Archive for the ‘suburbs’ Category
We need a new plan
To paraphrase Albert Einstein, we can’t expect to solve a problem using the same thinking that created it. I fear that this is the approach Washington is taking regarding oil prices. The suggestions come from our elected leaders is mind numbingly foolish. “Let’s drill in ANWR!” “Let’s make oil out of coal!” “Let’s tell the Saudis to open up the spigot!” These ideas are coming from the industries and their political supporters who have profited generously during our descent into total oil dependence. I think it’s safe to say they won’t be helping us dig back out.We need to change the way we think about energy if we’re going to flourish in this century. At a personal level, it’s about changing your relationship with your car and your community. Driving to the big-box store to save a few dollars doesn’t make sense if it costs you $10 to get there. Communities will contract out of necessity and we will all find ourselves walking or bicycling for our daily errands. Urban living will see a rebirth as the economic balance of life in the suburbs starts to make a turn. This transition will not come easily, or without cost, but it will come nonetheless. It’s difficult to keep the suburban dream alive at $4/gallon. It’s all but impossible at $8.
On a state and regional level, we will need to start diverting precious tax dollars from highways to railways. Passenger train service is woefully inadequate in most regions. The trains that do run are slow, outdated, and expensive. Anyone who’s traveled in Europe knows that we’re stuck with decades-old technology. From an energy perspective, trains are the most efficient transportation alternative (far better than cars & airplanes). From a time perspective, the city-to-city service of a high speed train will beat today’s air travel for all but the longest routes. Even though an airplane travels faster while in the air, it also requires slow speed travel to the airport, then hours of sitting still as you wait to board the plane. I would gladly trade a few minutes travel time for the convenience of a train.
At the federal level, what we desperately need is leadership. Jimmy Carter proved in the 1970s that we’re able to drastically reduce our energy usage through coordinated efforts. [insert interesting statistic here]. Sadly, since then we’ve been driving on cruise control without a strategic energy plan. (Unless you count the energy strategy written in secret by Dick Cheney & friends during the early 2000s.) During WWII, Americans gathered together to show genuine national pride. Food and fuel was rationed, so people compensated with novel programs such as the “Victory Garden” grown in back yards. There’s nothing stopping us from doing this again, save a near total vaccuum of leadership in Washington.
As we enter the 2008 presidential election season, you can be sure that oil and energy will play a leading role. Don’t be fooled by the short-sighted advice of the petroleum pushers who put us in this mess.
Filed under energy, politics, suburbs : Comments (2) : Jun 17th, 2008
Proof that we both need and want mass transit :
Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit - New York Times via kwout
Filed under Milwaukee, economics, energy, environment, suburbs : Comments (0) : May 19th, 2008
Wisconsin : Wake up!
Having lived in Madison for 4 years and Milwaukee for 2, I’m beginning to understand the Wisconsin scene a little better. From what I gather, the state legislature does not like Milwaukee. In fact, they seem to act with contempt towards Wisconsin’s largest economic center. Curious. Here’s an example : Wisconsin LOVES to build highways.
Holy smokes we’ve got highways. But public transit? No thanks. Passenger rail between Milwaukee and Madison? No way. Regional rail linking Milwaukee, Chicago, and the Twin Cities? Nope. Modern buses or light rail? Not on your life. Eight lane super-highways? YES PLEASE!
Milwaukee’s mayor is pleading for a sensible transportation strategy. I’m not holding my breath.
Barrett asks state to divert funds from I-94 project to mass transit - Small Business Times via kwout
Filed under Milwaukee, culture, energy, environment, politics, suburbs : Comments (0) : May 5th, 2008
It’s happening
Over the past few years, esteemed blogs (such as tadfad.com) have espoused at great lengths why suburbs are not a wise investment for our nation in general. Now, as gas prices are on the way to $4/gallon and the credit markets are tightening up, home buyers seem to agree.
Home Prices Drop Most in Areas with Long Commute : NPR via kwout
The part that’s sad about this is that almost everyone is going to lose in the end. We’ve spent trillions of dollars building not only the suburban homes themselves, but all the infrastructure to support them. As these areas become less and less desirable (and hence, less valuable), much of this investment will simply go to zero. The negative effect to the U.S. economy will be significant.
Fortunately, there’s hope. In cities all across the U.S., there’s plenty of space to expand. After decades of suburban flight, many neighborhoods are living with low population density and ample opportunities for improvement. We’ll need to act wisely as we re-urbanize and ensure that low income families aren’t forced out to the fringes. Again, history is a wise tutor as most cities dealt with mixed income housing quite well prior to WWII.
The key to this equation will be wise investment. There will be enormous pressures on state and federal governments to prop up the suburbs with cheap loans and road building. We need the forethought to gradually close the book on the great suburban experiment and rediscover what city life can be.
[Side note : Anyone looking for an investment opportunity? Check out the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee. ]
Filed under Milwaukee, culture, economics, energy, environment, suburbs : Comments (3) : Apr 23rd, 2008
Suburbs : the next slum
After spending 40+ years (and countless trillions of dollars) building ever-larger McMansions, the subprime crises is beginning to unravel this misguided dream. Today’s suburbs are tomorrow’s slums.
The Next Slum? via kwout
Filed under culture, suburbs : Comments (2) : Apr 9th, 2008
James Howard Kunstler
One of my favorite topics to think, discuss, and write about is the geographic framework of modern America. (Suburbs). A major contributor to my interest obsession with this topic is James Howard Kunstler, author and lecturer extraordinaire. I saw Jim give a lecture once in Madison and was struck by how succinct and logical his thesis is (it helps that he’s an entertaining speaker). I followed up by reading a few of his books and I’ve been sold ever since. His main points are thus:
- Our current preferred habitat (suburbs) are not designed for humans. They are designed for autos. This is foolish, ugly, and causes psychological unrest.
- The American auto-culture is unsustainable due to oil scarcity and environmental destruction and we need to re-learn how to live in a lower energy intensity mode.
Of course there is more to it, but you should really do yourself the favor of reading one (or more) of his books. I suggest The Geography of Nowhere and The Long Emergency. If you want a quick fix, go read his blog, Clusterfuck Nation. It focuses more on #2 than #1, and is rather pessimistic (rightly so?) but it’s fun to read. Jim has a great writing style and uses delightful phrasing.
But don’t take my word for it. Check him out!
Filed under culture, energy, suburbs : Comments (5) : Feb 4th, 2008
James Howard Kunstler
One of my favorite topics to think, discuss, and write about is the geographic framework of modern America. (Suburbs). A major contributor to my interest obsession with this topic is James Howard Kunstler, author/lecturer/blogger champion.
I saw Jim give a lecture once in Madison and was struck by how succinct and logical his thesis is (it helps that he’s an entertaining speaker). I followed up by reading a few of his books and I’ve been sold ever since. His main points are thus:
- Our current preferred habitat (suburbs) are not designed for humans. They are designed for autos. This is foolish, ugly, and causes psychological unrest.
- The American auto-culture is unsustainable due to oil scarcity and environmental destruction and we need to re-learn how to live in a lower energy intensity mode.
Of course there is more to it, but you should really do yourself the favor of reading one (or more) of his books. I suggest The Geography of Nowhere and The Long Emergency.
Filed under culture, energy, suburbs : Comments (0) : Oct 30th, 2007
Target sells you trash!
I found this product at Target tonight:
That’s right, Target is selling paper “to-go” cups with plastic lids. So you can create excess trash from the comfort of your own home! Fabulous!
Seriously, something is broken here. Reusable coffee mug technology is pretty advanced these days. Is anyone else a little shocked/saddened by this?
Filed under culture, environment, suburbs : Comments (5) : Oct 11th, 2007
Wind != Oil
I read this quote in the Byron Review (don’t ask me how I got there):
Wind turbines stand tall, creating renewable energy to help lessen Minnesota’s dependence on foreign oil. A wind turbine project is being planned for southeastern Dodge County and southwestern Olmsted County.
As you might imagine, I’m all for wind projects. I think wind is one of the best energy options available today, and Minnesota has a rich supply of wind that’s ripe for the harvest. What worries me is the non-sequitur wrapped up in the above quote–mainly that wind turbines will somehow replace foreign oil in Minnesota’s energy mix.
Sadly, this is simply not the case. Wind turbines generate electricity; oil is not. There are approximately zero fully-electric automobiles on the market today, so you can’t presume a 1-to-1 trade off.
What does this mean? It means we need to expand the way we think about energy. There is no question that wind power makes environmental and economic sense, and the market shows it (the world is sold out of wind turbines for at least 2 years). The problem is, we have yet to recognize that the flaw with energy from oil is not it’s origin in some hostile nation abroad, but rather the way we use it domestically.
For the past 60 years, it’s been considered a birthright that every American should drive a car. We’ve built our cities around this concept, and now live in places that are literally impossible to navigate without the automobile. We’ve allowed passenger rail service to rust away, and only a handful of the larger metropolitan areas have functional mass-transit. In short, we’ve spent many trillions of dollars building an America that simply cannot function without cars.
For the last few decades, the assumption has been that technology would come and save the day. Whether it be the myth of the 100 mpg carburetor, the electric car, or ethanol from food crops, each breakthrough keeps missing the point–we simply need to spend less energy on transportation.
Consider this: a tank of gasoline holds enough energy to supply an average home’s electricity needs for a month! Is it really necessary to place all of life’s necessities (home, work, school, commerce) so far apart that we all must drive?
Final point: If we want to get away from foreign oil, we need to get away from cars and the geography of an automobile culture. The suburbs are not sustainable in their current configuration. We need to re-learn how to live a walking/cycling/mass-transit lifestyle.
Filed under culture, energy, environment, suburbs : Comments (1) : Oct 9th, 2007
Walk Score
If you’re looking for a new apartment or moving to a new city, be sure to check out www.walkscore.com. This site uses Google Maps to approximate the relative “walk score” of your neighborhood. It takes into account the distance to essentials like grocery stores, restaurants, bars, schools, etc.
My block scored a 92!
Something to keep in mind especially if you’re considering buying a place. When gas hits $8 a gallon, walking is going to become very fashionable indeed.
Filed under culture, energy, environment, suburbs : Comments (6) : Jul 26th, 2007
