4/30/2012

Scoop From Planetizen

Lots of interesting Scoop from planetizen.com, one of my favorite planning blogs.



Pedestrian Planning
This course uses practical and abstract concepts to provide planners tools to define a pedestrian planning study using Google Earth, data collection techniques, and observational methods to produce low-cost, implementable street designs for presentations and reports.http://courses.planetizen.com/course/pedestrian-planning

Recent Interchange Posts

Recent columns and commentaries from Interchange, Planetizen's blog written by experts in the field.

Michael Lewyn
Traffic deaths and safety: who's really the safest?
Apr 29, 2012
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56468

Samuel Staley
Tea Parties and the Planning of America
Apr 27, 2012
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56450

Sam Hall Kaplan
Betting on the Enduring Attraction of the Printed Word
Apr 27, 2012
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56434

News Headlines

The 30 most popular headlines from the last four days.

Friday Funny: The Onion's Transit Issue
Apr 27, 2012 -- The Onion
Out this week, the satirical newspaper The Onion has collected a host of stories dedicated to transit and transportation. Some of these you may have seen before, but many are new to us. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56439

America's Top Ten Transit Meccas
Apr 26, 2012 -- Switchboard
Real estate's favorite tool for gauging neighborhood walkability now has a companion for transit, Kaid Benfield reports.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56415

Where to Find America's Most Peaceful Places
Apr 27, 2012 -- The Atlantic Cities
Released earlier this week by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the annual United States Peace Index (USPI) analyzes peacefulness at the state and city levels, and the costs associated with violence. Richard Florida discusses its findings. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56436

Momentous Day for Transit in LA
Apr 28, 2012 -- The Architect's Newspaper
Alissa Walker celebrates a historic day for rail transit in Los Angeles, as the $940 million, 8.6-mile first segment of the Expo Line opens to the public, leading the city "into a new transit era."
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56449

Should NIMBYs Decide a City's Future?
Apr 26, 2012 -- Boston Magazine
As much-needed residential development projects in Boston prepare to seek their necessary approvals, George Thrush explores how a plague of "refusenicks" threaten to cost the city its competitive edge. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56400

How Public Protest Kept the Car From Taking Over Copenhagen and Amsterdam
Apr 28, 2012 -- The Atlantic Cities
Sarah Goodyear offers a brief history of urban development in postwar Europe, and tells of just how close the bicycle capitals of the West came to putting cars before people.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56423

Dramatic Visions For LA's Transit Hub Unveiled, But to What End?
Apr 27, 2012 -- The Architect's Newspaper
Sam Lubell reports on the speculative visions unveiled this week by six teams of international design talent competing to develop a Master Plan for LA's historic Union Station and its surrounding properties. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56433

Cleveland's Historic Migration
Apr 29, 2012 -- The Plain Dealer
For the first time in modern history, Cleveland's inner city is growing faster than its outer city and county, reports Robert L. Smith. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56451

Are Green Cities Sitting on a Golden Goose?
Apr 26, 2012 -- The Guardian
Copenhagen's leadership in urban sustainability gives them more than just a shining reputation. Bruce Katz considers how cities can cash in on environmental innovation.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56372

Oakland, CA: Zero Waste by 2020? 
Apr 26, 2012 -- The Global Urbanist
Anna Leidreiter explores the ecological principles underlying Oakland's dramatically successful waste reduction program, and echoes the refrain that modern cities must think about consumption and waste in cyclical terms.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56367

Miami Looks To "Red Fields" To Solve Its Park Space Deficit
Apr 26, 2012 -- The Miami Herald
Andres Viglucci explores how a strategy being considered in Miami-Dade County seeks to transform distressed commercial properties into green spaces, sparking economic redevelopment throughout the county. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56363

Why Place Matters
Apr 26, 2012 -- Urban Times
In the era of globalization and increased connectivity, which was once predicted to loosen our bonds to place, Saffron Woodcraft argues that cities have become more, not less, significant. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56402

It Pays to be Iconic in Manhattan
Apr 27, 2012 -- The Wall Street Journal
Eliot Brown explains the starchitectural math driving a Manhattan developer to demolish their existing Park Avenue office tower in order to make room for the city's next architectural gem. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56371

Inspiration for Placemakers from the Silver Screen
Apr 28, 2012 -- PPS: Placemaking Blog
Planning to rent a movie this weekend? Before you do, check out the list of "Ten Great Movies for Placemakers" gathered by the folks at the Project for Public Spaces. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56446

Do Cars = Freedom?
Apr 29, 2012 -- Urban Milwaukee
Forget for a minute what the answer to that question may be, and focus first on why the two ideas are associated with each other. As Dave Reid explains, it's no accident, but rather the result of a relentless marketing scheme by the auto industry. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56452

Winnipeg's Osborne Village Voted the Country's Top Neighbourhood
Apr 27, 2012 -- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg's centrally-located and historic Osborne Village has topped the Canadian Institute of Planners' Great Places in Canada contest.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56432

The Place-Based Implications of the Digital Manufacturing Revolution 
Apr 28, 2012 -- The Economist
The Economist describes the dawn of the third industrial revolution, brought by the rise of digital manufacturing, and its implications for the how and the where of the future of industry. 
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56444

Temporary Projects Seek to Inspire Long-Term Change in DC 
Apr 26, 2012 -- Washington City Paper
Lydia DePillis spotlights a host of temporary projects in D.C., from a shipping container fairgrounds to a three-month-long arts event, which have residents, leaders, and organizers seeing vacancy as an opportunity, and permanence as optional.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56418

D.C. Makes Plans to Go Green, Starting With Rooftop Farms
Apr 27, 2012 -- The Wahington Post
Tim Craig explores one developer's efforts to start the ball rolling on the capital's new 20-year sustainability goals.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56419

How Does Your Air Quality Rank?
Apr 27, 2012 -- Huffington Post
Joanna Zelman reports on the good news and bad news contained in the American Lung Association's just released study, "State of the Air 2012." If you live in California, you may not want to read on.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56425

The Bright Side of California's Growth Slowdown
Apr 27, 2012 -- Science Daily
According to a just-released report from USC, CA's population, currently 37.5 million, will reach 50 million in the year 2046, a full 14 years later than the 2007 Dept. of Finance projection, due to the major growth slowdown shown in 2010 Census.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56399

Next Transportation Bill In The Works, Finally!
Apr 29, 2012 -- The Hil
SAFETEA-LU, the 2005 surface transportation funding bill, expired two years and seven months ago. Nine extensions later, the House and Senate will sit down and work out its successor in a conference committee after the House passed a tenth extension.
» http://www.planetizen.com/node/56438


4/28/2012

Sunset in Sarasota


















Beth Ruyle Hullinger with our Military Officers Association Group on Siesta Key, Sarasota.



Teenagers Act Now!!!




Amazing how much parents learn during the four years their children spend in College or out on their own. Thanks to my daughter Leigh Ann for sending.





4/27/2012

Walking the Walk

CHICAGO - Though housing values are still slow to rebound from the collapse of the real estate market, a new analysis from CEOs for Cities reveals that homes in more walkable neighborhoods are worth more than similar homes in less-walkable neighborhoods, pointing to a bright spot in the residential real estate market.

The report, “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities” by Joseph Cortright, analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 major markets provided by ZipRealty and found that in 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability, as measured by Walk Score, were directly linked to higher home values.



Click to read the article.




4/26/2012

Chuck Eckenstahler's Blog

Chuck Eckenstahler has an interesting blog post on Government tax policy and economic growth.



GOVERNMENT POLICY AGAIN DIFFERENTIATES GROWTH VS. DECLINE


For the fifth year in a row, government policies differentiate growth in state economic performance.
Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore, again in their American Legislative Exchange Council Rich States – Poor States Economic Competitive Index, document key government actions that encourage and restrict economic vitality.
 Policies for growth include –
  •     Lower personal income taxes
  •     Lower corporate income taxes
  •     Lower sales taxes
  •     Right–to-Work business cost advantages






4/25/2012

Sarasota, Florida

Housing Market Remains Weak


(Reuters) - The Housing market is likely to remain weak and may take a generation or more to rebound, Yale economics professor Robert Shiller told Reuters Insider on Tuesday.
Shiller, the co-creator of the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index, said a weak labor market, high gas prices and a general sense of unease among consumers was outweighing low mortgage rates and would likely keep a lid on prices for the foreseeable future.
"I worry that we might not see a really major turnaround in our lifetimes," Shiller said.

_______________________________

I think the scenario Professor Shiller worries about is highly unlikely. We still have some years in which to work out our oversupply of housing but supply and demand will eventually hit equilibrium, and then increases in housing value should match inflation,