1.21.2007

A batch of articles and websites

We have here a batch of good articles that we've been saving up for this forum. Some of them are already a few weeks old. We expect that in the future we will bring to your attention newer news.

From the Urban Land Institute: The Next Thing: Miles Per House? ULI Experts Discuss Impact of Transportation Costs on Location Decisions; Look at Future Infrastructure Financing. Senior Fellow of Transportation at the ULI, Bob Dunphy, mentioned in the article, came to Salem last summer to give a talk. Many people were excited about Dunphy's ideas for our fair city. As for the above article, its message is inescapable: we need more compact development to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

We have added the Urban Land Institute’s website to our list of favorites. When ULI speaks, we listen. ULI is the world's largest organization of development professionals and is dedicated to efficient land use, building dynamic communities and protecting our natural resources.

Also added to our essential websites listing: The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program

This article, The Apartment Atop the Garage Is Back in Vogue, is important because Pringle Creek is a believer in "accessory dwelling units." They are small, flexible spaces above (or instead of) garages that are great for 1) providing space for in-laws, parents, returning semi-adult children; 2) use as an office, studio, or library; 3) renting out as living quarters--to a caregiver, a recently divorced old friend, a young single school teacher.

In Montgomery, N.Y., the parents are moving into the redone garage, left, and giving the house to their son and daughter-in-law.

This Washington Post article reports on a new spirit of cooperation between conservatives and progressives in western states: In West, Conservatives Emphasize the 'Conserve'

Sir Richard Roger, author of this essay, How to build intelligent suburbs: The urgency of climate change makes the rebirth of our cities crucial to the planet, and its people, is a UK architect who leads the way in advocating for community and building design that support environmental and social stewardship.

It's a good year for eco-resolutions, from The Seattle Times provides ideas for consumers who care.