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CNU Salons
Mr. Mayor, Tear Down this Expressway
Submitted by Ben Schulman on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 10:54amJohn Norquist takes on the Sheridan Expressway in this NY Daily News op-ed: Mr. Mayor, tear down this expressway
a smaller deal than you think
Submitted by MLewyn on Thu, 07/19/2012 - 7:43amThere's been a lot of hubbub about the Bloomberg Administration's proposal to make city-owned land available for 275-square-foot apartments. The city proposes to allow developers to build these "micro-units" and rent them for $2000 a unit. If you read some of the comments in the press, you might think this was somehow unprecedented.
But when I lived in Toronto, I had 140 square feet of living space (not counting the bathroom) and had enough space for everything but houseguests.
The Cost of Mobility in Louisville
Submitted by Tim Huff on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 1:53pmThe Louisville Ohio River Bridges Project, a joint effort by Kentucky and Indiana to expand the junction of I-65, I-71 and I-64, aims to break ground on the East End Crossing in August. Let’s take a moment to reflect on how these changes will affect Louisvillians.
Louisville residents already travel approximately 31 miles in their cars per person per day, the 15th most vehicle miles traveled in the 50 largest metro areas. Of the 31 vehicle miles traveled, around half occur on an expressway, which ranks Louisville 11th with the most vehicle miles traveled on expressways.
Permaculture Design and Environmental Studies at UTSI, Costa Rica
Submitted by Dylan on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 10:16amI am currently working on a project in the Southwest coast of Costa Rica in the town of Uvita just North of the Osa Peninsula. This project is called the Uvita Tropical Studies Institute. The website can be found at www.utsi.org. The Osa Peninsula region is an environmental gem. It is one of (if not the most) biologically diverse regions on planet Earth.
Does statewide planning matter very much?
Submitted by MLewyn on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 7:44amWhen California passed SB 375 (a law requiring local planners to create strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions) environmentalists were enthuasiastic, while pro-sprawl commentators used hyperbolic rhetoric to attack the law.
Serenbe Institute Awarded an Our Town Grant from the NEA
Submitted by kapoppel on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 2:56pmThe following is a press release from The Serenbe Institute, a 1,000 acre sustainable community located near Atlanta:
Eye on the Street: Monday, July 16th, 2012
Submitted by Ben Schulman on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 10:36am
CNU Board Member Doug Farr points his iPhone camera at Normal, IL Mayor Chris Koos, as he dedicates Normal's new Uptown Amtrak Station, alongside Senator Dick Durbin and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The no-lose argument
Submitted by MLewyn on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 8:46amThere will always be those who argue that the suburb-dominated status quo is inevitable.
When cities were declining, they had an easy case to make. They could argue: "look, cities are declining so suburbia is inevitably the wave of the future!"
Then when cities started to gain population, defenders of suburbia moved the goal posts. They argued: "Sure, cities are growing, but suburbs are growing faster."
Why front lawns?
Submitted by MLewyn on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 5:02pmIn a recent post on Planetizen's group blog, Todd Litman discusses the pros and cons (mostly cons) of lawns.
Mayberry: Is Small Town America a Myth?
Submitted by erin.chantry on Sat, 07/14/2012 - 3:09pmIt's true that the American icon of Mayberry was well before my time, but as a native North Carolinian it certainly has been indoctrinated into my personal culture and maybe even identity. Fictional Mayberry, North Carolina was in almost every American's living room for nearly a decade, and many more years after through syndication. Even as a young child, I knew the whistling theme tune. In my house The Andy Griffith Show was revered, and in my own mind, I made the assumption that what had made it so special had to some extent been lost in pop culture.