Four the Future - December 31

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

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 - November 1

A special Four: these are some of the goings-on we talked about in Dr. Zovanyi's "Fundamentals of Planning" class.

• Biodiversity Conference Starts in Japan
  Source: New York Times; October 18, 2010
  Summary: Delegates to the United Nations conference on biodiversity will be discussing issues ranging from climate change to economic exploitation of developing nations by drug companies. The world is experiencing extinction at a rate 100 to 1000 times greater than average due to human activities.
  Opinion: Again, these are critical issues, but there is likely to be little movement because the developed countries will want to protect the profits of multinational corporations despite overwhelming evidence that our activities are unsustainable.
• [VIDEO] Stretched To The Limits: Still driving to qualify after the housing crisis
  Source: Blueprint America; October 22, 2010
  Summary: Despite continued foreclosures and abandoned neighborhoods, developers in the Phoenix suburbs continue to lure people out to the edge. Meanwhile, this is a story about a family who thought they were pursuing the "American Dream," but instead ended up upside-down in their mortgage. They find themselves waking their kids up at 4 AM to be able to have time to commute 120 miles to their jobs and childcare, dependent on their single remaining car, and so far away from transit that a local developer laughs at the prospect.
  Opinion: People did not realize they were getting themselves into these situations. Who should they be able to trust? Can it be planners, perhaps, to help them think through these situations before they are stuck? We should consider whether standard mortgages be limited by the amount of money it costs to commute and the cost of the increased infrastructure costs directly attributable to sprawl. Maybe, then, people would realize that houses out in the sticks are cheap because it is very expensive to live there.
  
• Public Housing Repairs Can’t Keep Pace With Need
  Source: New York Times; October 24, 2010
  Summary: The federal government is not keeping up with the maintenance of public housing projects. Nationwide, 150,000 housing units have been lost due to the failure to care for them. In New York City, the maintenance backlog is three years long.
  Opinion: They can give a whole lot of money to Wall Street, but cannot fix the holes in the walls of public housing. *shakes head*
  
• Seattle's proposed tree rules prompt opposition
  Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer; October 24, 2010
  Summary: The city of Seattle’s trees inspired the nickname "Emerald City," but newly proposed rules would allow property owners to cut down trees without a permit. They are considering these rules at the same time that city policy calls for an increase in the tree canopy. Staff decided that a permit system would be too cumbersome. Instead, they will require tree credits for replacement of downed trees.
  Opinion: Michael P. Brooks, author of Planning Theory for Practitioners proposes the "feedback strategy" in which planners offer alternatives as fodder for people to which to react as a way to gauge public opinion. If that is what happening here, they are certainly going to get a great deal of feedback! I wonder, by the way, how the city will know that a tree needs to be replaced if a permit isn’t necessary to remove it. Trees provide critical (and free!) services like soil retention and storm water mitigation that replacement will not remedy. How will they deal with that?
  

Four the Future - October 4

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 - September 17

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.
  

Four the Future - January 27

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

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



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


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


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

Four the Future - January 24

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

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


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


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


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

Four the future - January 4

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

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


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


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




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

Four the future - December 7

After only one day, I've decided to change the format. If I wait for a full week, the list will be too long and you won't want to go through them. So, let's try this: "Four" the future...a list of four stories related to planning. Yeah, it's cheesy. I like cheese, so sue me.

• EPA moving to regulate greenhouse gas emissions
  Source: Spokesman-Review, 091208
  Summary: The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate pollutants, such as CO₂, and may do so without the need for additional legislation.
  Opinion: The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for this act during the Bush administration when it told a reluctant EPA that it had authority to do so. It would be a bold move, and one that may raise the ire of congressional Republicans, and some "blue dog" Democrats.


• Grant to offset Antoine costs
  Source: Spokesman-Review, 091208
  Summary: A State of Washington grant reimbursed Spokane County for about half the cost of the purchase of Antoine Peak.
  Opinion: If the County wants to reduce its budget woes while increasing the amount of money it receives from state grants, it could get serious about the Conservation Futures program by instituting an open space impact fee so that as the region grows, we can preserve a proportional amount of land from suburban sprawl.


• Shuttles are green in deed
  Source: Spokesman-Review, 091209
  Summary: Diesel-electric hybrid buses replacing the downtown trolleys were purchased as a result of a cost analysis--maintenance costs are only 11 cents per mile, as opposed to standard diesel buses at 65 cents per mile.
  Opinion: One of the side effects of Washington's statutory division between capital and operational costs is that it is rare that jurisdictions are willing to pay more for capital costs which reduce operational costs. Spokane Transit is to be commended for this move. Now, if only they would apply that to the rail discussion. (And Spokane County for its confinement facility.)


• What Would Jane Say?
  Source: Inlander, 091210
  Summary: Jan Jacobs, the highly respected urban economist, would not approve of the choices being made with regards to the YMCA building at Riverfront Park. Robert Herold, the author of this opinion piece, points out that more open space will not make Riverfront Park better, just bigger.
  Opinion: Herold is correct. Riverfront Park is beginning to be too diluted with a lack of demand attractions. We must bring in more retail and entertainment activities to the park, thereby increasing the number of reasons for people go there. A lively park is economically useful and safer. Making even more dark spaces at night is just inviting inappropriate activities into our regional urban park. Use the Conservation Futures money for its intended purpose, and rescue Riverfront Park at the same time.

Weekly planning articles

This quarter, as part of the Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning class, I was required to monitor the Spokesman-Review for stories related to planning and keep a log. I think the point was to get us in the habit of doing it. I was already doing it as part of my past endeavors, so I may have pointed out more than was necessary.

Having done that now for about 10 weeks, I'm going to start posting them here. I would post the older stories, but I don't have non-payment links for them. Hopefully, I can keep up so I can capture the links as they occur.

I don't intend to limit myself to the Spokesman. Clearly, the Pacific Northwest Inlander is also a good source for news about planning in the region (and, in fact, may be better as they tend to go more in depth). If you have links to share, please email them to me or post them in the comments.

• Mr. Out There
  Source: Inlander, 091203
  Summary: Newly sworn-in Spokane City Councilmember Jon Snyder talks to the Inlander and much of it is planning-related: complete streets, electric buses, economic development.
  Opinion: Planning may very well have a friend here. We'll have to see if his instincts can be translated into effective action in a legislative role. And, hey, Jon: electric buses are not cheaper than electric rail. They are, in the long run, more expensive because you need a driver for each one while rail cars chain.


• Rekindling Kendall
  Source: Inlander, 091203
  Summary: Greenstone Corporation will be taking over Kendall Yards, and will try to develop it as part of the West Central neighborhood. Construction should be underway in Summer 2010.
  Opinion: Greenstone is a very successful planning and development organization. If anyone can make this project get off the ground, it's them, provided they don't run into the same kinds of bizarre, politically-motivated hurdles they've encountered in other Washington cities (yes, I'm talking about you Medical Lake and Liberty Lake).


• Spokane, STA weigh downtown trolleys
  Source: Spokesman-Review, 091207.
  Summary: The City of Spokane and Spokane Transit Authority are performing a study of electric transit options between Mission and 14th, Perry and Latah Creek.
  Opinion: Rapid transit is an important element of a regional transportation system. Unfortunately, STA is an unreliable partner is any such effort, opting only to appear as though they're functional and spreading falsehoods because they know they can get away with it. Perhaps the new members of the Spokane City Council will call them out. (And if you're wondering why I said "they're functional" rather than "it's functional," it's because it is several members of the board and CEO who are the problem, not the drivers nor even a significant portion of the management.)


• U.N. says climate goals in reach
  Source: Spokesman-Review, 091207.
  Summary: Delegates from around the world are gathering in Copenhagen to discuss a UN treaty on global climate change. U.N. Environment Program Director Achim Steiner says that a deal at Copenhagen is not impossible.
  Opinion: Even if a deal is possible, it won't be ratified in the US Senate, so it will be meaningless.