A New Series in Salon about How We Design Cities

[Nashvillain]

The online magazine Salon has started a new series on cities called "Dream City: How Should We Design the Cities of our Dreams?"

The first article basically sets the stage, outlining the shift in attitudes and reinvestment in cities, making a case that many of the big changes and big projects have been spearheaded by local citizens, rather than by governments and planners. The big problem, as outlined in the article, will be how to ensure that cities are affordable and not exclusive enclaves for the wealthy.

Anyway, it should be interesting to check in from time to time and see where this goes. I guess this could go in the resources page as well.

[Nashvillain]

Buses don't have to be sucky. http://www.salon.com/2012/03/03/its_time_to_love_the_bus/singleton/

You guys and gals in Nashville should get behind the BRT proposal and advocate ways to make it the best possible system it can be instead of bemoaning the fact it's not light rail.

[timmay143]

We will !

I also hope that gas prices remain high (horrible I know) just so that urbanization (sprawl reduction) and mass transit options continue to appeal to the "average" citizen. There are plenty of energy alternatives available and to be researched. I would rather pump money into energy research (create jobs, both median income and high-paying jobs) rather than buying foreign (fossil) energy or polluting the land by trying to create our own (drilling, fracking etc). Not that it is all bad, but, IMO, we can't sustain on this way of living. I would be happy to increase research on improving current tech (fossil and hybrid engines) if there was a solid plan in place to ween off and onto a better option. I'm not trying to be all green and environmentalist, but...we have to improve the way we live if we want our species to be around longer than at the current rate. The evidence that "green" and "sustainability" are becoming more popular is a good sign. I would just hate to see (and be apart of) something (drought, other natural disaster, man-made disaster) that would drastically change our perception when the things we take for granted and depend so heavily on are severed or greatly reduced (me included). If we took to sustainability, we would probably have a better chance of survival and keep our sanity. Just think if the majority of houses were built and retro-fitted to fully or at least partially self-sustain (energy, water, some foods like gardens and chickens and such). Of course that would kill the oil-businesses.