Four the Future - Urban Biking

Four stories about biking in urban areas: where to live, how to get a bike, where you can ride, and what will it do to you?

• Designing an Apartment Building for Bike Commuters
  Source: City Lab; September 6, 2016
  Summary: A new building in Malmö, Sweden is designed for biking residents and travelers. The building has no automobile storage, but each unit comes with a subscription to a carpool service. More substantially, the doors, elevators, and balconies are designed to accommodate the extra width demanded by handlebars. The motel rooms on the first floor come with an included bike rental.
  Opinion: This building represents an alternative that most American cities would be unable to accommodate because their laws cannot make onsite automobile storage optional. Local laws almost always mandate that everyone, even people who do not own cars, must pay for auto storage in their homes. This could be alleviated if we eliminated parking minimums.


• Biketown bike-share launches today: Five things to know
  Source: The Oregonian; July 19, 2016
  Summary: One thousand orange rentable bikes hit the streets in Portland in July 2016. You sign up on a website to check them out. The community is anticipating that they'll be used pretty heavily by tourists. Speaking of heavy, they do weigh in at 45 pounds, but with lights and an upright design, they're built for safety. And, yes, the parking for the bikes did displace some auto--and bike--storage locations.
  Opinion: The Columbian followed up a month later. Rentals exceeded expectations. The City is awaiting the arrival of autumn weather to see how the program is affected. Portland is a bike-friendly city, so it should be anticipated that a bike rental program would be popular for the people who choose to visit, after all, it's part of what makes Portland Portlandia. It should be interesting to see the data and what effect, if any, it has on land use patterns.


• Cyclists to Drivers: This Is My Lane!
  Source: City Lab; September 9, 2016
  Summary: Ohio is beginning to eliminate their "Share the Road" signs in favor of "Bikes May Use Full Lane" signs.
  Opinion: Subtle doesn't always work. The remaining concern is that, maybe drivers will interpret that as a special condition of that section of road. These signs are standardized through the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), so customizing it to include the word "everywhere" would be discouraged. In Spokane's case, these signs may be appropriate along bike routes, but also in locations where the City posts the general speed limits.


• The Real Risks in Urban Cycling
  Source: City Lab; September 6, 2016
  Summary: Bikes provide health benefits associated with physical activity, but there's also concerns associated with automobile crashes and bad air quality. A recent study has found, however, that in most cities, the health benefits provided by biking outweighs the risks.
  Opinion: While this is likely true, the knowledge of the health benefits may not outweigh the visceral fear of having a car blast by you! Many of the benefits of biking will not be experienced by the general public until auto operators become more accustomed to the presence of bicyclists. Unfortunately, it is likely that there will still be a population that will remain hostile and aggressive, as noted in the story.

Four the Future - Transit Effects

Today: Bad transit stops, increasing transit demand, changing transit communities, and a transit public health win.

• This Tiny Roadside Refuge in Silver Spring Is Your Sorriest Bus Stop, America
  Source: StreetsBlog USA; July 8, 2016
  Summary: StreetsBlog USA had a tournament of "sorry" bus stops. The tournament allowed readers to vote of how bad the bus stops were. The worst is in Maryland, where the bus stop is completely inaccessible to pedestrians. There is hope, however, as there has been a request to fund a pedestrian crossing so people don't have to take their lives into their hands just to catch a ride.
  Opinion: If you follow the link in the story to the Washington Post article, you'll see that it used to be even worse--probably because none of the responsible agencies would take responsibility. And, what's the effect of this kind of infrastructure? Little, except perhaps reinforcing the perception that transit is mainly for people who don't have a choice, because who, exactly, would use this bus stop if they had an alternative?


• TransLink report highlights chronic overcrowding and record ridership
  Source: CBC News; September 8, 2016
  Summary: The transit system in Vancouver, British Columbia is experiencing overcrowding even outside of peak times. The federal and provincial governments have committed to expansion plans. TransLink is in talks with local governments to find the additional revenue needed to expand service.
  Opinion: Many transit systems experienced expansions in the last decade as communities experienced a significant shift in their travel habits. The increase in demand must have a spatial effect, as transit is concentrated in specific locations. So what's the effect of high ridership? Consider the increased value of the land and buildings adjacent to places with significant transit investment, as in the next story.


• Watching Los Angeles Gentrify
  Source: City Lab; September 6, 2016
  Summary: There appears to be a correlation between the construction of transit lines in Los Angeles and the increase in the value of the adjacent neighborhoods. In neighborhoods where transit investments were made, "residents became whiter, richer, and more educated." People with lower incomes were displaced.
  Opinion: It makes perfect sense that when a service that is valued is added to a location, the location's value goes up. However, it is not correct to assume that because the location's value goes up that the people who live there can continue to afford it. I've mentioned this before and it bears repeating. Just because you make improvements in an area doesn't mean that the benefits will go to those who currently live there. Indeed, you may tear the neighborhood apart. You must be mindful of whether the benefit is designed to help the place or the people.


• When Light Rail Opens, Do People Really Get More Exercise?
  Source: City Lab; September 8, 2016
  Summary: One of the benefits touted for transit use is that people who live near light rail stations walk more. But, it may be that the level of exercise you get is actually related to how much exercise you got before--only sedentary folks increased physical activity. Bus trips may have been replacing walking and biking trips for more active people. There is still much we must learn about how transit affects neighborhoods.
  Opinion: It makes sense that one change to a person's environment may not be enough to change a person's habits all by itself. Certainly, when a person has already made a commitment to physical activity, adding transit wouldn't alter that too much. But, as the study notes, getting a sedentary population to walk more is a significant public health win. Providing focused assistance to this population might have a great effect. (Need I note that many Americans are part of this population?)

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.

Housing in the Quincy Valley

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 - Housing

• 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.
  

Four the Future - December 17

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.

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?
  

"Mixed-income housing, successes for whom?"

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.

Four the Future - October 14

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.
  

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.

Four the Future - September 10

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.

Four the Future - September 8

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.

Four the Future - August 30

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

• 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.

Four the Future - January 28

For today: Pearl District, energy efficiency jobs, stimulated tarmac, and high-speed rail.

• What's next for Portland's Pearl District?
  Source: The Oregonian; January 9, 2010
  Summary: Retailers are beginning to move out of northwest Portland's Pearl District. It's not unusual for retails to reassess their positions during a recession, but the Pearl is so new, it feels unusual. The Pearl District was caught up in the bubble--too many condos, too many retailers, high lease rates. The executive director of the business association feels that this has more to do with national trends than local ones. Seventy-five percent of the retailers are local, and their numbers are increasing. Currently, space in the Pearl is going for mid- to high 20 dollars per square foot per year, which is typical of some other neighborhoods in Portland, and lower than on Northwest 23rd. National retailers are looking for rents around $16, however. The Pearl is perceived as a "hoity-toity" neighborhood, but local retailers say it's not.
  Opinion: I saw the Pearl just as it was starting to get off the ground. It was a promising concept. Prior to its renovation, the Pearl District was a warehouse district of little use. Now it has opportunities, the trolley system, and the legacy of a number of property owners who thought they'd make a fortune, and were disappointed because they limited the size of the market through fabulously high prices. Now that the market is correcting, actual middle class and young families will be able to move into downtown Portland. Again, the speculation, the casino capitalism, bit some people. Now it's time to rejuvenate the community by making a neighborhood for regular folks.


• Demand for upgraded energy efficiency at home is weak
  Source: USA Today; January 6, 2010
  Summary: With home construction lagging, companies are looking to upgrade existing houses. But, lacking financial incentives and a sluggish economy, homeowners are not taking them up on it. Last December, President Obama asked for a "cash for caulkers" program which would help reduce energy usage and get jobs for construction workers. On average, 150,000 homes are upgraded each year, mostly on programs to help people with low incomes. The research director for Change to Win says that there are up to 100,000,000 homes which could be improved.
  Opinion: First of all, I'm sceptical about that 100 million figure. With an average of 2.56 people per household (Census, 2007), and a population of 308,563,298 (US Census here and updated continuously), there are only 120.5 million households total in the US. Nevertheless, it is substantially larger than 150,000 that normally get upgraded. Avista provides energy efficiency rebates, so that's one incentive many people can take advantage of. I heard of a proposed program a couple years ago in which people could receive a loan in the amount of the upgrades, but rather than reduce the energy bill right away, the utility would pay back the loan with the reduction in energy costs. The benefits of reduced energy generation is felt immediately, and the cost of providing energy to the residence would eventually go down. Now you can add the benefit of putting people back to work during a recession. And, when the loan is repaid, it replenishes the pool for more upgrades. Hey, maybe Kiva could get involved--they need more people to lend to!


• Stimulus paves the way
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 7, 2010
  Summary: Spokane International Airport (GEG) got a rebuilt tarmac courtesy of $14 million of federal stimulus cash and otherwise-unemployed construction workers. According to Senator Patty Murray, a second stimulus bill is being considered. The airport's receipt of the stimulus funding will allow GEG to complete four years worth of projects in just two. TSA has brought in two canine teams which will be used throughout the airport, and full body scanners are on the way.
  Opinion: Accelerating capital projects often saves money because the increase in the cost of construction goes up faster than inflation. (That is a major argument to built light rail now, by the way: it's actually cheaper to build it and operate it than it is to wait until later.) And creating those jobs in a weak economy sure does help not only the construction workers, but also anyone he buys things from. Oh, and regarding the increased security measures...did I mention that you're 200 times more likely to be struck by lightning than be on a plane with someone intent on destroying it?


• Washington to get $590 million for high-speed rail improvements
  Source: The Seattle Times; January 27, 2010
  Summary: Federal stimulus funding will improve passenger rail travel times between Portland, Oregon, and Blaine, Washington, at the U.S.-Canadian border. Only 2 of 3 trips between Portland and Seattle are on time. These improvements are in the hopes of getting that up to 90%. The full corridor is Eugene to Vancouver, British Columbia. Five round trips run from Portland to Seattle each day. Washington and Oregon run Talgo trains capable of 125 miles per hour. Deficiencies in the track, street crossings, and congestion constrain them to only 79 mph.
  Opinion: These are important upgrades to our national infrastructure. The projects produce high wage jobs, support communities, and will be used to leverage private investment. All-in-all a much better investment of deficit dollars than giveaway tax breaks to the richest 1% of our nation.

Four the Future - January 26

Today: Real estate default, Phosphorus fertilizers, transportation connectivity, and animal control.

• N.Y. Housing Complex Is Turned Over to Creditors
  Source: New York Times; January 25, 2010
  Summary: Four years after the most expensive real estate transaction of its kind in US history, the owners of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village have turned them over to their creditors. The owners owed $3 billion after purchasing the 110 buildings and 11,227 apartments but could not collect enough rent to pay the mortgage. The development was built after World War II for middle class families, and it stayed affordable until the latest purchase. The new owners performed expensive upgrades to the apartments and attempted to rent them for higher prices, to no avail. The owners had been warned that their plans were risky by tenant advocates and urban planners.
  Opinion: Another part of the real estate bubble bursting. Clearly they had too much money on their hands and needed to purchase something. They depended on highly speculative instruments and their willingness to move out middle class renters caught them with their pants down. There is way too much irrational speculation in America.

• No P on Grass
  Source: The Inlander; January 21, 2010
  Summary: Washington State Representative Timm Ormsby and Senators Lisa Brown and Chris Marr are sponsors of a bill which would ban the use of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers. The purpose is to reduce the amount of fertilizer entering the Spokane River. Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District banned phosphorus several years ago. However, the Washington Friends of Farms and Forests opposes the measure, as it does not think it will help. The State of Minnesota banned it years ago, and the City of Ann Arbor banned it and phosphorus pollution in the river went down by 28 percent. Marr and Ormsby say that Costco and Wal*Mart are amenable to stocking low phosphorus fertilizers.
  Opinion: One of the ways this region will become compliant with future limits on phosphorus in the Spokane River, not to mention cleaning it up so we can eliminate unnatural algae blooms, is to reduce what is called non-point (or "not-from-pipes") sources of pollution. The soil in Spokane County is naturally rich in phosphorus, and needs no amendment past the first year of growth for lawns. The City of Liberty Lake took the initiative to stop using phosphorus for regular use on the golf course, and there were no complaints. It's simply not necessary. (However, it must be noted, that the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District's ban is nothing but talk. They don't have any authority to any such thing. Even if they did, to be effective the ban must be region wide.)
• Complete Streets needs you
  Source: Down to Earth; January 24, 2010
  Summary: Spokane County is updating its subdivision ordinance regarding transportation connectivity. Connectivity is a measure of how "connected" the community is--how many ways there are to travel from one place to another. Connectivity is important for cars, bikes and pedestrians to get around, is more compliant with other jurisdictions' street plans, and saves taxpayer dollars for emergency management, transit, and cooperation with other jurisdictions. The Spokane County Planning Commission approved of the change, but Commissioners Mielke and Richard don't find their work valuable. However, the commission receive no opposition and the Cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley, the Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, Futurewise and the Neighborhood Alliance all approved of the change. Details, and the letters of support, can be found in the planning commission report.
  Opinion: People who like gated communities and long commutes are not going to like this change. I'm all for it. Having multiple routes to where you're going means that you're not going to be forced onto as many congested arterial roads. Additionally, vehicle accidents are less frequent on connected roads than on unconnected roads. Then add that this will make the routes our children take to schools safer, and it's a home run.
  Update: Heard from Kitty Klitzke. She says, "In the face of overwhelming public support two commissioners want to...extend the public comment period." I guess Mark and Todd didn't want the public opinion they got, so they're ordering new opinions.
• Animal control options limited
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 23, 2010
  Summary: The City of Spokane asked voters to support funding to expand the regional animal control facility to allow the entire region to have a single animal control authority, but didn't get the funding. They have now asked Spokane County to ask for $14 million for the region to build the facility. Such a tax would cost $14/year for a $200,000 home for 6 years. Commissioner Mielke says we should look at building a new facility, but Commissioner Richard says he can't support a new tax. SpokAnimal is raising rates by 5% a year, but wants to get out of the animal control business.
  Opinion: I have advocated a regionalized animal control policy for years. This is something that just must be figured out. Some of the readers' comments that are on that page show that not everyone understands that this is a service to everyone, though I do support the idea that animal owners do have a greater responsibility. Ultimately, the real problems that we face are not caused by animal owners, though, as there is also a feral animal population which we all have responsibility to manage.
  Postscript: The City of Spokane did renew the SpokAnimal contract.

Four the future - December 24

Today: affordable density, Portland biking, population estimates, and straw-bale houses.

• But is it Affordable?
  Source: Sightline Daily, 090422
  Summary: Dense growth in Vancouver, BC, has been strong, but prices are high. Adding more units satisfies the supply side of the equation, but density in itself is not enough. New York and San Francisco are not considered affordable, either. The price of condominiums in Vancouver has increased from C$1000/month in 2000 to C$2200/month in 2007. Part of this is due to the same hyper-escalation that the US experienced. Perhaps prices will come down just as they have been in the US. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has recommended some new policies, including requiring 20% of housing be affordable and reduce parking requirements.
  Opinion: This is actually a problem beyond mere housing policy--it ranges into the area of finance, and the glut of cash in the United States not dedicated to any particular purpose. All this excess cash flows from one sector to another causing bubbles which burst when it moves on to the next sector. Remember the dot com speculation? Then housing speculation, then oil speculation.... This explains how building activity increased so greatly, yet prices went up--the value of cash in the housing market went down, because there was too much available. It was the same with the other bubbles. Planners can't account for where this speculation craze will go next. Some people have called this "casino capitalism," and I agree. The solution must come from outside planning, such as financial re-regulation and the return of defined benefit pensions.


• Just how boldly will Portland go into bike future?
  Source: The Oregonian, 091222
  Summary: For the first time in five years, the number of bike rides in Portland went down. Portland had spent money on increasing bike use, and some bike-hating bloggers complain about it. Portland's bike plan says that 1% of the population are "strong and fearless" bikers, and another 10 to 15 percent will bike with good lanes. Copenhagen and Amsterdam have ridership levels of up to 40 percent because of bike only boulevards and extra-wide bike lanes. However, in Portland, the low hanging fruit may have already been harvested, and to get the next group of bikers, higher levels of investment will be required.
  Opinion: Higher levels of biking is better for public health, the environment, and both private and public budgets. I've always thought it was bizarre that people would drive their cars to go to a gym to ride the bikes. The attitude is so pervasive, most of the soldiers in my unit did the same thing when I was in the Army. I ran the mile and a half to and from physical training each morning, and after a while I scored so well on my physical strength and endurance tests that I wasn't required to go to training with the other soldiers. We need a change in attitude. We've subsidized automobile activity for decades from the building and maintenance of roads, oil subsidies, and allowing unmitigated pollution to enter the air. It's gotten so bad that auto ownership is almost a requirement in modern America. Through their policies, our governments have substantially taken away the freedom to not own a car. It's time to change the equation: let's put more into sidewalks, bike lanes and boulevards, and transit to try to re-balance our transportation system.


• Recession Slows Population Rise Across Sun Belt
  Source: New York Times, 091223
  Summary: States in the west and south are growing slower partially as a result of the housing recession. In the last population estimate prior to the 2010 decennial census, the census bureau found that Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina have slowed growth, while Florida, Nevada and California actually had more people move out than move in. States in the northeast have been shrinking less quickly. The decennial census affects how many representatives each state has. Based on the 2009 estimate, Texas will gain three seats, while Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington would each gain one. Since the House is limited to 435 seats, Ohio would lose two, which Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania would each lose one.
  Opinion: Planners use the census to track changes in population, in part to anticipate growth requirements. Not all states have this issue: Michigan only increased by 0.3%, while Washington increased by 13%, in the last 9 years. Additionally, planners use the income, social and housing data to determine what kinds of services may be necessary and track economic trends. It's important data, so it's important to answer the census questions. That, and it's the law: congress actually authorized jail time for those who do not answer, though I'm not sure that prosecutors are likely to follow through on that!
  
  


• In Idaho, a house made from straw and mud
  Source: The Christian Science Monitor, 091223
  Summary: Mark Lung is building a straw and mud house in Boise. The hay bales provide insulation, and are less expensive than traditional materials. The house he's building costs $86/sq.ft. (excluding land), just $165,000 for a 1900 square foot house. He previously lived in a similar house in Colorado and while the temperature ranged from 20 to 80 Fahrenheit outside, the interior stayed between 68 and 72 without heating or cooling. Straw-bale homes aren't built in some areas because codes haven't been updated to include them.
  Opinion: Well, let's update them! (Yes, easier said than done.) There will be value in adopting standards and the expertise to ensure that they are built safely and efficiently. This also gives us a way to reduce energy needs and produces a demand (though, minimal) for a product grown in this region.

Four the future - December 13

Access to Antoine Peak, Waste-to-Jobs, Spokane County jail, and inclusionary housing.

• Access still limited to Antoine Peak
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: While Spokane County has received grant funding for Antoine Peak, access is still limited because a third and critical piece of the property acquisition has not been made.
  Opinion: With the arrival of the grant monies, purchase of this final piece is easier. And if Spokane County withdraws the mind-boggling offer to purchase the YMCA, they'll save an immense amount of money for appropriate uses, like acquiring this third parcel.


• Watching their waste
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: Odessa Public Development Authority is developing a bio-digester at Fishtrap. In digesting 75,000 tons of waste, it will create fertilizer, generate enough electricity for 1,000 homes, and become Lincoln County's largest employer with 75 new jobs.
  Opinion: A great idea to deal with some of Spokane County's waste issues, but let's make sure there are no pathogens making it all the way into the resulting fertilizer. Good on Odessa PDA to look outside the box in being willing to place a site closer to Sprague than Odessa. With a little less provincialism everywhere, we'd all benefit with a little help from our friends. And look at that: Lincoln County's largest employer will be part of the green collar economy.


• Jail query: not where, why
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: A letter writer tells her experience about how a public hearing about the new jail facility turned from where should the facility be built to why should it be built, and brings facts to bear.
  Opinion: An excellent question: what is it about this "family friendly" community that requires so much jail time? The fact is that the county commissioners already picked a site, the best one, too, but the two Republicans on the board don't have the courage to stick to their decision. Beware Knezovich's recurring bids to create his own little kingdom out on the west plains.


• Controversy surrounds Bellingham plan to require low-income housing
  Source: The Bellingham Herald, 091213
  Summary: The Bellingham City Council unanimously required a development to include 10% of the housing to be affordable to families making 80% of the Whatcom County median household income. There is disagreement over the appropriate method of ensuring the presence of affordable housing in an area. In Bellingham almost one-quarter of the cost of building a home is fees and sales taxes.
  Opinion: The fees argument is a red herring: who would live in a house that doesn't have access to roads, sewer, water, or schools? Or will fall down because it's uninspected? The question is: how do we ensure that there is a connection between the incomes in a community and the available housing stock. There are two ways: increase incomes for the least paid, or require that if incomes are low that there is housing stock available. Since there are so many people in leadership positions in this nation who hold the opinion that paying people well for their work is harmful to the economy (which is ridiculous because paying people IS the economy), the second must be pursued. What we need is to view affordable housing as a commodity, and create a market for it. Require all development to include a percentage of housing, including rentals, to be affordable, the percentage adjusted to the need in the region. Then, allow developers to transfer this requirement, if they wish, to other developers who would like to take advantage of government assistance. With protections to prevent affordable housing from being moved out of the local area and to prevent high concentrations of low income housing, a market is formed which is flexible and meets the needs of the region.