February 17, 2000
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GULF COAST GROWTH NEWS
Regional News
Lanier addresses congestion
Former mayor Bob Lanier, speaking at the Rice Environmental Conference last Saturday, said it appeared to him that we could no longer "build our way out" of our traffic congestion problems by expanding highways and pouring concrete. He also noted that current plans to deal with the traffic brought into the region by the 2.2 million people expected in the next 20 years would cover about five percent of the looming problem.
Transportation winners
Three local winners were announced in the first annual Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) awards program of the Trans Texas Alliance. Most Effective Advocate went to Metro president and CEO Shirley DeLibero. Honorable Mention for Community Impact Award was given to Parson Brinckerhoff for the Downtown to Astrodome Major Investment Study, and the City of Houston Public Works & Transportation Department received an Honorable Mention for Best Traffic Calming Program for the Post Properties project at Gray and Webster.
Chapter 42 time again
The time for the review of Chapter 42 of the city of Houston development code is at hand. Latest word is that Planning & Development Director Bob Litke will make a report to Council in mid-March. Chapter 42 was passed by Council last spring after a stormy brawl with the proviso that it would be reviewed a year later. Several groups are looking at it now. One idea circulating is for an "ultra urban" classification for some areas inside the loop, to allow very high density development away from residential neighborhoods.
Transportation 2000 deadline
The deadline for comments on the draft of the Houston 2000 Strategic Transportation Plan is March 17. The plan is available at http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/citygovt/mayor/stp2000.htm (there is also a comment area on the web page) or call John Jackson at 713/837-7828 for a hard copy. Comments can be e-mailed to lrp@pd.ci.houston.tx.us, or mailed to John Jackson, Planning & Development Department, City of Houston, PO Box 1562, Houston, TX 77251. Citizens' Environmental Coalition will hold a discussion of the document. See Events, below.
Notes From Other Places
New Urbanist style may cost less
A new study from the University of British Columbia shows that it costs 30 percent less to build housing in New Urbanist developments than in conventional suburban development, because of savings in the cost of land and infrastructure. The report is at http://www.agsci.ubc.ca/jamestaylorchair/Html/ADS%20WEB/HTML_Files/TitleFrame.htm
No clear link seen between central city blight and suburban growth
New research by Anthony Downs, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, appears to contradict the widely held belief that middle-class flight to the suburbs is the main reason many cities are left with high poverty and crime rates and struggling schools. Downs says he was surprised by his findings. "My goal was to find out whether there was a link between aspects of sprawl such as low-density development, the leapfrog out to suburbs, and the use of automobiles and urban decline," he says. "It turned out there wasn't. At least I couldn't find one." Downs says much of the blame goes to housing and planning policies that shut out the poor from suburbs and concentrate poverty in cities. For a brief USA Today report about the study, go to http://www.usatoday.com/news/ndsmon07.htm
Los Angeles megaburb
The largest housing development in Los Angeles County history was featured on the front page of the New York Times last Sunday. The project, which will have 21,600 units for 70,000 people, will be along the Santa Clara River, one of a tiny handful of wild canyon waterways left in Southern California. The projected need for housing in the area is 25,000 units per year.
New York green building guidelines
In New York, Battery Park City Authority President Timothy S. Carey hopes to build the first "green" high-rise apartment building in the United States. The environmentally sensitive structure would reportedly be the first of five residential projects in Battery Park City that will be awarded to multifamily developers that best fulfill the stringent design guidelines outlined by Carey. (New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com- 02/10/00 P. D7; Iovine, Julie V.
Atlanta's 'small towns' attracting buyers
A growing number of homebuyers in the Atlanta metropolitan area are choosing to live near or in the middle of older towns. "We're seeing more buyers looking for that small-town atmosphere," confirms Katie Brinkman of Northside Realty's Dunwoody office. The trend has also caused housing prices in smaller towns to rise quickly in recent years.( Atlanta Journal and Constitution - http://www.accessatlanta.com- 02/06/00 P. 3HF; Raines, Laura)
Transportation money for water projects
A new booklet explains how local agencies can apply for TEA21 (Transportation Enhancement Act of the 21st Century) funds for water quality projects that are impacted by transportation systems. "Merging Currents: Transportation and Water Quality, a Guidebook for Funding Opportunities," was produced by California's Planning and Conservation League (PCL), Heal the Bay, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and sponsored by EPA Region 9. http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/ or PCL Foundation, 926 J St. Ste 6112, Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 444-8726
Big City News
PHILADELPHIA
"Growing Demand Seen for Compact Way of Life" Philadelphia Inquirer (home.phillynews.com) (02/03/00) P. A1; Mastrull, Diane
April, sprawl critics and builders will hold a joint workshop to champion pedestrian-friendly developments where people can walk from their homes towork and play. The Home Builders Association of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, along with chapters representing builders in Delaware and Chester Counties, are putting together the workshop with members of the Greenspace Alliance. An exact date and place for the workshop have yet to be decided. A recent study of housing preferences in the four Pennsylvania counties found that more and more people are looking to reduce their dependence on cars and foster a greater sense of community in the region's older towns and outer suburbs. It held up the Celebration development in Florida--where retail space mingles with apartments, townhouses, condominiums, and single-family homes--as an example to follow. The 74-page report was compiled by Zimmerman/Volk Associates Inc. The New Jersey-based firm did not calculate the cost-effectiveness of such development projects to builders; it simply measured the demand from consumers. Co-founder Todd Zimmerman comments, "There's the power to change the destiny of the Philadelphia region if we can provide new housing construction options."
Events
Next Houston Gulf Coast Smart Growth Initiative meeting: Feb 23, 11:30 am, American Institute of Architects, 3000 Richmond Suite 500. http://www.gulfcoastideas.org
Collaborative Urbanisms: Community Development: Feb 26, 10 am-noon, Anderson Hall, Room 117 on the Rice University campus. First in a series of four workshops pairing urban scholars and key practitioners actively engaged in Houston's downtown revitalization and economic development. Moderators: Troy Gooden, Community Artists Collective, and Susan Rogers, MECA. Panelists: Robin German-Curtis, Greater Houston Urban Redevelopment Corporation; Stephen Klineberg, Professor of Sociology, Rice University; Mardie Oakes, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation. Free. Phone: 713.348.2055, E-mail: ndeckha@hotmail.com URL: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~culture/urbanisms.html
Livable Texas Conference: Feb 27-29 in Dallas at the DoubleTree Hotel in Lincoln Centre. The theme of the conference is "Sustaining the Environment and Economic Development". Sponsor is the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Keynote speaker is Amory Lovins, author and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute (http://www.rmi.org/lovins.html). Info: Sue Phillips,TNRCC, 512-239-6327 or http://www.tnrcc.texas.gov/new.html.
Transportation 2000 Plan: A CEC Roundtable: Mar 8. A Citizens' Environmental Coalition discussion of the draft version of the City of Houston's long term transit plan. The document, which calls for a broad assortment of smart growth strategies, will be presented by John Jackson of the City's Planning & Development Department. At the Houston Environmental Center in the Upper Kirby District building, 3015 Richmond, east of Kirby. Noon, bring your own lunch.
The Practice of Environmentally Sensitive Development: Mar 20-21, Shepherstown, W. Va. A ULI workshop on balancing environmental protection with economic return. Also to be held in San Francisco June 22-23. 800-321-5011.
National Green Builders Conference: Apr 5-8, Denver. Adam's Mark Hotel. Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. http://www.nahbrc.org/gbcon/gb2000schedule.htm
Developing New Urbanist Communities: Apr 10-12, Orlando, Florida. Urban Land Institute and the Congress for the New Urbanism offer this three-day course in town building using new urbanist principles. 800-321-5011.
Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Urban Sprawl: a two-day conference in New York City, April 13-14 at the American Museum of Natural History. Those interested in land-use planning, conservation, and how sprawl is affecting the natural world are encouraged to attend this symposium to explore in more detail how to integrate biodiversity conservation with all levels of our decision-making. For info call 212-769-5200 and refer to program code SPRAWL2K.
New Videos at Gulf Coast Institute
(These videos may be borrowed for noncommercial presentations. Call 713-523-5757 or crossley@gulfcoastideas.org. Descriptions are by the distributor of the video.)
Taken for a Ride reveals the tragic and little known story of an auto and oil industry campaign, led by General Motors, to buy and dismantle streetcar lines. Across the nation, tracks were torn up, sometimes overnight, and diesel buses placed on city streets.
The highway lobby then pushed through Congress a vast network of urban freeways that doubled the cost of the Interstates, fueled suburban development, increased auto dependence, and elicited passionate opposition. Seventeen city freeways were stopped by citizens who would become the leading edge of a new environmental movement.
With investigative journalism, vintage archival footage and candid interviews, Taken for a Ride presents a revealing history of our cities in the 20th century that is also a meditation on corporate power, city form, citizen protest and the social and environmental implications of transportation.
Homes & Hands: Community Land Trusts in Action is the inspiring story of three communities where low-income residents have found an empowering new way to make housing permanently affordable to people who are usually left out of the American dream. Community land trusts (CLTs) take a new, progressive approach to the ownership of land and housing. With land trust homes, local community groups own the land, lowering the cost of housing dramatically and eliminating the usual spiral of land price speculation.
Through personal stories, the nuts and bolts of the organizations and communities in Durham, North Carolina; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Burlington, Vermont are explained by the residents themselves. The tenacity and vision of these community activists will encourage audiences to rethink their assumptions about housing in the United States, and provide a fresh perspective on community development.
The Gulf Coast Institute has an extensive library of documents related to urban growth issues. For access, call 713-523-5757 or a note to crossley@gulfcoastideas.org.
Note: in the February 11 issue we used an item about "21st Century Power", which was written by Stephen Colley and published in the San Antonio Sustainable Building Coalition newsletter. We regret not crediting the source of the item. For more info about this newsletter write to stephencolley@stic.net.
Note to readers: If you have news to share or have reports from events, please let us know at issues@gulfcoastideas.org
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