Kunstler on Colbert!

Eric Fredericks • Monday May 5, 2008

I was shocked when I read this. Two of my favorite satirists head to head on the same program? Absolutely classic! Kunstler was on to promote his new book World Made by Hand, a fictional story that takes place in the future—a future without oil. Sounds like an intriguing book.

Take a comic relief break and watch the video. [Via Veritas et Venustas]

 

Category: Peak Oil •• Region: United States •• Comments

Complete Streets and Tree Legislation Worth Watching

Eric Fredericks • Friday April 25, 2008

US Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and US Representative Doris Matsui (D-California… Sacramento to be exact) have introduced two important walkability-related bills to the US Congress.

Senator Harkin introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008 (S. 2686) which would require states and MPOs to establish complete streets policies and apply them to federally-funded projects. The bill clarifies what a complete streets policy should contain. The legislation would also strengthen research and technical assistance on complete streets. Complete the Streets has put together an excellent information fact sheet about the bill, why it’s needed, and what you can do to help get it passed. You can download that document here.

Representative Matsui introduced the Energy Conservation Through Trees Act of 2008 (H.R. 5867). The legislation requires the use of science-based tree-siting guidelines to ensure that trees are not planted in locations that will disrupt pre-existing infrastructure, block solar panels and wind turbines, or damage power lines. The legislation would also require utilities that receive assistance to partner with nonprofit tree-planting organizations or other municipal infrastructure groups to run the technical side of the program. These nonprofit groups are meant to serve as tree-planting experts to complement utilities’ financial interest in lowering peak energy demand and reducing consumption. They will provide technical and outreach assistance, work with tree recipients, and ensure that trees are planted in the right place to maximize energy conservation.

Obviously, both of these bills would be huge step in the right direction for providing better walking and biking facilities in the United States.

The policy guidance in the Complete Streets bill is pretty powerful and would attempt to close some of the gaps in current State DOT policies and practices—something that we’ve struggled with here in California, even though from my experience we have some of the most progressive policies in the country. The bill text is probably about the strongest they could make it and still have it pass. The bill does discuss penalties for non-compliance with its provisions. I would imagine that a penalty for non-compliance would be to withhold Federal funds, though I doubt it would go that far. The policies will not be the hardest part to implement. I think that practical implementation of those policies, once incorporated, will be the challenge.

The tree legislation is modeled after the successful programs from the Sacramento region. I think that most residents of and visitors to Sacramento would agree that its beautiful trees are its best asset. I’ve visited hundreds of cities around the world and have never seen a more impressive tree canopy than what exists in Sacramento’s urban core. Any legislation that models what’s been accomplished here can only be a good thing.

UPDATE 5/1: Doris Matsui introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008 in the US House of Representatives last week as well.

Here are some additional resources on this legislation:

Iowa’s Senator Harkin Introduces Complete Streets Act – Streetsblog
Complete Streets bill introduced in the Senate – Smart Growth America Blog
House Bill Would Use Trees to Reduce Energy Use – American Forests

Special thanks to Connie Gallippi for the heads up on the Matsui legislation!

 

Category: Legislation •• Region: United States •• Comments

New Guidelines for Pedestrian Safety Road Audits

Eric Fredericks • Friday November 30, 2007

A technical report recently released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) gives new guidelines and prompt lists for pedestrian road safety audits. The report discusses at length the basic principles of pedestrian safety, the set up of an audit, and the universal considerations for a successful audit.

From the report: A road safety audit (RSA) is a formal safety examination of a future roadway plan or project or an in-service facility that is conducted by an independent, experienced multidisciplinary RSA team. All RSAs should include a review of pedestrian safety; however, some RSAs may be conducted to improve an identified pedestrian safety problem. The Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists provides transportation agencies and teams conducting an RSA with a better understanding of the needs of pedestrians of all abilities.

The Guide has two primary sections: Knowledge Base and the Field Manual. The Knowledge Base section discusses the basic concepts with which the RSA team should be familiar before conducting an RSA, such as understanding the characteristics of all pedestrians, analyzing pedestrian crash data, pedestrian considerations in the eight-step RSA process, and use of the Guide. The Field Manual section includes the guidelines and prompt lists. The guidelines provide detailed descriptions of potential pedestrian safety issues while the prompt lists are a general listing of potential pedestrian safety issues. The guidelines and prompt lists will help familiarize RSA teams with potential pedestrian issues and help them identify specific safety concerns related to pedestrian safety throughout the RSA process.

I have not read the report in detail, but I’ve scrolled through each page and it looks to be comprehensive. I can see this report used as a “go to guide” for putting together pedestrian safety workshops and audits. In fact, our workshop and audit services are no longer needed now that FHWA released this report. Just kidding.

I’d like to take the opportunity to stand on my soap box and address this topic for a moment. There is a big difference between having safe streets for pedestrians and having truly walkable neighborhoods. Whenever I give a presentation or lead a walking audit, I always focus on the big picture as well as the minutia of pedestrian design and safety. Some pedestrian advocates I’ve witnessed in action really understand the ins and outs of design, but don’t give much attention to land use or what really comprises livable communities. Sure, great pedestrian design can really enhance your community. But, if you don’t have the appropriate mix of land uses and proper site design and layout, all of it goes for naught. Plus, I feel it is important to discuss other modes of transportation: transit, bikes, and yes, even cars (roundabouts, road diets, home zones, etc.).

I do not want to downplay the importance of good pedestrian design. It’s really amazing to learn how little details in pedestrian design affect daily lives. For example, say someone that relies on a wheelchair for transportation cannot reach the push button at a signal crossing, and therefore cannot cross the street until someone comes along to assist them. Or, school children that live directly across the street from their school have to ride the bus because there is no safe crossing. I hear these stories all the time. But, I do think our society is starting to realize that we must plan for other modes of transportation besides the automobile. This report is a perfect example of this focus.

Some places are still lagging behind— see Missouri for an example. Maybe I’ll actually post the scathing article I wrote about this soon…

 

Category: Pedestrians •• Region: United States •• Comments [1]

Follow Up to the Walkable Church and Peak Oil Article

Eric Fredericks • Tuesday October 16, 2007

I want to follow up on the article that Jim Robbins wrote for this site yesterday on Walkable Church. I now realize that many of you reading our feeds externally or via e-mail probably cannot tell who the authors of articles are (this one is Eric). So, incorporating author names within the feed is something I will have to work on. I want to make sure authors get credit for their work in all formats!

The other thing I wanted to mention is that some of you may have concerns about the religious nature of the article yesterday, a topic we have previously shied away from. I do want to make it clear that we do not place any religious beliefs or non-beliefs above any others on this site. When Jim raised the idea with me about posting an article on the topic, I was very hesitant. I did not want to offend any of our readers. However, I think there are many lessons to learn from what Jim wrote yesterday, and he has a very interesting perspective on how walkability relates to his life with the church.

I agree whole-heartedly with Jim that peak oil is perhaps going to be the most serious cultural challenge that we face in the upcoming future—even more so than global warming and the obesity epidemic. I believe this because peak oil will affect everyone in the pocketbook—whether or not you drive a car. If what the oil industry experts are saying is true, we could face a massive crisis on any given day. The cost of oil could easily skyrocket overnight due to a major war, political struggle, catastrophic event, or problems with major suppliers (Enron anyone?). This is not likely to happen with global warming or obesity: the results are just not tangible to many people, so they do not care about them enough to dramatically shift their daily habits.

The church scenario Jim shared with us yesterday can really be applied to most every life aspect—offices, schools, rec centers, shopping malls—you name it. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

 

Category: Peak Oil •• Region: United States •• Comments [2]

Walkable Church

Jim Robbins • Monday October 15, 2007

In the near future…

Church attendance will drop dramatically.
Churches won’t be able to cool or heat their Family Life Centers and sanctuaries.
Church staffs and programs will be cut.
Many churches may have to close.

The most critical issue for Christians in the next 5 to 10 years won’t be evangelism or discipleship or worship. It will be a lack of energy – energy that cools buildings and heats staff offices. Energy that fuels cars that sit in church parking lots. We simply won’t be able to do church the way we’re currently doing it. The most “spiritual” issue for us in the next few years will be the “peak oil” phenomenon (an energy scarcity this country has never seen). In fact, if you Google the phrase“peak oil,” you will get 8,680,000 hits! It’s a big deal.

The Church in America will run out of cheap and recoverable oil along with the rest of the world. We have used up one-half the world’s oil reserves. We have reached the peak of oil production and the remaining fossil fuel reserves are going to be much more difficult (and expensive) to extract: There will come a point where energy giants won’t be able to extract the remaining reserves simply because the cost to extract outstrips profits gained. Of course this cost to do business gets passed on to the consumer (families and churches) in the form of catastrophic prices at the fuel pump and at the electric meter on the side of your house. Coal and natural gas are on a similar decline, and no combination of “alternative fuels” will be able to give us the scale of cheap energy we are used to. No matter what we do – and we should do something now – we may likely see a pre-industrial America and be forced to live on far, far less than we’re used to. We will have to walk. It won’t be an option.

The ride is over
The cheap oil glut over the last century, and the lifestyle it built for us, was a one-time ride; an unusually prosperous blip on the world history timeline. The Church, as we will see, has enjoyed this ride just like everyone else.

The ride is over.

This is not the wacky proclamation of a doomsday cult, apocalypse Bible prophecy sect, or conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the scientific conclusion of the best paid, most widely-respected geologists, physicists, and investment bankers in the world. These are rational, professional, conservative individuals who are absolutely terrified by a phenomenon known as global “Peak Oil.” – from the website: Life After the Oil Crash.

>>Continue Reading This Article>>

 

Category: Peak Oil •• Region: United States •• Comments

July Photo Series: Exploring the Walkability of America in 30 Days

Eric Fredericks • Sunday July 1, 2007

Each day this month, I plan on posting a new photo that I shot in a town or city across the United States. I have looked through thousands of photos from the last five years and selected my favorite walkability-related photo from that town. I then ranked the best photo from each town against all of the other towns and selected the top 30. Tomorrow, I will unveil photo number 30 and will count down backwards until July 31 when the top photo is unveiled.

This was a very difficult and time-consuming process, so I hope you enjoy this series. There were many surprise cuts and the cities near the top are also surprising.

I shot the photo above on a rainy day at a farm field near Yellow Springs, Ohio (they are very serious about preventing sprawl in Yellow Springs). This photo is bit different from what you will see over the next month, but I thought it sets a great tone for the series. All of the photos in this series are the antithesis of sprawl.

I admit that there are probably too many West Coast towns in this series, but I also hope that you’ll find a good mix of places from across the country. Several major cities I have not visited in the last five years, did not make the cut, or I have yet to visit.

Speaking of cities that did not make the cut, you can view the last five photos not to be selected for the series after the jump. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

 

Category: Walkability •• Region: United States •• comments

Don't Forget: It's Bike to Work Week!

Eric Fredericks • Tuesday May 15, 2007

Don’t forget that this week is Bike to Work Week, and depending on your region, your Bike to Work Day is likely to be this Thursday or Friday. For the Sacramento Region, Bike to Work Day is Thursday. Here are some details on Thursday’s events at the Capitol:

BikeFest, at the State Capitol Thursday

On May 17th 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., enjoy music, antique bicycles, award presentations, and drawings for bicycles. Bring your bicycle for routine maintenance. We’ll have safe, secure Bike Valet parking.

Held in conjunction with the CalEPA Clean Air Celebration, the Capitol BikeFest will have tables of information from bike shops, bicycle groups, public transit providers, clean air and walking organizations.

There will also be raffles for free bikes and gear.

The Sacramento Region has a great website dedicated to Bike Commute Month (which, if you didn’t know already, is this month). You can pledge a certain amount of miles and keep track of the miles you ride during the course of the month. You can also join a team and/or employer and “compete” against others. I’m not sure if a national site like this exists, but one should. Then you could break it down by regions, counties, or cities.

I’ve only pledged to ride 10 miles this year for May. I wasn’t sure how I would feel on a bike with respect to my slowly-healing broken ankle. I’ve actually already logged 19 miles so far this month. I have had very little pain except for when I step off the bike. Otherwise, I think it’s been a good way to increase my flexibility and speed up the bone healing process. To be honest, the limitations of riding this month will more likely be because I have an uncomfortable old road bike, and not because of the pain.

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: United States •• comments [3]

A Small Victory for Us to Celebrate

Eric Fredericks • Monday April 30, 2007

As I was searching for a photo to include with this article, I went right for my San Francisco photos, since this article is written in response to a San Francisco Chronicle article. Without realizing what photo in particular I was looking for, I decided to check out my Noe Valley photos and came across this one. I felt that this photo is indeed appropriate because I have some “Good News” to report.

Lately, it has been encouraging for me to see so many mainstream media outlets covering the topic of walkable neighborhoods. I know that at least a few staff members at most of these large newspapers and television companies are stopping by this site because I can see their domain name server in the website logs.

I need to read articles covering walkability to know that it’s worth keeping the fight going, because I must say, some days it can be quite discouraging when you know that 95% of your country’s urban landscape is sickening and completely designed for a singular mode of transportation. It’s also discouraging to know that for every smart growth battle won today, there are probably 100 battles lost (if you can even call stamps of approval battles).

Today, I read an article that put me in a better mood. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Carol Lloyd practically sold everyone on all the ideals we talk about here, only she didn’t mention our website (But I won’t hold that against her. After all, there’s only several hundred million or so websites on the web.). Her article, Can urban design keep you from getting fat?, discussed many of the public health research areas we’ve highlighted on this site before. She also mentioned how desperate people are to find affordable walkable neighborhoods. That’s what our real estate referral program is designed to do.

So, for the advocates of walkable neighborhoods, I encourage you to read this article, sit back, and smile. Even though the news she’s reporting isn’t all positive, she is raising awareness of the issues. We need to celebrate small victories to give us the courage to press forward. We have to keep fighting for the 30% of us that want to live in affordable, walkable neighborhoods that right now don’t exist, but hopefully someday will.

Can urban design keep you from getting fat? [San Francisco Chronicle]

 

Category: Walkability •• Region: United States •• comments

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