Ben Yahr

Yes.

Seems that things are moving quicker than usual- unfortunately often in a negative manner. Projects and leads evaporate overnight. But folks are optimistic, and the consensus here seems to be that things are improving.

Yup, I was “encouraged” to render that way when I started (draw a big thick line around a tree- it kind of looks like a drop shadow).

In my opinion, you can render a plan in a million different ways and have it turn out about the same, but what makes a plan good is the annotation. Notes have to be readable but not distracting, things should line…[Read more]

I think the tone of the article, and especially the graphic, is a little misleading. An 80/20% allocation of turf is certainly sufficient. This is not requiring people to dig up all of their lawn except for a 500 sf square. And if 500 sf fits 8 Mini Coopers, how many Expeditions could fit?

You could do some really neat stuff with 500 sf of lawn…[Read more]

I also agree that it is unwise to limit employees to a single program.

Nearly all of my planviews are either composed 100% in Autocad or a combination of Autocad and hand rendering. Just today I was required to render a plan in Photoshop. It’s a pain, but the result is good- until you have to go back to edit it! If only Autocad had transparency…[Read more]

Seems we are back to the age old argument that someone WILL be designing new housing, so it might as well be us- which makes sense. This also gets back to choice and variety- some people are set on living in the ‘burbs, some prefer dense urban areas. Ideally we can help provide well though out options for both, and ideally the American mindset…[Read more]

After brushing up on the principles of new urbanism (http://www.newurbanism.org/), its tough to hate the concepts.

My problem is with TNDs that pop up as greenfield development taking funding, density, and emphasis away from true urban centers. Most of these new developments are on the periphery of an existing city so residents still end up…[Read more]

Treehugger- brought to you by the Discovery Networks, proud of such environmentally conscious shows as Ice Road Truckers, The Deadliest Catch, and Ax Men…

Despite the constant stream of criticism that ASLA receives, they tend to at least say the right things…

Good point Trace, I agree that some progress is better than no progress (by definition…)

John Michael Greer addressed this topic just yesterday, with a different conclusion:
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/human-ecology-of-col…

Well said on both counts Mike.

Yup, if Mars (or the Moon) doesn’t pan out, I plan to float aimlessly on the high seas in my cedar canoe- which is actually eastern red cedar, western red cedar, ash, walnut, cherry, basswood, fiberglass, and a lot of epoxy- a petroleum product;)

Now we’re rolling… I used to be in favor of cap and trade as a compromise to those who argue for not hurting our economical prosperity (whatever that means). But there is no room for compromise. No room for haggling, and no room for 17%.

Dr. Hanson’s comparison of our current situation to that of slavery and nazism is certainly fair. Physics is…[Read more]

Are there two separate arguments going on here- new development versus retrofits?

It seems to me that in retrofits a shared space concept would be much more feasible than somehow reallocating separate corridors specifically for one transit type or another.

But in new development, we have the chance to allocate and build right the first time…[Read more]

That is an excellent article. I briefly looked at Houten, Netherlands (the city mentioned as having a successful pedestrian/auto separation) on Google Earth. The separate bike and auto routes are very interesting, but it seems like more of a novelty than an effective way to design a city.

I can see the advantages to separate transportation ways,…[Read more]

Cool, no wolves, err angry farmers with 12 gauges, to kill my fuzzy bunnies.

In one of the other discussions it was brought up that APA has some provisions for encouraging localized food production. I wasn’t able to find any official mention of peak oil on the ASLA website. The sustainable sites initiative would be a great starting point.…[Read more]

Telling people not to worry because “the economy” will solve the problem is completely naive and very pretentious. Just a few hours of looking into the issue will make this quite clear. So by attempting to stifle discourse on the issue and poking fun at those who are actually making changes to their lives, it is very easy to loose focus of the…[Read more]

I think you guys are correct that it would be tough to implement this type of thing in the US. I was just excited about it because it is an example of the political will allowing changes that are typically relegated to student planning projects. The flip-side is that while car-free areas would not work everywhere in the US, they would definitely…[Read more]

Very cool, this addresses a lot of the problems with bike sharing. I still have some questions, like has anyone actually used a B-Cycle?

Here are some more links:
http://www.denvergov.org/DenverGovHome/tabid/37891/newsid97029/1664…
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&source=embed&oe=UTF8…

Interesting campaign by Toyota, they’ve been getting a lot of flack for this-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/26/toyota-chamber-climate-bill (and quotes from the president of the Chamber of Commerce near the end…)

There’s been lots of “studies” comparing the CO2 from a Hummer to a Pious, but they all seem to get debunked for…[Read more]

Interesting blog. I question his numbers a bit based on my own participation in farmers markets, but his point is valid with some good suggestions, and something to consider.

Education is key, for professionals and citizens. Understanding the world around you is essential for good planning and life decisions. Greenwash is a concern, but so is…[Read more]

You are making two points. One is identical to mine, one is extremely contradictory.

First, we can and do make the best possible choices within their scope of work. There are more small things we can do as individuals and professionals. Eventually the talk and philosophy becomes applicable to everyday life. I hope sooner than later.

Second, oil…[Read more]