Four the Future - September 15

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 - December 19

Today: Mobius moving, Downtown improving, parking editorial, and another auto-pedestrian victim (or two)

• Science center won’t be in Riverfront Park
  Source: Spokesman, 091219
  Summary: Mobius will be building the science center in phases and is looking for a building to put it in. Spokane Park Board members on both sides of the recent contract dispute with Mobius think it's a good idea.
  Opinion: There is a serious disconnect between Riverfront Park and its northern neighbors. There needs to be a transitional use of some kind, and it needs to be capable of drawing crowds. I encourage the park board to look for ways to increase the number of activity spaces (not mere open space, there is plenty of that) in Riverfront Park.


• Spokane primed for more growth
  Source: Spokesman, 091219
  Summary: Daniel Iacofano is a principal at MIG, Inc., and helped work on the downtown Spokane plans of 1999 and 2008. In this opinion piece, he says that great progress has been made in terms of retail, the convention center, University District, arts and entertainment, the north bank, and housing. He also says much more can be done.
  Opinion: It is true, things have changed, but Spokane hasn't always grasped for its best options. But, with the new majority in the city council, things like complete streets and moving parking away from ground level will improve the downtown experience, and make more room available to retail. Add a regional rail system, and watch downtown launch a renaissance not only for itself, but at each station along the way.


• Editorial: Parking lot blight merits ban while study done
  Source: Spokesman, 091220
  Summary: In this Spokesman-Review editorial, the editorial staff says that the surface parking ban shouldn't be considered permanent, as there is a Downtown Spokane Partnership parking study due next year. However, they state that they do not want a "barren downtown that offers abundant places to park but little to entice anyone to go there." They note that there are conflicting values with this topic: property rights and the free market versus the character of a downtown.
  Opinion: This is a classic tragedy of the anticommons situation. For those businesses that are downtown, it's important that they have a vibrant downtown environment, but individual property owners can't count on others respecting that. As a consequence, they take the most profitable course assuming that no one else will support them enough to make the cooperative (and more highly profitable) alternative work. The only way to earn the requisite faith is to have a strong and enforceable vision for downtown Spokane. Make it different from all other areas in the region. Make its streets complete and focused on economic activity rather than throughput. Yes, some property owners will not be able to do what they want. (If they want suburbia, there's plenty of that just a mile in nearly any direction.) But in the end, they will profit more and so will the community because everyone knows what to expect and can integrate that into their more profitable plans. Oh, and one other thing: the argument between surface parking and structured parking is not volume, it's location. Parking should be distributed throughout the downtown but not on the surface (except on the street--there's a reason for that), Surface lot parking defeats the purpose of a downtown: putting places close enough together to be walkable. Surface lot parking makes walking distances greater, while parking off-grade doesn't.


• Region in brief: Victim, driver in fatal crash ID’d
  Source: Spokesman, 091220
  Summary: The seventh auto-pedestrian victim was identified. Stephen W. Shockley and his dog were struck and dragged under a minivan after attempting to cross Francis.
  Opinion: The very first step of planning is identifying a problem. Anyone see a problem here that planning can pursue? Now's a good time for people to familiarize themselves with the complete streets movement. By the way--the dog was also a victim. That would be the eighth.

Four the future - December 15

In this edition: Spokane County emergency calls, downtown Spokane parking, Turnbull expansion, and West Plains annexation.

• County testing 'reverse 911'
  Source: Spokesman, 091215
  Summary: Spokane County has a new system which allows them to make automated phone calls to an area in the event of an emergency.
  Opinion: This would have been more useful in the past, when cell phones were a minor part of the communications infrastructure. Younger residents, who tend not to have landlines, will be excluded from this entirely unless they sign up. But, of course, if you needed to sign up, you wouldn't need this system. Since you can't make it useful by reaching everyone, perhaps it could achieve greater market penetration by being for more than just public safety: when there's a public hearing on planning issues in your neighborhood, for instance. Then, it can be more useful, and reach those who otherwise wouldn't be protected. Anyway, I don't think this system will be long for this world simply because the world will move on.


• Tuesday Morning Quarterback
  Source: Spokane Councilmember Jon Snyder, 091215
  Summary: The new plan for downtown Spokane ("Fast Forward Spokane") proposed a ban on stand alone surface parking lots. It was the most controversial issue of the evening but passes 4-3. French, McLaughlin, and Apple voted to remove the ban. Snyder, Corker, Rush and Shogan voted to sustain it.
  Opinion: This ban was a long time in coming. One of the more tragic things that has happened across America was the "suburbanization of downtown." Other cities have moved to reverse it and have been handsomely rewarded. This was an excellent move toward strengthening downtown Spokane. Just a few days ago, this might not have happened. This is the new coalition coming into its own. With the addition of Waldref to replace French, Spokane might actually have a council that cares about the neighborhoods and downtown all at the same time. How refreshing!


• Federal budget allots $1.5 million to expand Turnbull refuge
  Source: Spokesman, 091217
  Summary: The federal government has allocated $1.5 million for property acquisitions near Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. It is intended to purchase about 500 acres of the 12,000 acres identified as priorities. Turnbull's wetlands is threatened by nearby residential wells which lower the water table and phosphorus from septic systems which cause algae blooms. There has been increasing public awareness of Turnbull's ecological importance. The history is described.
  Opinion: First, wetlands can't be moved, and certainly not ones of this magnitude. There are geological reasons why one place is a wetland and another is not. Second, the Federal government should have a partner in Spokane County, but without cash consequences associated with the expansion of the urban growth boundary, critical lands will continue to be lost. Third, good on the feds to recognize Turnbull's importance. I've been working on a project in Cheney which might help increase public awareness even more in a way that will improve Cheney's economy as well. It's no coincidence that green is the color of nature and money.


• Annex This!
  Source: Inlander, 091217
  Summary: The article itself is a summary of the maze of deals between Spokane County, the City of Spokane, the City of Airway Heights, and Fire District 10 for the annexation of the West Plains. However, the map and article don't seem to be on the web site.
  Opinion: Spokane County better get its house in order. Its long term failure to correct the balance between its revenues and expenses bit them before. It got its first warning in 2001 with the incorporation of Liberty Lake, then a stern rebuke with the incorporation of Spokane Valley in 2003. In two years it will get worse with the loss of the airport and its environs. Next up: the North Spokane Urban Growth Area.