it in the creek so that they could say they made concessions?

IBM Releases City Simulator "CityOne"

2010-10-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

IBM has released a game where you are hired as a CEO to help the region revamp its energy, water, retail, and banking industries. Your job is to improve the health and welfare of the city. You are rated based on on your ability to keep good performance measures in business climate, citizen happiness and environment.

The first time I played it, I was ranked #14 in the world and declared a "pragmatic leader." Of course, it helps to know that IBM made the game! I'd love to hear some reviews, so go ahead and try it out, and let us know what you think.

Four the Future - October 6

2010-10-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Cell towers in the 'burbs, Wi-Fi in the sticks, losing health care out yonder, and sprawling taxes.

Bend considers cell phone tower restriction
Source: Oregonian; September 10, 2010
Summary: The City of Bend, Oregon is considering restrictions on cell phone tower size and location which may ban them from residential areas.
Opinion: Cell phone towers are a common planning issue because they are considered visual blight. Yet, cell phone use is on the rise. Indeed, smart phones require even greater access for their heavy Internet usage. The issue is that of community density, ultimately. It's difficult to provide cell service to a widely spread out area. Some alternatives include a requirement for collocation (that is, requiring that several carriers utilize a single tower, when possible) and camouflaging them to appear as something else, like trees.
Federal grant bringing Wi-Fi to rural Inland Northwest areas
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 15, 2010
Summary: A federal grant is paying for the installation of WiMAX (4G) technology in rural areas of Spokane, Stevens and Ferry counties which generally do not have access to wired broadband service. The grant was made available through the American Recover and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or "the stimulus"). It will be available to approximately 3,600 businesses and 30 community groups. Nonprofits will receive service at half the price. Speeds can be as high as 10Mbps.
Opinion: Servicing rural areas with any modern technology is expensive, hence the state’s emphasis on restraining sprawl. Rural electrification was done the same way, with significant government intervention.
Providence to close Deer Park rehab clinic
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 29, 2010
Summary: Providence Health Care is closing Deer Park's clinic because Providence is unwilling to make upgrades.
Opinion: A couple years ago, they closed down the hospital, too. Impossible to say, but this could be caused in part because way too much of the money we spend on health care goes to insurance companies rather than supplying actual help.
Boundary changes considered for eastside elementary schools
Source: Liberty Lake Splash; September 29, 2010
Summary: Due to growth within the Central Valley School District, a planned elementary school will already be over capacity the day it opens.
Opinion: This is another problem with sprawl. Spokane (District 81) School District recently closed an elementary school because of low enrollment. Yet, right next door in Central Valley, they're behind by one elementary school, and even that one will be full the day it opens. So, there's no net benefit, but a huge capital cost.

Review: The Nature of Cities

2010-10-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Nature of Cities is a documentary which explores ways in which nature can be integrated into urban landscapes to reduce energy consumption, improve health, inspire curiosity, and build community (not to mention reconnecting urban dwellers to the nature around them).

The film takes us to locations around the US and Europe, including Austin, New York, San Diego and cities in Sweden, The Netherlands and France. Each location has a story to tell about how the community is improved by adopting "regenerative systems."

Austin contributes stories about how the transportation department designed bridges to encourage bat habitation and the reaction of city dwellers to having a million bats living within their midst (I assure you, it's positive!) and a native plant garden which is helping restore the landscape. San Diego's canyons, saved from development due to steep terrain and flooding streams, are nature preserves which can bring people from diverse neighborhoods together for recreational purposes.

The European cities contribute stories about green roof designs which extend the life of the building, manage rainwater, and reduce building heating costs. There are communities which have managed to reduce their dependence on automobiles, which allows those developments to turn the streets into gardens and playgrounds. One development retains a forested area which is far more used than a standard playground because it is more interesting with more things to explore and discover.

The video is a survey, certainly not a how-to, but it does provide food for thought. I would encourage viewers to look at the various design elements to think about what kinds of things appeal to them. The ideas presented are site-specific, and there shouldn't be a need to replicate them precisely. But, for instance, where there is a water feature fed by captured rainwater which otherwise be a flooding hazard, should it have a waterfall? What kinds of plants would you want to keep the water clean and provide an attractive space? Critically important: what would make it fun for the kids?

Below is a short preview of the movie. For those of you lucky enough to have access to the regional university libraries, it is available for checkout.

The DVD is available for $24.95 for individuals at the Throughline Productions web site.

References
Davis, C., Beatley, T., Kellert, S. R., Louv, R., Oblinger, M., Throughline Productions (Firm), & Electric Lodge (Firm). (2009). The nature of cities. Boulder, Colo.: Throughline Productions.

Four the Future - October 4

2010-10-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Water in China, Chinese emissions talks, emissions standards changes, and transportation choices affect health.

China moving heaven and Earth to bring water to Beijing
Source: Los Angeles Times; September 29, 2010
Summary: China is building a series of aqueducts to bring water from the wet south to the parched north. It’s a sacred project because Mao Tse-tung mentioned the concept in 1952. In China, water naturally flows west to east, so the Yangtze River will supply water that is tunneled under the Yellow River, for instance. The Yellow, itself, cannot supply water because it's too polluted. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to relocate due to inundations cause by dam projects to supply the system. Entire villages are being scooped up and relocated hundreds of miles away to less productive areas, forcing them to be retrained to sow their (ironically) drier soils.
Opinion: It's hubris, and a total lack of respect for human life, environmentally mitigated balances, and even basic rationality. It’s not your fault, but do be mindful that this is what the Chinese do with the money they get from your purchases.
Climate talks put top emitter China in hot seat
Source: Los Angeles Times; October 2, 2010
Summary: China is hosting the next round of UN talks regarding reducing greenhouse emissions. China has recently become the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer, recently surpassing the United States. There is distrust between developed and developing countries as developing countries see the developing countries emitting immense amounts of CO₂ per capita, and attempting to prevent industrial development by restricting carbon emissions. The United States’ intransigence is often cited as a cause of that rift. Failure to make progress could result in the inability to renew the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.
Opinion: Despite China’s new status as the largest emitter, the United States is still the largest emitter per capita. China is still growing, and a non-carbon economy is necessary to prevent an increase in the incidence of disasters like this year’s Russian fires and Pakistani floods. This problem is global, but individual countries seem to wish to exempt themselves from the global solutions. It's unworthy, and will result in conflicts, potentially armed conflicts, when access to water and food become an issue.
Cars May Need to Boost Fuel Economy to 62 MPG by 2025
Source: Bloomberg; October 1, 2010
Summary: The federal government is considering increasing fuel efficiency standards from 3% to 6% per year beginning in 2017. This would result in a standard between 47 to 62 miles per gallon by 2025. The current standard requires automakers to reach 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. A final rule is set to be adopted by July 31, 2012.
Opinion: Fuel efficiency will make a big difference, but it’s not a solution in isolation. It must also be accompanied by changes to our landscapes which reduce our dependence on the car itself, too. Adopting several solutions will multiply our efforts’ effects.
Study correlates walking, cycling and obesity levels
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 21, 2010
Summary: People who bike and walk in daily life are less likely to be obese or suffer from diabetes. According to the researcher, "the very highest levels of obesity are found in exactly those states that have the lowest level of biking, walking and public-transit use." When children started being driven to school is when child obesity became a problem.
Opinion: Complete streets, which allow the safe use of roads for biking and walking, and convenient transit makes a huge difference in the health of the people. This is part of the reason why I love planning. Important topics can be found to be closely related, in this case, transportation planning, urban form, and public health. What I don't like about it are the haters, and there are lots of them in the car versus bike debate. There is no rational car versus bike debate. They are both needed, and they will both be used. Neither is inherently superior. Both have their realm within which they are more efficient. They must both be respected. Unfortunately, there are those on both sides who fail to show the proper respect. Having said that, governments across the country are finally beginning to realize that we've over-subsidized cars, and it's time to balance our roads for all people.

Four the Future - October 1

2010-10-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night: best time for posting? Nah. But I know you didn't want to keep waiting, right? So, tonight: four increasingly critical stories related to transportation, economic development and human rights.

Study: High-speed rail will create 13,000 jobs
Source: Business Journal of Milwaukee; September 20, 2010
Summary: A study was conducted regarding a proposed high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. It found that it would create 13,000 new jobs, eliminate 780,000 annual car trips, and save 2.76 million gallons of gas per year.
Opinion: Rail is a more efficient form of transportation. It’s not surprising that the reduction in costs and stimulating activation of land adjacent to rail stations would result in broad economic benefit. A study was conducted for light rail in the Spokane region, too, and it was found to create "about 17,300 jobs, $561.6 million per year in payroll, and $1.4 billion per year in output or value of goods and services produced," just in the first phase from downtown Spokane to Liberty Lake.
Millwood considering speed bumps to slow speeders
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 30, 2010
Summary: The City of Millwood is considering laying two speed bumps each along Riverway and Bridgeport, and a raised intersection at Empire and Fowler.
Opinion: Maybe they’re not reading the blog. There seems to be some indication from a quote in the article that someone views speed bumps as punishment for speeders, and is failing to see that they are permanent "infrastructure-residents" of a neighborhood. Who volunteers to write a letter pointing out that there are alternatives to speed bumps?
Could 'Goldilocks' planet be just right for life? (includes video)
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer; September 30, 2010
Summary: Scientists using telescopes in Hawaii have discovered a planet orbiting the star Gliese 581 a. It is just the right distance from the star to be "not too hot and not too cold" for water to exist in liquid form. It is "tidally locked" which means one side of the planet is always facing the star (just like our moon is tidally lock to the Earth). The hottest parts of the planet would be 160 degrees and it would be -25 on the cold side. But at the terminator, where the star is constantly at the horizon, temperatures should be "shirt-sleeve weather."
Opinion: OK, admittedly, this isn’t exactly in Spokane’s immediate neighborhood. This could be an interesting thought experiment for planners. In this case, there are significant environmental barriers, but many varied opportunities. For instance, in the hottest part of the planet, there’s plenty of solar radiation for energy production. But, no water there. Over time, I would think the liquid water be depleted, evaporating on the hot side, then snowing on the cold side, hidden from the sun and preventing the water from return. So, lots of frozen water for mining on the cold side. Look at that—the beginnings of an economy, and we’re not even there. But what else would be different? Would residents be recognized to have a right to clean air and water? Would they have a right to access to food and healthful agricultural products? A right to access to energy? What could we learn to help us understand our own world? Hopefully we’ll treat the natives better than we have in the past.
Slime Mold Transportation Network Design
Source: Science NOW; October 1, 2010
Summary: The IgNobel Awards were given out recently. There were several categories, but the grand prize of 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollars (value? US$0) was given to research with a slime mold. Hokkaido University’s Nakagaki Toshiyuki demonstrated that a slime mold, when provided bits of oatmeal for food upon a map, would spread out in a system which closely replicated the transportation system of Tokyo, Japan. Actually, it wasn’t exactly the same. It was slightly more efficient.

Opinion: This is usually the job of transportation planners. And, yes, slime molds are brainless creatures. Thanks for asking.

Spokane Heritage Walk

2010-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

As part of my "Advanced Community Development" class this year, I walked downtown Spokane with my classmates on a tour conducted by Dr. Dick Winchell. The tour was intended to have the students think about the elements of an urban community, but had the happy side effect of familiarizing out-of-town students with the environment within which they were going to spend the next two years.

Several of the handouts prior to the tour was a series of tour documents from the Spokane City/County Historic Preservation Office. In addition to historic property listings by name, address, neighborhood, and historic district and FAQ's, the site offers walking tour maps and history for self-guided tours. There are tours of both downtown Spokane and East Central.

One of the buildings on the East Central tour is Schade Tower (which, on the building itself, says "Schade Towers" which makes one wonder where those other towers are). Schade Tower is a former brewery which sits at the Riverpoint campus, and right outside the windows of the building in which the urban and regional planning department resides. Breweries and college students. It's as if it were planned.

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Calendar Page

2010-09-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

There are so many events going on in the Spokane region, and we're all too busy to keep track of them all. Well, Here's Planning the Future to the rescue! On the right side of the blog you'll see a new section with "pages." You're currently looking at the home page. But, if you click on the Event Calendar page, you can see all the planning-related events of which I am personally aware.

Want your event listed? Easy! Just email me at planningspokane@gmail.com! Please try to follow the format as closely as you can so I can get it up quicker.

If you have suggestions to make it more useful for you, you can email me there, too. Have fun making yourself even busier!

Do It: history, economics, parks, and geology

2010-09-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Do it: October 10, 2010

This is the first post which consciously tells you about a "get out there and do it" event. These events will be opportunities to participate in an event which is not only related to the planning of the Spokane region, but also gives you a chance to appreciate the region we live in. In other words, something to do that's not a meeting!

The Ice Age Floods Institute (iafi.org) is sponsoring an 11-mile mountain bike ride along the former Milwaukee Road rail line near Rock Creek, south of Cheney. According to the web site:

Transportation routes across the Inland Empire were shaped by the flood formed geography. The Milwaukee Road was no different than other routes, but the advances in construction technology made the route feasible in a way that had not been possible when the first railroad crossed the Channeled Scablands. The now abandoned rail bed is mostly owned by Washington State Parks and will eventually be opened to the public.

They received a special permit to enter the park.

Here are your resources for this event:

Four the Future - September 23

2010-09-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today: Jefferson Elementary update, reducing energy costs, courthouse parking, and skateboarding!

Board votes unanimously to move Jefferson Elementary
Source: The Spokesman-Review; September 23, 2010
See Also: Jefferson Elementary Public Forum
Summary: The Spokane School Board unanimously voted to move Jefferson Elementary to the west, reducing impacts on the children and saving $4 million.
Opinion: Unanimous. Apparently the board thought it was that clear. Of course, when public services are chronically underfunded, in this case they had no idea where more than half of the $4 million would come from, you don't even get to talk about the right and wrong of it. So is this right or wrong? Without the full public debate resulting in a neighborhood consensus, we'll never know.
No heating necessary
Source: The Olympian; September 22, 2010
Summary: A house is being built in Olympia which is designed to use 75 less energy for heating by capturing sunlight, reducing heat loss from unintended ventilation, and extensive insulation. While it increased the construction cost by 7%, the savings from reductions in utility bills will pay off that difference in about 4-1/2 years.
Opinion: The payoff time is less than the term of a standard mortgage so, in effect, if you were to do this you'd actually be making money on the larger loan.
Parking garage planned near courthouse
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 23, 2010
Summary: As part of the development of Kendall Yards, the area near the Spokane County courthouse may get a new parking garage. While there are property ownership issues to be resolved, the construction might begin as early as 2011.
Opinion: The only thing more legendary about the courthouse than the lack of fiscal responsibility by two of the county commissioners is the lack of parking in the area, the overdependence on surface parking lots, and the long walks through the adjacent neighborhoods associated with street parking. This is a wise move by Greenstone, who can tap an existing market for parking while creating an asset for bringing new businesses to the development.
LL teen skates for record
Source: Liberty Lake Splash; September 22, 2010
Summary: Last weekend, Cohl Orebaugh skateboarded the most blunt-to-fakies in an hour to create a new category in Guinness Book of World Records.

Opinion: This is not even something the council remotely contemplated when we approved the construction of the skate park in Pavillion Park. No, this is unlikely to change the world, although, it is always nice to hear of someone setting a goal then achieving it. What's more important to realize is that human behavior is not linear. The council was just trying to create a safe place where local kids could enjoy themselves. Whatever people do when they plan for the future, they must also accept that things will not turn out as planned. They might, indeed, turn out better. Besides, this is your chance to find out what a blunt-to-fakie is. You should look just to know what it means that Cohl averaged one every 4.5 seconds for a full hour.

Washington Transportation Plan Listening Session

2010-09-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) issues a 20-year transportation plan, and they are conducting regional listening sessions to receive comments on the 2010-2030 plan. They have established a blog to explain the concepts that they're working on, and the draft plan, designed for public comment, is available.

The plan is not a list of projects to be constructed, but an overarching policy statement about what transportation should look like in 20 years.

The Spokane regional listening session will be conducted tomorrow, Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 1-4 PM, at the downtown Spokane library.

Four the Future - September 20

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today, the Great White Way becomes more lively, speed bump woes, studded tire destruction, and preparing for EV's.

Not So Broadway
Source: New York Times; September 3, 2010
Summary: Broadway in Manhattan has been narrowed over the last few years by adding pedestrian and bike lanes. From 59th to 42nd, three quarters of the sidewalk chairs which used to be part of the road were occupied between 2 and 2:30 PM. In Herald Square, 93 of 111 chairs were occupied.
Opinion: Broadway has become a place for people rather than just cars. Turns out, retail is benefited by pedestrians. Very few businesses get a buck out of a car that just drives by. Where is your neighborhood people place?
Speed bump bothering South Burlingame residents
Source: The Oregonian; September 10, 2010
Summary: A speed bump the width of a crosswalk was installed adjacent to an elementary school. It is marked only as a sidewalk, however, and people are slamming into the bump, disturbing the neighbors with the noise.

View Larger Map
Opinion: Speed bumps a troublesome for multiple reasons. First, public safety personnel hate them. Here, there is also the concern that they hamper snow removal. But, it seems to me that if there are so many people speeding along this road, the drivers are getting some feeling that it should be faster. Other traffic calming options may be in order, such as narrowing the street at this intersection, as in actually widening the sidewalk so that
1. there is a visual cue that there's a tight spot ahead
2. the distance the children must cross is shortened, and
3. it will encourage children to cross at the proper location
By the way, if you read the comments on that story, you’ll see just how passionate people can be about these things. It degenerates into name calling pretty quickly.
Editorial: Driving on studded tires taxes roads and budgets
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 15, 2010
Summary: The Spokesman-Review editorial board urges you not use studded tires. They're not as safe as snow tires, and the money used to repair the roads of the damage they cause would be better used for other road projects.
Opinion: I mentioned this a couple days ago. Not only do they give a false sense of security, they cost tax dollars for the repair of the roads, and make the roads more dangerous because the ruts can force a car to move unpredictably and water in the grooves can cause a car to hydroplane.
Buzz Kill? Running electric vehicles not as simple as plug and go
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 19, 2010
Local companies getting prepared for electric cars
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 19, 2010
Summary: While plug-in electric vehicles may be capable of being recharged at normal household voltage (120V), it's faster if you use a charging station running at 240 volts, which requires a licensed electrician to install. The cost of the dock and labor is around $2,200. Adding a second meter may require up to a 45-day delay for installation. People who do not have garages also have other concerns. Avista says it has available capacity for the vehicles, predicting that nearly 20% of all electrical use will be for this purpose by 2035.
Opinion: Running an EV in the northwest will be less expensive than in other areas of the country due to lower dependence on fossil fuel fired plants. But, if electrical demand goes up, that advantage will go away. So, to switch from gasoline to electrical vehicles will require that we reduce power usage for our homes and businesses through higher efficiencies.

Four the Future - September 17

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today, all about making better buildings: healthier, cooler, warmer, and efficient.

Green buildings may make employees feel better, a study finds
Source: Los Angeles Times; September 8, 2010
Summary: Green building isn't merely about environmental concerns, but also with the productivity and well-being of building occupants. The University of Michigan studies two groups of workers who moved into a green office building. It was found that absenteeism due to "asthma, allergies, depression and stress" decreased. Productivity increased. The study appears in the September edition of the American Journal of Public Health.
Opinion: Green building reduces operating costs, reduces the burden on the environment, and improves worker productivity. More study will have to be done to quantify the effect, but it was already a valuable thing even if you don't care about the quantified increase in worker well-being.
Air Conditioning Using 90 Percent Less Power
Source: Miller-McCune; September 9, 2010
Summary: Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have invented a swamp cooler which uses a desiccant (like the little packets found in consumer electronics and some pharmaceuticals that say "do not eat") to reduce the amount of energy necessary to cool a building. In dry climates, the newly developed cooler uses only 10% of the energy of high efficiency compressor systems. In wetter climates, it uses 50% less. Power consumption can be reduced more by using solar heating to drive off the absorbed water. Cooling systems currently use 14% of all energy in the United States. Commercially available units could be on the market in two or three years.
Opinion: New technologies could make great strides. If this research pans out, this is one solution could vastly reduce the amount of energy a building uses. And, because air conditioners are used during peak energy time of day, it will disproportionately reduce our dependence on carbon emitting energy production from gas and coal.
Body Heat to Warm Up French Apartments
Source: TriplePundit; September 10, 2010
Summary: Subways get hot due, in part, to all the people in them. On average, each passenger generates approximately 100 watts of energy per ride. So, French engineers in Paris are using the principles of geothermal, 17 apartments will be heated using a heat exchange. A link already exists between the subway and the apartment, so it's feasible in this situation, but it’s currently too expensive to retrofit it in other locations. But, other cities are looking at the concept for their systems.

Opinion: Using cold air from an apartment to cool passengers while using warm air to heat the apartments. Imagine that. Two problems, when seen as part of a system, can become its own solution. This type of systems thinking is what is driving the sustainability movement. Nothing exists isolated from everything else.
Climate-change study: Today's power plants aren't the problem
Source: Christian Science Monitor; September 9, 2010
Summary: Current sources of greenhouse gases are bad enough, but pale in comparison to the carbon emitters of the future. Creating sources of energy which prevent the creation of new carbon-emitting plants must be emphasized. We’re not going to start switching out the emitters we already have. Technological innovation is necessary to prevent their spread. If the each plant in the current inventory of emitters is allowed to operate for its full design life, global average temperatures would remain below the 2 C (3.6 F) threshold.
Opinion: Creating more efficient buildings, and retrofitting current ones with advanced technologies, is necessary to prevent the construction of many more emitting plants when new buildings are being constructed all the time. The new buildings may be necessary, but the emissions from their energy use must be avoided.

A personal moment

2010-09-15T17:04:00.001-07:00

If you're ever wondering why I do all this planning stuff, this photo of a brick on the campus of Eastern Washington University should be all you'll ever need to know.

Four the Future - September 15

2010-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

No food shortage (yet), more grass-waste-to-energy, preserving habitat, and southern new urbanism.

Not a Food Crisis
Source: New York Times; September 12, 2010
Summary: In this editorial, the New York Times worries about the effects of a Russian ban on wheat exports. They argue that countries should not overreact and cause food crises by preventing the free flow of foodstuff across borders. India has had a ban in place, and it has resulted in rotting food stores. Large exporters should all agree to not impose controls.
Opinion: Expect more of this. This year, one quarter of the sown wheat in Russia has been destroyed by fires fueled by drought. As climate change alters the food crops which can be grown in their traditional places, there will be upheavals. This is beginning to impose itself upon the consciousness of strategic thinkers. Source Integral has advised middle eastern nations that they should stop their strategy of outsourcing food (Part One) (Part Two) because there will be no place which will sell them food without a close, supportive relationship. We do not do food planning well in this nation. We depend, primarily, on abundance. But with our current reliance on international food trade, food prices intimately linked to oil prices, and regional responses to climate change, depending on hopes of abundance will not be a safe strategy in the future.
Ban on field burning prompts plan to convert straw to energy
Source: The Oregonian; September 12, 2010
Summary: Oregon had the same kind of grass smoke problems that other grass-burning areas have had. The problem got so bad that in 1988, intentional grass fires caused a 21-vehicle pileup on Interstate 5 killing seven and injuring a number of others. In 2007, Eugene-area legislators proposed to ban all burning. Consequently, several sites are now being considered to turn grass straw into "electricity, compost, fertilizer and compacted wood products."
Opinion: This is a different approach to the grass-waste-to-energy concept presented before. Whereas the other project is being funded to make generators which operate on each farm, this concept brings it all together onto a larger site. While the previous concept has the benefit of providing distributed energy to independent farmers, the latter uses more of the plant for beneficial use, and could be base load bearing. It will be interesting to see which concept wins out, or if they can coexist side-by-side.
Bonneville Power Administration releases plan to protect 16,880 acres of Willamette Valley habitat
Source: The Oregonian; September 11, 2010
Summary: The Bonneville Power Administration is dedicating $125 million over the course of 15 years to preserve habitats due to the construction of dams in the Willamette Valley. The total area to be preserved is 16,880 acres. The State of Oregon, tribes, and nonprofits will be able to purchase conservation easements to protect diminished habitats. 9657 acres were preserved earlier. Rates will not rise, as it has already been taken into account. The draft is open to public comment until October 12.
Opinion: The area to be preserved is about 2/3rds the side of the City of Spokane Valley. From these links, you can read the agreement and comment (scroll down to the “Willamette Mitigation Settlement Agreement” section). Not only do you live on this same earth as the fish that were affected by these dams, local power companies are BPA customers so you’re paying for these lands to be purchased and rehabilitated. If you have a comment to make, you certainly have a right to do so. I wonder...has anything like this happened in Washington?
Waco, Texas embraces growth and 'new urbanism'
Source: USA Today; September 13, 2010
Summary: Waco, Texas, used to be deserted when people went home from work. Now, there are people and cars and activity downtown because the city has embraced a mixed use plan for downtown. The market is moving toward walkability. They’re developing along the banks of the Brazos River. They’re leaving behind the sprawl and the high cost of "roads, utility lines, and services to remote areas." Tulsa and Baton Rouge are also focusing on this kind of development.
Opinion: Light rail in Salt Lake City, new urbanism in Waco. Clearly, resisting these movements is not conservative, so what's the new excuse going to be?

Four the Future - September 14

2010-09-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Transportation! Light Rail legal challenge, expanding valley highway, fewer youthful drivers, and transit cutbacks.

State Supreme Court to hear fight to ban light rail from I-90
Source: The Seattle Times; September 12, 2010
Summary: The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case alleging that building light rail on I-90 would be a violation of the state constitution. Light rail opponent Kemper Freeman argues that using that the gas tax which built the freeway limits it to "highway purposes" and that using it for transit is a violation of the state's 18th amendment. The state argues that the lanes will be replaced by new ones, and that the lease of the property to the transit system is mere administration of the system. Transit has always had priority use on the inside lanes of highways.
Opinion: First, as I've stated before, the 18th amendment is legislation posing as fundamental law of the land. It needs to be rescinded. Second, watch out: the North Spokane Corridor has a space allocation for dedicated transit lines. Third, next we'll hear that rail can't cross roads because that space is only to be used for "highway purposes." That's ridiculous, of course, but where's the line drawn? Transit uses the road space on a daily basis. Here in Spokane, it even upgrades major intersections to concrete. There’s space for everyone on the travelways. Let's hope the supreme court is rational about this.
Third lane planned for I-90 from Sullivan to Barker
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 13, 2010
Summary: $25 million in construction bid savings is allowing WSDOT to expand I-90 from Sullivan to Barker to six lanes. Additionally, ruts from downtown Spokane to the Geiger exit will be repaired for $15.5 million. Construction will begin in the spring.
Opinion: The ruts are caused by studded tires. The purchase of those tires should include a fee based on the expected amount it will cost to repair its share of the damage. That way those who think they improve driving can have them, and those who don’t do not have to pay for the inordinate amount of damage they cause. And with the widening project, now I-90 won’t be congested at the Sullivan exit. It will be congested at Barker, instead. Was ramp metering even in the alternatives analysis? (Was there an alternatives analysis at all?)
Sweet 16 can be sweeter without driver's license
Source: USA Today; September 13, 2010
Summary: There are more and more 16 year olds who do not have a driver’s license. This bodes well for traffic safety. Some credit less mobile children, protective parents, and the poor economy, but graduated drivers’ licensing is to be credited.
Opinion: Whatever the cause, one must consider what kind of society begins to form when 16 year olds cannot be assumed to have a license, let alone a car. Musing with my friend, KC Traver, I wondered out loud what would happen if the Eagle Pass program (which gives all Eastern Washington University students, staff, and faculty use of the bus system without payment at the bus) were extended to all high school students. We would have the opportunity to help teach students before that magical driving age how to get around without a car. And, in this economy, who wouldn't want to reduce the household transportation cost? In the long term, it would be better to have a community built in such a way that the need for transportation is reduced, such as mixed use neighborhoods. These are strategies which can be used to make ourselves more resilient in the face of a changing world. But, as the next story shows us, we're not always making progress in that direction....
Riders sad for WTA's last day of Sunday bus service
Source: The Bellingham Herald; September 12, 2010
Summary: Whatcom Transportation Authority shut down its Sunday service to both regular route and paratransit riders after voters turned down a tax increase. Many riders were unsure how they'll get to church next week.
Opinion: Whatcom is suffering the losses Spokane Transit managed to avoid. Still, STA is in route-cutting mode as well.

Jefferson Elementary Public Forum

2010-09-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 7 PM, Spokane Public Schools is holding a public forum regarding the renovation/reconstruction of Jefferson Elementary, currently at the corner of 37th and Grand. There are two options remaining, the "east" and "west" locations. Moving the school between 37th and Manito Blvd would save $4 million, but neighbors have delivered 900 signatures against it over concerns about traffic and property values. The east option would require the purchase of more property and the displacement of the children during construction, but hundreds of returned surveys opposed that option. So, this is your chance to weigh in.

On the school district web site, you can find the project page and a presentation on the site options.

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Hearing

2010-09-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Spokane County Planning Commission will be meeting at 9 AM, Thursday, September 16, 2010, to hear public testimony on seven proposed amendments to the Spokane County Comprehensive Plan. The county's web page for these amendments is here.

The amendments include increasing the allowed densities in various locations around the county including Deer Park (10-CPA-02) and Garden Springs (10-CPA-06). There areas of proposed urban growth area expansion on the southeast side of the I-90 Geiger Field (10-CPA-04) and Medical Lake (10-CPA-05) exits. There is a commendable proposal to include the Spokane River as a water trail as part of the county's trail system (10-CPA-07). Additionally, a member of the well-known Douglass family is proposing a conversion of conservation lands into a mine (10-CPA-01).

Disturbingly, there is also a proposed amendment (10-CPA-03) which would bring the western half of the Saltese Flats into the urban growth area, even though it has already been established as a conservation area. At first blush, it seems apparent that this is just a cash grab as the county is investigating the possibility of turning the Saltese Flats back into Saltese Lake as a wetland to help deal with phosphorus problems in the Spokane River. If this property goes into the UGA, then the county would have to pay much more to acquire it. An alternative theory I've heard is that raising it to a higher level allows a greater amount of money to go to the owners in a transfer of development rights (TDR) scheme.

There's an interesting document provided by the folks who are proposing the urban growth area expansions. It is a land quantity analysis which states, in effect, that because the county has violated a COUNTY goal of having 4 units per acre within the urban growth area, it should violate a STATE goal by embracing sprawl.

Imagine that, a local appraiser laying bare Spokane County's violation of the intent of the Growth Management Act.

Four the Future - September 12

2010-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today: Grass-waste-to-energy plant, energy audits, historical preservation, and an environmental public survey.

Biofuel project in Spokane County wins $90,000 grant
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 9, 2010
Summary: A local company was provided a $90,000 USDA grant to automate the conversion of bluegrass straw into fuel. A 2,000 acre farm could produce enough fuel to recoup the cost of the system in 3-4 years. These electrical generators will become available in about 18 months.
Opinion: That's a 25% return on investment. You tell me an industry, other than private medical insurance companies and other financial scams, that can do better than that! And now you don't have to burn the straw in the fields. Sounds like an excellent investment in grant monies.
Energy audit can lead to big savings
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 12, 2010
Summary: Energy audits can save a great deal of money by reducing your need energy without sacrificing comfort. Audits can cause several thousand dollars, and retrofits can cost several thousand more. However, the return on investment can be high, paying off in just a few years. Grants are available to help reduce the cost. You can reduce that cost by reading up.
Opinion: There are links to other web sites and a book suggestion on the Spokesman site. I know it's hard to contemplate investing thousands of dollars in your home during a recession, especially in a recession focused on the value of your home. But if you still have some equity in your house, this is a good investment to make, since it could potentially save you money each month, and it should only take a few years to pay it off. And it's all money in your pocket after that. You can learn more about starting your own home assessment at the Energy Star web site.
Historic preservation chapter will be added to city's plan
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 11, 2010
Summary: The City of Millwood has added a historic preservation chapter to its comprehensive plan. Greg Mott said, "We are helping to preserve our community."
Opinion: Millwood is known for its neighborhood-style physical environment. If the city were to ignore it, nothing in the resulting rules would support it. Soon, main street would be torn down and replaced by a Wal*Mart, simply because the community had failed to say it was important to prevent it. They could make that choice, of course, but it should be a choice, not an oversight. Simply failing to have a historical preservation element in your comprehensive plan is just the same as having one that says, "Tear it down, boys!"
State, tribe conducting survey on lake water
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 12, 2010
Summary: The State of Idaho and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe are conducting an online survey to see how knowledgeable residents are on water quality and permitting processes. The survey might result in a public education effort.
Opinion: I know you're all responsible, but merely as a public service announcement, please don't go answer the questions unless you actually live there. Here are some sample questions:
- What agencies or entities can you think of that have some kind of jurisdiction over activities that affect lake water quality? (multiple choice)
- What do you know about the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s efforts regarding Coeur d’Alene Lake? (essay question)
- Excess phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into the lake from rivers and streams are a water quality concern (rate 1 to 5)
Generally, this is the appropriate use of surveys. Personally, I think it's wrong to govern based on opinion polls, but they can be useful to gauge the public's perception of issues.

Four the Future - September 10

2010-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

For your Friday pleasure: planned demolitions, green building, college traffic, and housing policy.

City may tear down part of former dairy
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 3, 2010
Summary: The city purchased a couple of buildings that were part of the old Carnation Dairy as part of the proceeds of a 1999 bond. (This is at the location of the Caterina Winery, but that is not part of the city’s property.) The parks department doesn’t seem to have a use for the buildings, so, since they are currently presenting a hazard, they are considering demolishing them, potentially at the same time as the demolition of the YMCA.

Opinion: This is where the Mobius science center will not be. What will be there? Make your voice heard by contacting the board! According to the environmental survey for these buildings, it appears that extensive asbestos mitigation will be necessary prior to demolition. After that mitigation, I wonder how much of the building materials can be reused, and whether the City requires that on their own demolition projects. Reusing the bricks, for instance, would be an environmentally supportive way of improving a new building.
Green Building: A Real Estate Revolution? (Part One) (Part Two)
Source: All Things Considered, National Public Radio; September 7-8, 2010
Summary: Audio! There is a boom of green building underway in America. A decade ago, virtually no one knew what LEED was, but now it (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is credited with bringing green building to the attention of builders across the country. Each building seeking LEED Certification receives points for improving the performance of a building; the more points, the higher the rating. Using less water, less energy, or improving the space for its occupants can be used to gain a high rating. Many professionals are receiving accreditation. But some critics of the system find it lacking.

Opinion: While I have heard that the certification process isn't for every project, even when the developer is consciously attempting to achieve a high-performance building, I support its existence. Perhaps over time, there will be widely available competing certification programs, such as Built Green, provided there's some way for the consumer to know it's not merely marketing or greenwashing
Traffic changes proposed near NIC for education corridor
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 7, 2010
Summary: A proposal would change traffic patterns on Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene to provide more access to North Idaho College. It is intended to expand an "education corridor" and the integration of several schools of higher education to share resources and expand opportunities.
Opinion: Planning often integrates the needs of various concepts which are usually thought of separately. Hence the need for strong, integrated comprehensive plans linked to the mission and values of the community.
Housing Woes Bring New Cry: Let Market Fall
Source: New York Times; September 5, 2010
Summary: The housing market is on the verge of a crash. Prices are going down, and now that the tax credits, mortgage modification programs, low interest rates, government insured loans and other assistance, are coming to an end they're poised to go down more. The administration now has to choose between current homeowners and future homeowners.
Opinion:Traditionally, government's role has been to ensure adequate supply of affordable housing. What is the government interest in artificially boosting housing costs? Shouldn't homes be less expensive, not more expensive? If the housing bubble was a bad thing, why are we as taxpayers maintaining it? Government has a role in subsidizing public services and encouraging developing technologies. Home ownership is a private activity in a mature industry. Let the market correct itself.

Neighborhoods for People

2010-09-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Scan | Design Foundation, University of Washington’s Green Futures Research & Design Lab, International Sustainability Institute, and Gehl Architects have produced a guide to how to conceptualize livable communities for Seattle, Washington entitled Neighborhoods for People.

It's intended to guide neighborhoods, non-profits, professionals, and students when they’re thinking about what kind of communities in which they wish to live, work, and play. This richly illustrated document (it's almost entirely photography) urges people to look around and see the public spaces they live in. It all around us: in Seattle, 46% of the land is owned by the public. The document provides methods and processes to make your neighborhood yours.

And, yes, much of the land in a city is publicly owned because of the roads, trails and sidewalks! What does traveling (by car, bike, foot, bus, rail, etc.) tell you about the neighborhoods you travel to? What are you sensing about neighborhoods that you’d rather just pass through without stopping? You and I, we’re students in this world of planning, and this document is, in part, talking directly to us. Go take a look!

Designing a Future Inland NW Eco-nomy

2010-09-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

Got a note from Friend of the Blog, Sam Mace of Save Our Wild Salmon. I'll let her tell it:

Designing a Future Inland Northwest Eco-nomy: Visions for Rail Transportation and Restoring City Waterfronts in Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID
Where: Interdisciplinary Design Institute, Main Hall, Phase 1 Building, WSU Riverpoint Campus, 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Spokane, 99202
Reception at 6pm, Presentation at 6:30pm
Host: Sam Mace, Save our Wild Salmon sam@wildsalmon.org or 509-747-2030www.wildsalmon.org
What: View designs for rail transportation linking communities in the Inland Northwest as well as landscape architectural designs for the waterfronts of Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID if the four lower Snake River dams are removed and the riverfront restored. Speakers will include design students and business leaders.
Sponsored by: Working Snake River for Washington, Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, and Washington State University.

Four the Future - September 8

2010-09-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today, an unusual bonanza of Spokesman-Review contributions: roads, roads, roads, and more roads! But, also, federal funding, affordable housing, respecting neighborhood values, and a new transportation fee.

Federal funds advance North Side corridor
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 8, 2010
See Also: Obama to Call for $50 Billion Spending on Public Works
Summary: United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Senator Patty Murray headlined a gathering of dignitaries at the site of the North Spokane Corridor to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the southbound lanes between Farwell and Francis. The funds for this construction came from the 2009 federal stimulus package. LaHood will be asking congress members about their attitude with President Obama’s $50 billion transportation investment plan. Murray isn’t ready to endorse the idea.
Opinion: I've mentioned Secretary LaHood before (with a link to video). While this is clearly a high-profile construction project and will get all the attention, he appears to be a "livable communities" advocate, and won't concentrate just on huge freeways that don't go anywhere.
More buildings in freeway's path set for removal
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 8, 2010
Summary: Even though no one knows where the money is coming from to complete the North Spokane Corridor's freeway, homes are being demolished in East Central adjacent to I-90. One hundred thirty buildings have already been removed. Forty-nine more will be razed under the new contracts. More than 500 will be pulled down by the time WSDOT is done. One property, however, was recently purchased by the City of Spokane for use as subsidized housing and transferred to ECCO, the East Central Community Organization. The building is being renovated, and will be moved to a city-owned lot.
Opinion: There are an immense number of displacements occurring with the destruction of this neighborhood. It's good that some affordable housing will be preserved. However, my usual snarky comment is that it's a good thing that they’re building a freeway so that all these displaced people can travel out to the edge of town where all the new houses will be built. Did I mention that they don’t know where the $1.6 billion dollars for the construction is going to come from?
Vestal: Smooth streets well worth turmoil of construction
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 8, 2010
Summary: Lincoln Street on Spokane's south hill has been reconstructed. It’s smoother now, and also includes new “storm gardens” which deal with rainfall more effectively. There are construction projects all over the city, and it will be worth the hassle. They are brought to you courtesy of a $117 million road bond in 2004. Local leaders are talking about a car license fee of $20 that would generate about $8 million per year, but that's only about one fifth of the annual backlog.

Opinion: Now, that wasn't hard, was it? The City of Spokane experienced a change in its leadership due, in part, to its mishandling of Bernard Street. You hardly hear a peep this time, only a few blocks away, because the city worked with the neighborhood and respected its values. The silence may be reward enough for the city, but we should praise their effort. Now, if only we could have the dedicated funding. Change in federal policy from sprawl creation to neighborhood infrastructure preservation, anyone?
City, Valley might back vehicle tax, Mielke says
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 8, 2010
Summary: County Commissioner Todd Mielke says that the Cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley may support the creation of a transportation benefit district which would charge a $20 vehicle license fee throughout the county. He also said that "all the city officials he has talk to have agreed that no tax should be levied without voter approval." Commissioner Richard was concerned that having the voters weigh in might harm the construction of a new jail.
Opinion: The problem with a car license fee is that it charges people for owning a car, when it's using a car which causes the need for road maintenance. But, people without a plan resort to desperate, uncoordinated measures, so this should be expected. The lesson here is that every time you hear local elected officials complain that there's not enough money for road maintenance, they're arguing against the federal government's policy of funding new road construction instead of maintenance. If we were arguing about whether to charge $20 for the construction of more sprawl, this issue would be DOA.

Regional Transportation Vision Workshop

2010-09-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council is the official organization responsible for the allocation of funds from state and federal sources for transportation projects throughout the region. It also sets regional transportation policies, coordinates the various jurisdictions, operates the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center (the place with the traffic cameras) and runs the message signs along the freeway.

It also gives the public opportunities to give input on transportation-related planning throughout the region. In fact, the planning role is so important, the federal government refers to the SRTC as the "Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)" and the State of Washington calls it the "Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO)."

On Tuesday, September 14, the SRTC is hosting a community workshop from 6-9 PM at the Moran Prairie Library at 6004 South Regal, Spokane, WA 99223 (Google Maps). You can get more information at the website, and view the brochure.

View Larger Map

The workshop will be featuring a game called "A Thousand Visions" which will help you answer questions like "How much funding would you devote to transportation?" and "What types of projects would you fund?" I don't know what answer the region as a single voice will give, but I guarantee yours won't be part of it unless you participate in one way or another!

Four the Future - September 6

2010-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today: Using the aquifer to keep the aquifer full, and transportation investments (or not)

Obama to Call for $50 Billion Spending on Public Works
Source: New York Times; September 6, 2010
Summary: Today, President Obama will propose spending $50 billion to improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The plan will fund 15,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of rail, and 150 miles of airport runways. Every few years, Congress passes its multi-year transportation bill. Prospects are dim for this year.
Opinion: The general public doesn’t know that Congress is habitually late with its transportation bills. It’s operating under a continuing resolution now. These funds are intended to "frontload" the 6-year plan, hopefully to increase the number of construction jobs available. These kinds of infrastructure jobs pay dividends for a generation, and it’s so much better than make-work.
Since we’re talking about the transportation bill, I want to make my ongoing pitch. For me, the most controversial part of the transportation bill is that it is only for the construction of new roads, not for maintenance. This means that there is incentive for states to expand a road system which is already too big for them to maintain. It also encourages sprawl because the only place to build new roads is where they don’t already exist. The feds should supply only maintenance money for roads, and let the local governments decide whether it’s worth it to tax their citizens for sprawl.
U.S. Plays Catch-Up on High-Speed Rail
Source: New York Times; September 5, 2010
Summary: The Unites States is far behind other nations in high-speed rail systems. While the United States is struggling, China is booming. The only nominally high-speed route in the US is the Acela between Boston and Washington, DC, but it’s a stretch to call it high-speed. Foreign companies are interested in helping build systems. Currently, potential development is focused on San Francisco to Los Angeles and Orlando to Tampa Bay. The California system could cost as much as $40 billion. However, federal funding is only around $8 billion.
Opinion: There has been talk about a trans-Cascadian line to link eastern and western Washington. However, the most rational funding stream, the gasoline tax, is overburdened as it is, and constitutionally (Article II, Section 40) limited to highway spending. My opinion on that? That’s legislation, not the fundamental law of the land. Whether it's the right thing to do or not, it doesn’t belong there.
Medical building taps into concept of 'going green'
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 5, 2010
Summary: The Fourth and University Medical Building uses a geothermal heat exchange to reduce energy costs. Utility bills were reduced from $4,000 per month to $1,200 per month. Return on investment is 20%, which means that that is all money in their pocket starting in 5 years.
Opinion: The first building in the county which uses the aquifer to reduce energy usage is the Saranac Building in downtown Spokane. But, there’s more to share....
TierPoint facility uses unique system to chill building
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 5, 2010
Summary: TierPoint, a server farm in Liberty Lake, has an underground closed-loop heat exchange thereby cooling year-round by pumping the heat into the aquifer. The Spokane aquifer is fast moving, so calculations showed that the heat from the building was dissipated within 10 to 15 feet of the heat exchange. This improvement will reduce TierPoint’s water usage by 6 million gallon per year.
Opinion: Full disclosure: I am friends with one of the owners, Greg Zemp. This is another case where the efforts of local environmental and community building legend Jim Sheehan are paying off. He worked hard to convince the Department of Ecology to permit the use of the aquifer for these purposes. Personally, I’d like to see the calculations on how much water could be saved from being pulled out and boiled away versus the higher temperature the water would be when still in the ground. After all, that’s 6 million gallons is for just one building and the sewer system would welcome a reduction in diluting water from its system.

Four the Future - September 4

2010-09-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today: the regional incinerator, recycling, root cellars, and a regional sustainability partnership.

City incinerator a hot topic
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 4, 2010
Summary: The contract for the region’s waste incinerator will be over soon, so a decision will have to be made for its future. Operating costs are competitive with other cities and counties at $98 per ton. The bond that paid for its construction will be paid off in 2011, so its cost should go down. Regional leaders are discussing changes to its governance structure. The regional solid waste plan calls for its continued use, and the plan has been approved by Spokane, Spokane County, Spokane Valley, Millwood, and the palouse towns. There has been concern in the environmental community about the greenhouse gases being released by the incinerator. However, a recent study shows that landfills produce more GHGs than incinerators.
Opinion: Only Liberty Lake and the west plains cities (Medical Lake, Airway Heights and Cheney) have yet to approve of the plan. There was a serious battle over the construction of the incinerator and current County Commissioner Bonnie Mager was opposed to it. The plant is currently past capacity. Recycling could have a major impact on the ongoing cost and volume of waste disposal. Fortunately....
Food scraps: They're not garbage anymore!
Source: Spokane County Solid Waste
Summary: Spokane County residents can now place food scraps into their “clean green” bins to be composted, rather than incinerated. Significantly, you may now recycle: Fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, fish, poultry, and bones, and bread, pasta and grains. The full list is available at the link above.
Opinion: The more we reuse, the less we need to ship in from other places. It makes our region most resilient to economic changes in other regions, and expands a resource (compost) for use in our area. As we move closer and closer to a single stream recycling system, recycling rates should increase because it will become more convenient to do so.
Living Green newsletters
Source: SNAP; September/October 2010
Summary: SNAP produces a bimonthly newsletter to help people live more sustainable lives. You can sign up for it by visiting the link above. In the latest edition, it talks about food preservation and storage, canning, institutional composting, and more.
Opinion: Monitoring newsletters like these can give you ideas about how other people live their lives. You might even pick up a tip or two! In this case, the newsletter sings the praises of root cellars. Since they are part of a structure, building codes must be aware of their existence and accommodate them. Planners must be aware of what kinds of activities people engage in to make sure that they do not interfere with the proactive steps that everyday people take. As societies change, planners must attempt anticipate the neighborhood’s future so neighborhood plans are more than documents on a shelf, but, instead, living documents which support the communities they intend to serve.
A Future Built on Different Standards
Source: New York Times; September 2, 2010
Summary: The province of Styria, Austria, is experiencing an economic boom as a result of a sustainable business strategy. They are promoting their region through green products. It’s a coalition of 79 municipalities for branding the region, and an incentives system for achieving ecological excellence. Foods are produced locally, and buildings use solar power and recycle waste heat. The entire region intends to be fossil fuel free by 2025.
Opinion: These people have discovered that if they live sustainably, they don’t need to depend on people from the outside for their survival. At the same time, they’re making a branding program which allows them to create a regional identity, which attracts more people who hold the same values. And what better way to make a sustainable community than through the positive feedback of living with people with your same values?

Four the Future - September 3

2010-09-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today: Conservation Futures, public safety with a sunny disposition, and energy efficiency projections.

Proposed park could preserve LL-area hillside
Source: Liberty Lake Splash; August 18, 2010
Summary: The failure of the Marshall Chesrown's Legacy Ridge development has left the property in the hands of AmericanWest Bank. The bank has proposed that it be sold to the county through the Conservation Futures program for $2.6 million. It could include a trail system over the hillside between Liberty Lake and Saltese Flats.

Opinion: Full disclosure: as a city councilmember for Liberty Lake, I lobbied to deny this area’s entry into the urban growth area (which would have allowed it to be developed), and that effort was successful. So, I’m naturally drawn to making it a protected area and preventing it from being developed. County Commissioner Mark Richard even came to Liberty Lake to threaten the city with legal action if we didn’t support bringing it in. So, to have Commissioner Richard making the decision? I seriously doubt it will be protected. On the other hand, this next story indicates it’s unlikely to happen anyway....
Open space designation fields many nominees in county
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 2, 2010
Summary: Thirty-six parcels have been nominated to be acquired by Spokane County under the Conservation Futures program. Conservation Futures is funded through a special property tax dedicated to the purchase and preservation of threatened open spaces. The Spokesman-Review web site is making a map and specific parcel list available.
Opinion: According to purpose of the Conservation Futures program is to "maintain, preserve, conserve and otherwise continue in existence adequate open space lands for the production of food, fiber and forest crops, and to assure the use and enjoyment of natural resources and scenic beauty." The county maintains a statement and park locator. The fact that there are some worthwhile properties available which exceed the available annual funding is more proof that the purchase of the YMCA building in Riverfront Park was unwise. And this unfortunate funding restriction will persist for 20 years unless the park property is repurchased using unrestricted funds and Conservation Futures is refunded.
Solar panels provide backup power for Liberty Lake police
Source: Spokesman-Review; September 2, 2010
Summary: The City of Liberty Lake has installed 60 solar panels on the roof of the police station/library building. The police department has a bank of batteries which can power its servers and communications equipment. The solar panels will keep the batteries available for up to 72 hours during a power outage. During normal operation, the solar panels will reduce the amount of energy purchased from Avista. Excess power will be sold back to Avista.
Opinion: Proof that sustainability and resilience are two sides of the same coin. People who are opposed to sustainability: please explain how losing data access and communications is good for public safety.
Doing More While Using Less Power
Source: New York Times; September 1, 2010
Summary: Energy efficiency is not the same as energy conservation. With conservation, you make do with less. Efficiency means that you can do more with what you already have. Appliances have become more efficient—like refrigerators have, on average become 4% more efficient each year since the 70’s, yet are larger. Light duty vehicles could double their efficiency by 2035. Buildings could use 60% less energy by installing present technologies. One researcher says that the United States could reduce its projected energy needs by 88 percent by 2050.
Opinion: Reduce by 88 percent. No, I checked. That’s not a typo. As is observed in the article, this is easy stuff but industry seems to be "utterly uninterested." Yes, it can take upfront investment, but what doesn’t? And with up to 40 percent return on investment, there is a serious disconnect here. Perhaps Mayor Newsom’s building efficiency audits would help. It might even help more if the stockholders were informed of ways to make those kinds of margins. Or, better yet, disinvest in poorly performing companies and invest in businesses (and regions) which are more efficient and better prepared to succeed in tight markets.

Four the Future - September 1

2010-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

To kick off your Sustainable September: Measuring energy efficiency, city awards, auto accident costs, and living without automobiles.

Mayor introduces ecofriendly bill
Source: San Francisco Chronicle; August 11, 2010
Summary: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants commercial buildings in the city to conduct an energy audit for their buildings every 5 years and updated annually. The reports would include the cost of energy-saving upgrades, and their expected annual savings. The reports would be made available to the public, and distributed to tenants. The local Building Owners and Managers Association is in favor.
Opinion: Excellent move, if executed properly. People fix what they measure, and when they see the large return on investment on energy efficiency measures, they will begin to embrace them. Additionally, it will serve as a great way for foundations to direct energy efficiency grants, giving San Francisco an advantage over other communities.
City of Spokane Receives Award
Source: Councilman Jon Snyder; August 20, 2010
Summary: The City of Spokane received an award from the American Planning Association and Planning Association of Washington "for its greenhouse gas inventory reports and Sustainability Action Plan." The blog entry lists a number of different activities that the City has performed to become more resilient.
Opinion: The efforts the city is putting forward to make itself and the community more sustainable are commendable. Only crazed conspiracy theorists (John Ahern, Nancy McLaughlin, Mike Fagan, etc.) and their credulous followers can get in the way.
Safety: Assessing the National Bill for Crashes
Source: New York Times; August 30, 2010
Summary: Automobile accidents account for nearly $100 billion annually, but only about 17% is direct medical costs. The vast majority is due to lost wages, productivity and costs associated with disability. Men account for about three-quarters of the cost. Teenagers, 14% of the population, account for a third of the cost. And motorcycle drivers and bicyclists cost twice as much when injured, due to the extent of injury. Seatbelts, increased speed enforcement, child safety seats and alcohol ignition lock-outs reduce the costs. Restrictions on teenage driving also helps.
Opinion: What isn’t mentioned in the article is that one of the best ways to reduce those costs is greater transit ridership. People on rail and buses are almost immune, as the aggregate fatality risk for autos is 1,300 times greater than for buses.
In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars
Source: New York Times; May 11, 2009
Summary:

Seventy percent of families in Vauban, a subdivision in suburban Freiburg, Germany, do not have cars. What roads they have do not permit cars to park. Driveways and home garages are generally forbidden. There are parking garages on the edge of the neighborhood which cost $40,000. Bikes are common, as is use of the tram which goes through the one square mile community. Originally a military base, it was not designed with auto traffic in mind. When cars are needed, people can rent from the auto club. Americans are often suspicious of anything that reduces car usage, but there is a similar concept being developed in California named Quarry Village.
Opinion: If the concept interests you (as it does me, if merely as a living laboratory so we can optimize such places), feel free to dig deeper. The Wikipedia page links to some other newspapers. There’s a series of photos (including the one above) available here. Some of the architecture is, shall we say, uninspired. But, that’s something we fix in the next version, right?

Four the Future - August 31

2010-08-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today: signage blight, Intel-ligent vegetables, food carts, and parking lot tax proposal.

Britain being "overrun" by street signs
Source: Reuters; Aug 26, 2010
Summary: There are so many signs, including traffic signs and advertising boards, that English cities are looking like "scrapyards." Money quote: "When busy Kensington High Street in central London was stripped of excess [signage], for example, it helped reduce accidents by 47 percent."

Opinion: This is a public safety issue, complicated by the fact that signage is nothing more than an arms race. Each sign is competing for your attention. If it becomes hidden behind another sign, it is expanded to take up more of your view. Eventually the community looks like a college dorm room. The only solution is to limit the size and number of signs to something that prevents anyone from attempting to gain an advantage over everyone else.
When geeks garden, radish technology advances
Source: News Tribune; July 12, 2010
Summary: Intel’s offices in DuPont, Washington, are sprouting gardens. They’re learning about the various vegetables they can grow, and are experimenting with soils amendments. They designed a hexagonal planting method. Their café produces compost from the four buckets of prep waste each day. “In late June they harvested 70 pounds of radishes from a 5-by-6-foot section of a raised bed.” Peas were coplanted with the radishes, so, even more produce will be coming from that same small amount of space. Intel encourages the activity because it saves time for the employees.
Opinion: Getting the cubical denizens some time outside in the garden is also going to increase the employees’ productivity and morale. And food banks in Pierce and Thurston Counties are benefiting from the oversupply of fresh vegetables.
Street renaissance under way in Vancouver
Source: Globe and Mail; July 9, 2010

Summary: Vancouver, British Columbia, is experimenting with creating an on-street food cart culture. When they offered 17 locations, about 800 vendors signed up. The city was looking to be more like Portland, Oregon, which has over 450 street food vendors. The locations will be subject to the health department. The CEO of the food services association was pleased with the enthusiasm. He expects that the carts would appeal to the “brown bag” crowd who don't visit the restaurants anyway.
Opinion: I was thinking about this topic in mid-June due the Spovangelist mentioning it and doing a lovely job of encouraging an expansion. I agree with her: Spokane could stand to have more of this kind of activity as well. (And now I'm thinking—wow! We were ahead of Vancouver, BC?! Not anymore.) At the time, I humbly suggested that we could kill two birds with one stone: license fees for surface parking lots, with a rebate for food carts on the lot. Well, imagine what I felt when I read the next story....
Parking tax debate turns to growth
Source: Spokesman-Review; August 21, 2010
Summary: The City of Spokane is now considering an annual parking lot tax of $10 to more than $100 per space per year. The tax would go to street maintenance. This tax, however, would not generate much revenue. Mayor Verner is interested, but is more interested if it exempts structured parking. The owner of Diamond Parking agrees that parking is not the best use of land downtown, but the owners of the parking lots are merely holding the land, and making a few dollars, until such time as the economy supports building.
Opinion: There is an immense amount of parking available in downtown Spokane. And, hey, if they don’t want to pay the tax, they can make a food cart stall, perhaps! Or they can do any of these other things, ideas kindly supplied by the Spovangelist and friends.

Four the Future - August 30

2010-08-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today: moratorium abuse, downsizing housing, Sustainable September's Mariah McKay, and new automobile window stickers.

Lake Whatcom building ban extended another 6 months
Source: The Bellingham Herald; August 11, 2010
Summary: The Whatcom County Council passed a resolution extending a 5-year old building moratorium in a portion of Lake Whatcom's watershed. Lake Whatcom is the water supply for half of the county. The moratorium is preventing the construction of up to 200 homes. The council is attempting to put a workable transfer of development rights proposal in place.
Opinion: Moratoria are complex. If you announce you're going to have a moratorium or that rules are going to change in any way, people can subvert the process by filing for a development permit which is protected from rule changes under the state's vesting laws. So, state law recognizes that they are put in place with very limited or no public notice, but limits them to six months to permit time to have the public conversation necessary to put suitable rules in place. However, they can be extended without limit. Five years is ridiculous; it's easy to argue it's an abuse of power. More likely, however, is that they don't know what their plan is, so they can't make progress. I believe that the law regarding moratoria should be amended so that any extension past six months from the initial moratorium require that there have been a public hearing on a proposed work plan to end the moratorium. This shows accountability to the public, and makes the legislative authority demonstrate that it understands that the power to place nonstatutory moratoria is not unlimited. Even without a current obligation to do so, their planning department should present one for adoption by the county council anyway.
Tiny houses simpler, easier on the environment
Source: Missoulian; August 28, 2010
See Also: Four the Future - August 29
Summary: For 55 years, American houses grew larger and larger, peaking in 2007 at 2,521 square feet. This compares to the average of 800 sq. ft. in the original modern subdivision, Levittown, just after World War II. This was despite a steady decrease in the family size. In the same way it's becoming more fashionable to own a Mini Cooper than a Ford Expedition, there's a new trend to make homes smaller. However, governments make it difficult to build smaller houses.
Opinion: Looking back, this now seems inevitable. The growth of house size followed the growth of the boomers and their parents. When their parents downsized, the sheer number of boomers hid the trend. Now that the boomers are looking to downsize, so, too, is the average house size. Governments which were at first enrolled to "protect the investment" of the boomers by forbidding smaller units now have the duty to start allowing the boomers to downsize by allowing smaller, more efficient,less costly living spaces for everyone.
Face Time: Nonprofit employee talks about sustainability
Source: The Spokesman-Review; August 30, 2010

Summary: The Spokesman-Review interviews Mariah Rose McKay about the upcoming Sustainable September events next month. Over 100 events are planned, and more are being added. Many events are free.
Opinion: There is a full calendar at the web site. Sustainability allows us to live a life which won't be taken away from us due to lack of resources or foresight. Its alternative, embracing the inability to be resilient in the face of challenges, is simply defeatist. So, how do we live an intentionally wise life? Education. And this is a great way to do it. Thank you, Community-Minded Enterprises, and especially the dynamically resilient Mariah.
E.P.A. Develops Grading System for New Car Stickers
Source: New York Times; August 30, 2010
Summary: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) has designed new auto window stickers to help consumers compare vehicles. Rather than comparing vehicles against others in their class, now all vehicles will be compared against all over vehicles, and assigned a composite letter grade. Vehicles will get a grade between D and A+. No failing grades will be issued. Vehicles will also be compared based on mileage, annual cost of fueling, greenhouse emissions and other air pollutants.
Opinion: There is a whole range of colored labels for vehicles. Samples are available at the EPA web site (PDF, 16MB). The labels include several measures by which a consumer may judge a vehicle. This is important because hybrids treat fuel differently. If you're driving short distances, you may not use any fuel at all, so how do you compare that to a gasoline-only vehicle? Having multiple measures helps with that. I also support that there are no failing grades. "Failure" means that it shouldn't be allowed on the road at all. That's what emissions testing is for. But, let's not fool ourselves. Most SUV's get a C, and the highest grade any minivan gets is a C+, because of their inefficiency for single occupancy travel. If Americans were better at trip planning and sharing rides, that would make them more palatable. Carpool, anyone?

Four the Future - August 29

2010-08-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Risk-Taking Rises as Oil Rigs in Gulf Drill Deeper
Source: New York Times; August 29, 2010
Summary: Oil rigs have been built farther and farther out into the Gulf of Mexico. However, risks do not increase with increasing depth of drilling, but, instead with greater complexity. While the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon was only a drilling rig, Shell's Perdido rig "can drill and pump oil from wells across 30 miles of ocean floor. Below it is a subsea cityscape of pumps, pipes, valves, manifolds, wellheads and blowout preventers...." Undersea drilling had been deemed safe due to a limited number of reported accidents. But, according to a former industry executive, "Our ability to manage risks hasn't caught up with our ability to explore and produce in deep water."
Opinion: The issue here is not that they're drilling deeper, but that our energy consumption isn't linked to the risks being experienced. If the nation's petroleum users are willing to take those risks, that's fine, but it should be a conscious decision. Additionally, the full costs associated with those risks should be borne by their consumers. The BP oil spill proves that this nation is not fully allocating those costs, not doing enough to mitigate those risks, nor prepared to deal with the consequences when those risks are realized. Ultimately, when someone argues that it's too expensive to deal with those issues, they're admitting that this nation is not willing to pay the price of our current petroleum addiction.
Free parking isn't free
Source: The Spokesman-Review; August 29, 2010
Summary: Editor Gary Crooks discovers Donald Shoup's "The High Cost of Free Parking." He makes an estimable stab at the topic, laying out the problem with the hidden costs of "free" parking built into everything we buy, and into every time we travel.
Opinion: the problem is not that it costs money to park, but that local government, through its land use code, has forced such a massive oversupply of parking that it's literally worthless in most places. In addition to being a massive waste of space, it moves every place you want to get to farther apart, necessitating the ownership of a car to get around. You can check it out from the Spokane City Library. Predictably, it's not available at Spokane County or Liberty Lake libraries.
Homebuilders hope boomers beat a new path to their doors
Source: The Spokesman-Review; February 7, 2010
Summary: Homebuilders are pleased that the baby boomers are aging and wanting to downsize their homes. A quarter of the US population will be 55 or older in 2014. While 60 percent want to stay in their homes, the remainder want alternatives. More than 75 percent of these potential homebuyers want to live in the suburbs. They're only wanting to pay $190,000, though--a far cry from the $287,000 the builders want.
Opinion: They can't live in the suburbs. For the past 50 years, governments have been making rules (which the baby boomers wanted) to prevent this kind of development. They want 1,900 square foot houses, which means that they're only paying $100/square foot which means either: 1) lower quality finishings, which they won't like because they compare unfavorably from what they came from, or 2) less land between the houses, which is not suburbia. They're also likely to be looking for homes with just one floor to make getting around easier. But, that also takes more land for the same space. Plus, they don't have as much equity as they think. If so many baby boomers want to move, the massive number of houses on the market will push prices down. Elected officials have been told this was going to happen for at least a decade, and it takes that long to get substantial change in the land use patterns. But, I guess, at least I'm happy that while the solution has been staring Spokane and the region in the face for a long time, at least there's an article in the newspaper which shows that someone has gotten up to noticing that there might be a problem. (By the way, Liberty Lake has a development on Appleway which may help with this problem despite significant opposition on the council and a self-defeating limit on density.)
Seattle may create transportation taxing district
Source: The Seattle Times; August 10, 2010
Summary: Seattle is considering the creation of a transportation benefit district (TBD) to fund transportation projects within the city. TBD's are permitted to charge a $20 car tab fee without a vote of the people, and up to $100 with a public vote. Additionally, the TBD may also charge 0.2 cent sales tax and property taxes with a public vote.
Opinion: This is the same type of district that the City of Spokane is considering for its well documented transportation woes (not congestion because the concept of congestion in Spokane is laughable, but asset preservation). There is another TBD in Spokane County already--the Liberty Lake Trails TBD which built a number of trails connecting throughout the community, and, with the help of the city, the pedestrian bridge over the freeway. However, that was an older version of the TBD statute which only authorized a property tax. The $20 car tab fee is new.

Comments on Covenants

2010-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Division Three of the Washington Court of Appeals recently circulated an unpublished decision in the case of Mitschke v Nielsen in which several legal concepts regarding land use covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CCR's) were addressed. Many people think of CCR's as the tool of homeowner associations to enforce neighborhood rules such as house color, architectural standards, use restrictions, and such that some people like to have, but are considered to be outside the power of government to enforce (or trivial from the public point of view).

CCR's are basically contracts which run with the land. When a property is sold, the new owner is obligated to accept the terms of the contract as a condition of the sale.

While the specifics of the case aren't important (except, clearly, to the individuals involved), the ruling of the court was that the purported covenant was unenforceable. That, for those who live in neighborhoods with CCR's, might be important to you. So, what happened?

The court concluded that the specific covenant was not acknowledged by each property owner when it was sold to them. That is, in order to be subject to a covenant, the new property owner must be aware of it and agree to it. Of course, agreeing to it must also be a condition of the sale of the property.

Also, there were irregularities in the documentation itself, some glaringly bizarre: the name of the subdivision was that of a different neighborhood and the name of the neighborhood the litigants lived in was handwritten at the top of the page, also, there was no reference to the location of the properties.

The covenant had several articles to which property owners were purportedly required to adhere. Number 4 limits garages to two cars. Number 6 forbade loud animals. Number 9 required that all alterations be approved by the architectural control committee (ACC). The covenant also forbade commercial enterprises without the permission of the ACC.

The trial court found as a matter of fact that each of these articles had been violated multiple times by multiple residents. Indeed, even the Mitschke family had violated the commercial enterprise requirement. It concluded that because of the frequency of violations, the neighborhood had abandoned the CCR's, even if they had been enforceable.

(The phrase that's used regarding the Mitschke family's violation of the CCR's is interesting. It's best for you all to remember that if you're going to attempt to enforce questionable CCR's, "a person must come into a court of equity with clean hands." Pierce County v. State, 144 Wn. App. 783, 832, 185 P.3d 594 (2008) (citing Income Investors, Inc. v. Shelton, 3 Wn.2d 599, 602, 101 P.2d 973 (1940)). In other words, don't violate the CCR's, then complain that someone else is, too.)

Outside this particular case, it's also important to remember that government agencies will not enforce CCR's. They are private party contracts, and need to be enforced by the people of the neighborhood. Failure to enforce your CCR's will invalidate them, so 1) make sure you're enthusiastic about doing so, and 2) make sure that when your neighborhood no longer wishes to enforce particular sections that you alter the CCR's or your failure to enforce one portion may invalidate your ability to enforce the rest.

Another thing of which you must be aware: covenants cannot be contrary to the public good. Even if your neighborhood wants to have rules which violate the law, and everyone agrees to violate the law, you still are not wise to come to a court and convince it to force someone who moves in to violate the law. So, for those neighborhoods which have limitations on the number of residential units on a lot (i.e. single family homes), if city or county law says that it's a public good that accessory dwelling units (ADU, i.e. granny flats or apartments over garages) be allowed, then the covenant will not be valid on that point, and people will be able to add the ADU.

Covenants can be useful for homeowner's associations, and homeowners associations can provide useful services to a neighborhood (such as maintaining common property like the roads, trails, and pocket parks). As a source of social control, they do leave a great deal to be desired. However, if this is your preferred method of limiting the freedoms of your neighbors, then make sure you're doing it vigorously.

The City

2010-08-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

As part of my Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning, I was shown a movie produced in 1939 entitled, "The City." The punchline? Planners caused sprawl because their work was connected to theory, and not to data. Insist that your planners use data, not ideology, to drive their work.

Part one:

And, Part two:

Complete Streets

2010-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Recently, a significant amount of debate has been underway in Spokane about the "complete streets" concept. In a nutshell, a complete street is one which all people can use and feel safe, whether they are using a car, bike, feet, or any other conveyance. There has been a great deal of reasoned discussion on this important transportation topic. (There have also been spirited assertions* on the issue.)

Futurewise's Kitty Klitzke worked hard on convincing the Spokane City Council to adopt a resolution directing the city to gather the information for and prepare a complete streets ordinance. Futurewise's web page on the subject is here. Councilmembers Corker, Rush, Shogan and Waldref voted in favor of the resolution. Councilmember Jon Snyder blogged about it the next morning and posted the resolution text as well.

There is an embarrassing amount of angry, anti-bike sentiment expressed in Spokane (and those two both on the same day). Oh, and by the way, first letter writer above, the roads were not made for cars. They were made for pedestrians, horse and buggies, and streetcars.

Spokane's Citizen Streets Committee Chairman Dallas Hawkins states that he is in favor of the concept, but it concerned about the cost. This is a reasonable initial concern, but federal grants are available ("enhancement grants") which will cover up to 80% of that cost. Since the cost of pedestrian and bike facilities are low anyway, this makes them exceptionally inexpensive.

There is a comment on that opinion piece above which says, essentially, that bikes should be allowed the equal proportion of right-of-way to the proportion of trips that road carries. This is a specious argument. If the road doesn't have a bike lane, the road may very well be impassable by bikes. Those are the roads which are most in need of bike lanes, not the least. Besides, if you start considering the number of kids riding bikes on residential streets--well, the auto-only advocates had better watch out for what they wish. They might be banished from the neighborhoods forever.

And, the tide is turning at the federal level regarding transportation alternatives to automobiles. The United States Department of Transportation has issued new policy regarding complete streets which will have the effect of putting communities which fail to accommodate all transportation modes at a disadvantage. Here is the policy statement, issued of March 15, 2010:

The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life — transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blogged about this new policy as well, and included two videos of his "tabletop speech" on the topic.

It's important that we fully understand the costs, yes, but we must also be mindful of the advantages, including improved air quality, improved cardiovascular health, reduced street maintenance costs, reduced dependency on foreign oil, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, reduced personal transportation costs, improved public safety, and even an improved economy for locally owned businesses. Only short-sightedness and prejudice can get in the way.

* My term for debates in which the tin-foil-wearing, UN-conspiracy-fearing, black-helicopter crowd is inspired to participate. Apparently some people think that the UN is taking us over through installing sidewalks so that people with disabilities can use them.

Brownfields Direct Assistance

2010-04-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), brownfields are "real propert[ies], the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." Most people can think of a place in their neighborhood or region where there were industrial activities that had the potential of contaminating the ground. Now idle, those properties are unused because it's easier to develop greenfields (previously unbuilt properties) than rehabilitate a contaminated site.

Why is it important to deal with brownfields? First of all, there is the environmental impact. Over time, there is the potential that brownfields can contaminate other properties as well. If wildlife are taking advantage of the low impact activities there, they may also bring contaminants into the biology of the area. Secondly, brownfields drive down property values. After all, who wants to live next to an unmitigated environmental problem? Third, brownfields contribute to sprawl by taking otherwise productive land out of the market, requiring the construction of new facilities out on the rural edge and the extension of services such as sewer, water, roads, police, fire protection and schools into areas that didn't need it previously--a very expensive option!

If you'd like to point out a brownfield that you'd like to be returned to a productive state, now's the time to inform your local jurisdiction. The EPA is offering assistance to local jurisdictions for direct assistance in the planning of brownfield rehabilitation of a "neighborhood, district, city block or corridor." Your advocacy and the availability of assistance might make something happen! Applications made by your city or county are due by June 1, 2010.