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Christian Science Monitor takes note of the heat in Phoenix
Phoenix’s heat made the pages of the Aug. 31 issue of the Christian Science Monitor.
“Arizona is poised to take another record,” writes Faye Bowers. “ It's about as unwelcome as a couple of other firsts – No. 1 in the nation for most illegal immigrants crossing the border, or No. 1 in the nation for identity thefts. This ‘one’ directly corresponds with another No. 1 – its status as the fastest-growing state in the nation.”
“While news of global warming becomes as common as the wheeze of air conditioners here, Phoenix is fighting a different, if related, problem. In part because of heavy growth – particularly in the Phoenix metro area – heat is being reflected, trapped, and absorbed in concrete, rooftops, and a maze of buildings that blocks wind. At the same time, there's little vegetation to absorb the heat, and high energy usage generates more. It's called the "urban heat-island effect," and whatever the impact of global warming here, this phenomenon is sending the mercury rising.” Complete article: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0830/p01s01-wogi.html?page=1
Bikes are not necessarily welcome passengers on light rail trains
Portland, Oregon, is dealing with an issue that soon will be faced by the valley once light rail is operational. As ridership increases on Portland’s light rail lines, more and more cyclists are bringing their bikes on the trains, which is causing tensions over limited space, writes Patrick O’Neill in Aug. 30 issue of The Oregonian. "Ridership on the light-rail system is rising as gas prices remain high, getting more cars ‘off the road.’ A growing number of those passengers are bicyclists who use the trains, reducing congestion at both ends of their commute."
"But when bikers and nonbikers wind up on the same crowded train at rush hour, tempers sometimes flare. TriMet officials are looking for ways to reduce that friction, short of restricting the number of bikes on trains during rush hour. Morning ridership on the westside light rail is up 6 percent, from an average of 3,960 in spring 2002 to 4,200 this spring. Afternoon rush hour ridership increased 11 percent during the same period, from an average of 4,450 in 2002 to 4,950 this year. The agency doesn't have figures on the number of bicyclists who use light rail." Complete article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/118844076491800.xml&coll=7
Wal-Mart Supercenter plan for Flagstaff is growing greener by the minute
According to the Arizona Daily Sun, “Wal-Mart’s third version of a planned Supercenter for Flagstaff keeps getting greener,” writes J. Ferguson in the newspaper’s Aug. 15 issue. “In its latest and most detailed plans submitted to city building officials, Wal-Mart has added more skylights, changed the design to be more aesthetically pleasing and used specialized lighting to appease local ark sky advocates. It has also kept the original two-story design, believed to be a first for a Wal-Mart Supercenter.” The first floor will be devoted to groceries and the second floor will house retail goods. In addition, a two-story parking structure (another first for a Supercenter), is will serve parking needs.
Ferguson notes that Wal-Mart provided the city with a green list for the new building, including rainwater harvesting, on-site tree recycling, passive heating system, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high efficiency irrigation, high efficiency HVAC equipment, xeriscaping and building materials with recycled content. All is not rosy, however, with city officials unhappy with Wal-Mart’s traffic impact study. Plus, Wal-Mart has not included solar panels and wind turbines, both of which have been incorporated into two experimental, eco-friendly Wal-Marts.
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Detroit’s urban gardeners are turning vacant lots into profitable produce plots
“Across Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck over the last decade, an urban gardening movement has taken hold in backyards and community gardens,” writes Marty Hair in the Aug. 27 issue of the Detroit Free Press. “The harvest is good-tasting and nutritious fruits, vegetables and herbs, produced at reasonable cost and in areas where fresh organic produce can be difficult to find.” Hair interviewed Greg Willerer, who raises specialty organic produce for restaurants. “The fact that he grows this produce in Detroit, near Tiger Stadium, might strike some as unusual,” writes Hair. “But Willerer, a 38-year-old teacher who loves to cook, is one of many urban gardeners turning to microfarming as a smart use of vacant land. He says his neighborhood near the old stadium is nearly as open as the country, ripe for cultivation. Growing produce to sell allows residents to reap some economic benefit from unused space where businesses and homes once stood. ‘What we're doing here is kind of a wildfire of positivity,’ he says. ‘We're not going to be filling the void left by the auto industry, but we're doing something.’” Complete article: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070727/FEATURES04/707270349
Creating walkable neighborhoods should be urban improvement priority
Smart Growth Online writes that “Car-dependent neighborhoods and streets without sidewalks deprive people of the modest daily physical activity -- such as 30 minutes of walking or some biking -- many of them need to become healthier, slimmer and happier, all of which local governments should include among their top urban improvement priorities, stressed Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center Professor Tim Church at the recent Smart Growth Summit in Baton Rouge, with the Baton Rouge Advocate quoting this former Dallas, Texas resident as saying, "They have all the money in the world. Ride a bike there, and they treat you like an armadillo." Complete article:
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=6222&state=19
The Project for Public Spaces chooses five best neighborhoods in North America
The picks by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) feature a diverse selection, with winning locations in the Northwest, Midwest, East coast and eastern Canada:
Best New Neighborhood: Pearl District, Portland, Oregon – “City planners and transportation officials from throughout North America come to the Pearl to study it as a model for urban neighborhoods. It was once an industrial zone, now a hip loft area with galleries, shops and restaurants. A new streetcar line plays an important role in its success."
Best Revitalized Neighborhood: College/Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut – "The College/Chapel Street District offers a few exceptional blocks of urban vitality in a struggling city that needs a reminder that such a thing exists. The area is across the street from Yale University, but until it was revitalized, a world away."
Best Hip Neighborhood: The Plateau, Montreal, Quebec – "Montreal's showcase neighborhood, featuring some of the city's finest architecture, cuisine and entertainment venues."
Best Small Town Neighborhood: Division Street, Northfield, Minnesota – “Northfield's downtown is full of energy and charm, from historic buildings to the graceful lamp posts to the store owners who bring their merchandise out onto the sidewalks. It is truly the heart of town, serving the adjacent neighborhoods and college campuses as well as the entire county.”
Best Shopping Center that is also a Real Neighborhood: Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri – “This is America's first shopping center, from which all those following can learn important lessons. It is a pedestrian oriented district made up of 1920s Spanish-style architecture with towers, domes, and public plazas filled with fountains and sculptures. Historic residential buildings are interwoven into the commercial areas so that it is an active and alive place. PPS is a nonprofit promoting Placemaking,” a unique process for transforming public spaces.” Complete article and photos: http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/august2007/best_neighborhoods
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New book aims to reconcile explosive growth with often majestic landscapes
Whether or not you know the definition of “exurbanization,” this recent book should be of interest to Arizona planners, developers and scholars dealing with near-urban spaces around the state. New Geographies of the American West examines contemporary land use changes and development patterns from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, and assesses the ecological and social outcomes of Western Development. The author, William R. Travis, is on the Department of Geography faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he teaches courses in environmental geography, natural hazards and land use. Travis also directs the Western Lands Program at the Center of the American West. The book is published by Island Press; for more information on price and content: http://www.islandpress.org
“Tools” available online on the impact of housing on health and education
The Center for Housing Policy and Enterprise Community Partners are offering new resources on the impacts of housing – both rental and homeownership – on health and educational achievement. The tools include a Research Summary, which presents the most promising findings on affordable housing’s impacts on health and education; the Literature Review, which provides a more in-depth look at the research evidence, assessing the scholarly support for a series of hypotheses on the impacts of housing on health outcomes and educational achievement; and Annotated Bibliography, which summarize existing studies that address affordable housing’s connection with health and education. In addition, facts sheet provide brief summaries highlighting the key data and promising hypotheses. All are available as pdfs. Find them at http://www.nhc.org/housing/intersections and http://www.enterprisecommunity.org
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Editor: M.H. Brennan
e-mail: projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net
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The Project for Livable Communities (PLC) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in metropolitan Phoenix; membership includes professionals in urban design, public health, education and journalism. Founded in 2005, PLC, which includes the Alliance for Healthy Community Design (AHCD), fosters livable communities by addressing three major community components of the environments in which we live and work – Healthy Design, Safe Design and Sustainable Design – and focusing on the best practices of each.
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