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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Be car-ful? Giving up car-lessness for Rob Lowe's plug-in hybrid	Alan Durning	16 Nov 2007	Gristmill
This essay is part of a series on not owning a car. ----- The weekend before Halloween, my car-less family got a loaner plug-in hybrid-electric car to try. You see, the City of Seattle and some other local public agencies are testing the conversion of some existing hybrids to plug-ins to accelerate the spread of these near-zero-emissions vehicles. As a favor and, perhaps, for some publicity (this post), the city's program manager offered me four days' use of the p ...
Topics: cars, electric vehicles, electricity grid, energy, hybrids, placemaking (all these topics)

Brash Monkey Thousands of monkeys uprooted by sprawl move into New Delhi		14 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 3:17 PM on 14 Nov 2007 Last month, the deputy mayor of New Delhi fell from a terrace to his death while trying to fend off a gang of wild monkeys. This weekend, rampaging monkeys attacked up to 25 people in the Indian capital. While the scenes are tragic, it would be a stretch to call them unexpected: In the center of New Delhi, monkeys scamper through buildings, bathe in fountains, and frolic in parks and on gro ...
Topics: India, news, placemaking, sprawl, wildlife (all these topics)

Just the big-box facts New tool helps groups assess large retail proposals	Erik Hoffner	13 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Big-box stores have significant impacts on a community's economy, environment, and character. The Big Box Evaluator (created by the Orton Family Foundation, which offers numerous programs that aid good land-use planning) is a new online tool designed to help citizens, activists, and municipal officials get the basics on these impacts in an unbiased manner.It's interactive, and lets you plug in variables like tax rates, community demographics, size of a hypothetical bi ...
Topics: business, placemaking (all these topics)

Hear some trains a-comin' Public transit will be necessary for CO2 reductions	Jon Rynn	12 Nov 2007	Gristmill
At the end of October, both New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg and, believe it or not, Mississippi Republican Senator Trent Lott, passed their cosponsored bill in the Senate to allocate $1.9 billion per year for six years to expand passenger rail in the U.S. According to Parade magazine (yes, the one that's inserted into Sunday newspapers), the main goal is 'to develop high-speed, short-haul rail corridors modeled on the European city-to-city routes. They could ...
Topics: climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, placemaking, politics, public transportation (all these topics)

Portland of the Fee Portland, Ore., will pay builders to build green		09 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 2:07 PM on 09 Nov 2007 Portland, Ore., has unveiled an innovative plan to slash greenhouse-gas emissions. The city will require an energy-efficiency inspection of new homes, then levy a tax on builders who have merely complied with Oregon's efficiency requirements. Builders who construct homes 30 percent more efficient than the state building code requires will escape the fee; those who go above and beyond, with cons ...
Topics: carbon tax, energy, energy efficiency, green building, innovation, news, placemaking, Portland (all these topics)

Trading, taxing, and public reconstruction Some signs of another mitigation alternative emerging	Jon Rynn	08 Nov 2007	Gristmill
There has certainly been a great deal of discussion of carbon taxes and various cap-and-trade and cap-and-auction frameworks among environmentalists. Recently, Nordhaus and Shellenberger used the term 'public investment' as another mitigation strategy, a term which seems to refer mostly to research and development. However, another alternative is direct governmental construction of the various means of transforming economies toward sustainability -- what might be calle ...
Topics: climate change mitigation, energy, climate, placemaking (all these topics)

Cool things happening at the local level California 'cool cities' are taking the lead on climate change	Rep Jane Harman	08 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Now in her seventh term, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) represents California's 36th Congressional District. Jane Harman. Even sunny skies and pleasant ocean breezes over much of our state can't mask the fact that Californians breathe some of the most polluted air in the nation. California is the world's 12th largest source of carbon dioxide, the chief heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. As dirty as our air is, we are taking the lead nati ...
Topics: air pollution, California, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, politics (all these topics)

The Only Thing We Have to Sears Is Sears Itself Clinton, Daley to green Sears Tower, other Chicago landmarks		08 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 8:42 AM on 08 Nov 2007 The tallest building in North America is officially going green, along with a few of its Windy City counterparts. At a green building expo in Chicago yesterday, former President Bill Clinton and eterna-Mayor Richard Daley announced a partnership to retrofit landmarks including the Sears Tower and the Merchandise Mart, the nation's largest commercial cente ...
Topics: Chicago, climate, energy, green building, placemaking (all these topics)

Transportation and climate get hitched Seattle-area voters tied the knot	Eric de Place	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
In the Seattle metro region, voters just sank an $18 billion transportation megaproposal that would have built more than 180 lanes miles of highway and 50 miles of light rail. But so far, the mainstream press has missed one of the most important stories of the year. The real story isn't tax fatigue, it's this: perhaps for the first time ever in the U.S., a critical bloc of voters linked transportation choices to climate protection. In the run-up to the vote, a surpr ...
Topics: cars, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics)

Climate change direct action	David Roberts	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
It's beginning.
Topics: business, climate, coal, energy, placemaking (all these topics)

Bike culture Biking communities thrive in San Francisco and Santa Cruz	Adam Browning	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
We moved offices earlier this year, and are now a little off the beaten track. To deal with the increased distance, and because I broke my colleague Gwen's foldable bike, I brought in a couple of bikes for the office: a pink Stumpjumper of '80s vintage at a garage sale in Lee Vining, and a more recently minted Hardrock bequeathed by good friend and noted environmental economist Michael Greenstone. This is all to say that I've been biking around San Francisco quite a ...
Topics: bikes, placemaking, Portland, San Francisco, urban planning (all these topics)

The Yay of the Land Oregon voters roll back destructive property-rights legislation		07 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 9:47 AM on 07 Nov 2007 Sheepish Oregon voters have approved Measure 49, which significantly scales back development rights under the state's Measure 37. When voters passed Measure 37 three years ago, it was the farthest-reaching legislation in the U.S. in terms of protecting individual property rights, requiring Oregon to compensate landowners for property-value changes brought on by state land-use dec ...
Topics: legislation, news, Oregon, placemaking, progress (all these topics)

Remake a Living: Green career tips for locavores How to find a job in your local area	Kevin Doyle	01 Nov 2007	Gristmill
I've been on the road. I started the first week in October at the University of Michigan and ended it at a "career visioning" retreat in the Connecticut woods with students from Yale. My impressions? At both universities, I found aspiring environmental professionals who are committed to building a sustainable society. (I also found great vegetarian food.) GRIST JOB BOARD As we talked about "sustainable solutions" careers ...
Topics: business, green jobs, placemaking (all these topics)

Maui-Go-Round Hawaii legislature allows Superferry to resume voyages		31 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 3:01 PM on 31 Oct 2007 The Hawaii legislature has approved a bill allowing resumption of voyages by the Hawaii Superferry, halted by court order in August because a state-required environmental-impact assessment had not been completed. The new legislation, backed which is backed by Gov. Linda Lingle (R), will allow the ferry to make its Oahu-to-Maui and Oahu-to-Kauai treks while the assessment is being made. The ferr ...
Topics: Hawaii, legislation, news, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics (all these topics)

Two Become One Major car-sharing companies will merge		31 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 12:31 PM on 31 Oct 2007 Major car-sharing companies Flexcar and Zipcar announced yesterday that they plan to merge. Zipcar, the larger of the two, has had strong growth mainly in large cities on the East Coast; Flexcar is more widely available on the West Coast. In both schemes, members can reserve a car over the phone or the interwebs, generally at a cheap hourly rate, then return it to its same location. Gas, repairs, parking, and ...
Topics: business, cars, news, placemaking (all these topics)

Growing cooler Can urban planners save the earth?	Eric de Place	31 Oct 2007	Gristmill
A couple of weeks ago I was in Vancouver, B.C., at a conference where it seemed like everyone was talking about a new book called Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Reviewing dozens of empirical studies, the book's central argument is that urban form is inextricably linked to climate. Low-density sprawl has been a principal contributor to North American climate emissions. And by the same token, smart compact development -- the k ...
Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, placemaking, sprawl, urban planning (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: A flood of coverage A recap of our week on the river	Sarah van Schagen	29 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Huckleberry Wroth and I survived our travels down the Mississippi last week, and we've now returned to our respective coasts to reflect on everything we learned. I must say, visiting three cities in seven days is no lazy float down the river -- we covered a lot of ground. Here's a recap:In Dubuque, we: Chatted with the charming mayor, Roy D. Buol. Lunched with city leaders at a conference led by the American Institute of Architects' Sustainable Design Assessmen ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, Missouri, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

A hopeful letter from 2034 An electrified transit advocate tries soothsaying	JMG	28 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Maybe too optimistic, but very little untried technology in here, so it's at least a possible future.
Topics: placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: The end of the road On politics, ponyshoes, and PBR	Katharine Wroth	28 Oct 2007	Gristmill
All good things must come to an end, and the Gristissippi Road Trip is one of them. Sarah and I wrapped up our enlightening week of interviews and explorations with a visit to Beale Street (fried pie, yum!) and a beer with a Gristmill fan. As we recuperate from the trip in our respective cities, collecting our thoughts and notes for the more in-depth features to follow, I thought I'd throw down a few of the things I learned along the way. Seven, in fact, one for each ...
Topics: Iowa, Mississippi River, Missouri, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: A uniter, not a divider Memphians hope river can bridge racial divide	Sarah van Schagen	27 Oct 2007	Gristmill
I mentioned in my last post that there are a lot of complicating factors involved in decisions about what to do with the riverfront in Memphis, Tenn. Yet another complex issue here, though, is the undeniable racial tension. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, Memphis went through a major decline, with many people leaving the downtown area and moving to the suburbs, and downtown businesses crumbling as a result. The current population o ...
Topics: Mississippi River, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Labor day In which we get a glimpse of reality	Katharine Wroth	27 Oct 2007	Gristmill
'You girls want a chance at a free dinner cruise?'The question rang out from behind us, all twangy like, as we walked down the ramp toward shore after a 1.5-hour riverboat tour. The day was wet and cold, so the last thing I wanted to do was get back on that boat. But free stuff is free stuff, right? So I turned around. And there was Teddy.'You girls want a free dinner cruise?' he asked again. He stood there grinning, a sledgehammer casually slung over his shoulder. ' ...
Topics: Mississippi River, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: A developing story Memphis debates what to do with its riverfront	Sarah van Schagen	27 Oct 2007	Gristmill
After arriving in Memphis, Tenn., birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Katharine and I headed straight out to Mud Island for a Smashing Pumpkins concert. (Work related, I swear!) The concert was held at the Mud Island Amphitheater, an open-air venue on the long, narrow peninsula created to shelter a small harbor and keep a meandering tributary on course.While the Pumpkins performed, my attention was focused on the river flowing just behind them. Even in the cold wind and d ...
Topics: Mississippi River, placemaking, Tennessee (all these topics)

Sun Rise Berkeley, Calif., suggests innovative solar scheme		26 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 4:30 PM on 26 Oct 2007 The Berkeley, Calif., city council will soon vote on an innovative scheme to front the cost of solar panels to homeowners, who would pay the city back over 20 years as a property tax add-on. The amount to be paid back would be roughly what homeowners would save on electric bills by being sun-powered. "This plan could be our most important contribution to fighting global warming," says Berkeley ...
Topics: California, energy, innovation, news, placemaking, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: Energy Not the coal and gas kind, though we've seen lots of that	Katharine Wroth	25 Oct 2007	Gristmill
I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because it's been a long day. We headed out of St. Louis in the mid-afternoon, but before we did, we spent some time with Laura Cohen, who heads up the Confluence Greenway Project -- an incredibly complex (we're talking Venn diagram here) conglomeration of agencies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders working to connect green spaces along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Along with her colleague Kathy Weilbacher, we traveled ...
Topics: placemaking, Mississippi River, Missouri (all these topics)

Along the Mississippi: One man's trash St. Louis' City Museum is a treasure	Sarah van Schagen	25 Oct 2007	Gristmill
I apologize if the image at left is a bit hard to make out, but if it looks like a bunch of junk to you, then you're seeing it clearly. This is the outdoor portion of the City Museum in downtown St. Louis. It's absolutely the most unique place I've ever seen, and it's completely made of "found objects." The City Museum was built using reclaimed materials like salvaged bridges, construction cranes, traffic signposts, old chimneys, and even two abandoned a ...
Topics: Mississippi River, Missouri, placemaking (all these topics)

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