CNU Salons
A "Radical" Idea Whose Time Has Come: Lehrer News Hour Explores Bringing Down Seattle's Alaskan Way Freeway
Submitted by Filmanowicz on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 11:47amMore and more Seattle residents are showing they are fed up with the domination of their potentially beautiful waterfront by a truck route.
NJ: Affordable housing shift blocked by court
Submitted by Michael McAteer on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 1:20amBy Tom Hester Jr.
Associated Press
TRENTON - A state appellate court yesterday ordered the state to reconsider a plan by a wealthy Monmouth County community to pay a poverty-laden nearby town to take on its affordable housing obligation, a decision hailed as crucial by affordable housing advocates.
From NJ State Assemblyman Joe Roberts: NJ needs a new plan for affordable housing
Submitted by Michael McAteer on Sun, 08/26/2007 - 12:33pmSunday, August 26, 2007
By JOE ROBERTS
For the Courier-Post
New Jersey needs a housing policy that promotes -- not prevents -- the ability of our residents to live where they work. Regional contribution agreements (RCAs) are a barrier to that goal.
Final Push for Member-Provided New Urbanist In-City Projects
Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 08/23/2007 - 11:21amThis summer, CNU asked members to help identify and describe significant in-city new urbanist projects so that we can create detailed listings and online project profiles that make new urbanist involv
Sustainability and New Urbanism in the Third World
Submitted by Karja Hansen on Mon, 08/20/2007 - 4:52pmA recent article on WorldChanging.com brought up the subject of sustainable planning and building in third world regions. The article specifically discusses the October 15 8.0 earthquake in the Ica region of Central Andean Peru. The city of Pisco near the epicenter has reportedly lost 80 percent of its housing.
Adaptability of Seattle Commuters: Evidence That Alaskan Way Viaduct Can Go
Submitted by Joe Menard on Mon, 08/20/2007 - 2:53pmThe recent closure of lanes on Interstate 5 in Seattle was, according to many media outlets, supposed to create commuting nightmares for Seattleites. But as half of 120,000 commuters have sought alternatives to driving, traffic has actually lessened and commuting has been rather smooth in Seattle. Though Seattle is often seen as a car-oriented city, its residents have transit alternatives -- whether they be ride-sharing, water taxis, or buses -- that enable them to adapt to times of infrasturacture rehabilitation. This current situation shows that Seattle can cope without the Alaskan Way Viaduct -- the elevated freeway that segregates downtown from the waterfront. The Seattle Post-Intelliger covers this story of adaptability with a news story and an Op-Ed piece:
John Norquist's Letter to Editor (Chicago Tribune) on Highway Maintenance
Submitted by Joe Menard on Thu, 08/16/2007 - 10:43amIn "Bad transportation policy, at a price," Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman appropriately bemoans the federal funding of highway expansion over maintenance.
Federal funding favors spectacular expansion projects with attendant ribbon cuttings over routine inspection and maintenance that can help avoid tragedies like the Minneapolis bridge collapse.
Pittsburgh Planning Two Prominent Green Developments
Submitted by Joe Menard on Thu, 08/16/2007 - 10:38amIn the same vein as Portland and Denver, Pittsburgh is on its way to becoming an energy efficient city centered around green urbanism. This
Two Years Later: Displaced Gulf Coast Residents 'Stuck and Suicidal'
Submitted by Joe Menard on Thu, 08/16/2007 - 10:12amThe controversial aftermath of hurricane Katrina has been widely documented - a delayed response from FEMA and charges of racism against the government from affected locals. Two years later many displaced citizens are forced to live in FEMA trailers that offer little comfort or sense of community.
Getting riverfront access right
Submitted by MLewyn on Thu, 08/09/2007 - 10:25amI just visited one of Tampa's more walkable neighborhoods, Hyde Park. Like Jacksonville's Riverside, Hyde Park is a long walk from downtown, is a well-off 1920s streetcar suburb, and borders a body of water (in this case, Tampa Bay).