Optional Reading List - Winter 2011

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.

Nightclub Urban Theory

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.

Optional Reading List - Fall 2010

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.

Review: The Nature of Cities

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.

Neighborhoods for People

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!

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.