Warning: include(/data/14/1/95/35/1258035/user/1342078/htdocs/fighterdiet/blog/wp-content/themes/classic/herbalus.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/greatcit/public_html/wp-content/themes/blue-zinfandel-3column/header.php on line 51

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/data/14/1/95/35/1258035/user/1342078/htdocs/fighterdiet/blog/wp-content/themes/classic/herbalus.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/greatcit/public_html/wp-content/themes/blue-zinfandel-3column/header.php on line 51

Jan

30

Growing Green for less Green

Filed Under Development, Environment, Great City, Innovation | Leave a Comment

More of these please... (via flickr user bmaryman)

More of these please... (via flickr user bmaryman)

For years, industry officials, planners, architects and landscape architects have been singing the praises of green roofs. But reports from around the country have also noted that in order for green roofs to be implemented, government needs to provide incentives.

The reason that relatively few green roofs have been implemented is largely due to concerns about warranties, membranes, liability, cost, etc etc….all of the “real world” ideas that get in the way of us getting sustainable solutions today.

All of which is why sustainable policy makers matter just as much as “green builders and developers”. That’s why it is exciting to note that Washington’s own Maria Cantwell is getting digital props from folks like the American Society of Landscape Architects and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

From the ASLA’s e-blast:

Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) introduced the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S.320), legislation geared toward creating high-wage green-collar jobs and revitalizing the economy through clean energy investments. ASLA worked with Senator Cantwell’s office to ensure that a section of the bill was dedicated to green roof tax incentives.

Section 506 of the bill gives a 30% tax credit for qualified green roof property expenditures on residential and commercial buildings. The language puts the cap at $5000 on residential buildings, and no cap for commercial buildings. The bill outlines specific, ASLA-recommended language, defining ‘qualified green roofs’ to mean any green roof at least 50 percent of which is a vegetated green roof system. The credit applies to any retrofit or new construction green roof.

Let’s hope it goes on and get passed into law. We all know that SAM could use a little relief after WaMu, nee Chase,  jumped ship on it’s green roof, pictured above.

Jan

29

How Can Seattleites Get Modern Transportation Alternatives?

Filed Under metro transit | 1 Comment

Are you paying $500 a month to park downtown? Or are you, like me, riding a packed-out bumpy, infrequent bus? Why is that our alternative to the more and more costly automobile commute? Really, can’t we do better?

Did you know that King County exports gas tax dollars for roads to many other poorer counties in Washington? We’re the only county to have the surplus dollars to do that.

And even within King County, Seattle doesn’t get a good shake. When a Federal Judge turned over Metro Transit to the King County Council, that body voted to limit Seattle to 20% of the sales tax dollars for in-city transit service hours. The East Side and South King County get 40% each. Hasn’t Metro built out its system to the limits of the urban sprawl by now? Don’t the majority of bus trips in King County begin or end or being and end in Seattle? Hey, give us a break!

Lately Seattle has been trying many things to obtain true big city quality transit alternatives.

The late lamented Seattle Monorail established, and then extinguished, a separate district to fund in-city, off the street, mass transit with a Motor Vehicle Excise Tax slice. But the engineering was so awkward and inflexible that the project couldn’t adapt to the amount of funding available. There went tens of millions of dollars that could have bought us better bus service or at-grade rail or streetcar service.

Then our deregulated “free enterprise” economy went south. Bus rider numbers increased more than 20% over two years. A transit agency’s dream? No, a nightmare, as prices for the polluting diesel fuel skyrocketed, then crashed, then began a new rise this year.

Seattle voters spearheaded the “yes” vote for Metro’s three, yet to be implemented, “bus rapid transit” routes into downtown: West Seattle, Ballard/Uptown, and Aurora. These are regressively funded by new sales tax, but are scheduled currently to begin service in 2011-2012. Why so long? Meanwhile expect long waits and bumpy rides.

At the same time Seattle voted to tax itself on property, commercial parking lots, and employers (by number of employees) to improve key arterials, fix up streets and sidewalks, and buy – yes! buy — more than our 20% share of Metro bus service hours.

In November, 2008 King County voters spearheaded a really big decision to fund major extensions of the Sound Transit Link Light Rail slated to open this year from downtown to SeaTac Airport. At this time the new destinations include Lynnwood, Redmond, and Federal Way.

This January the City, County, and State executives finally agreed on an Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement: a surface Alaskan Way, downtown avenue and street improvements, improved access to the I-5 freeway at Spokane and Mercer Streets, and some more transit. Included in the transit are proposed Central Line, a First Avenue Streetcar service connecting Pioneer Square, Pike Market, downtown, and Belltown, to Seattle Center. Since Sound Transit cancelled the First Hill light rail station, the yes vote for extending Sound Transit light rail includes funding for a streetcar service linking Pioneer Square, First Hill, and Capitol Hill. So by extension the Central Line links to both the existing South Lake Union Streetcar to east Lake Union and to Capitol Hill’s Broadway.

Well, isn’t this boring, and isn’t this a shaky, variously funded mix. Is this our best try for excellent big city transit that will really relieve our main roads at peak travel hours?

In a period of US history when our national government is reducing taxes while fighting wars, the costs of transportation are shifting more and more to states, counties and cities.

We’ll need to find out how to pay for the needed improvements for all kinds of transportation, in-city, regional, inter-city, and international.

There are some viable alternatives: the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax, abhorred by Tim Eyeman, variable hour tolling, bonding against future tax revenues in districts with improved land values. The latter is the funding that built Portland’s Max Light Rail.

Talk to your State Representatives and Senators. Let them know that better transportation planning is needed and better funding is the key.

Jan

28

Bike Parking on the Street

Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

(via Capitol Hill Seattle)

Seattle has announced that it will install bike parking on the street beginning next week, with the spaces being ready by mid-Febraury. From the letter:

Taking the place of one to two motor vehicle parking spaces, on-street bike parking will be filled with bicycle racks and surrounded by a raised curb. Bicyclists can enter the parking area from the sidewalk and each car-sized space will accommodate up to eight bikes.

●  Mid block of Broadway E between E Harrison Street and E Republican
Street (by Broadway Market)

●  At the corner of 12th Avenue and E Spring Street (by Stumptown
Coffee Roasters and Café Presse)

●  At the corner of Woodlawn Avenue NE and NE 70th Street (by the
Greenlake Condominium)

Last year Portland garnered national attention when they installed what they called, bike corrals in front of popular establishments. Check out this Streetsfilm about the corrals and get excited that they will be coming here soon!

Jan

27

Streets for People Kickoff Forum on February 12th

Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Streets for People Kickoff Forum

Seattle’s abuzz with people working to improve their neighborhood streets by making them better for walking, biking, transit and trees. What if we could all find each other, so we could learn from and support each other?  Why  –  that would be a MOVEMENT!*
Join us & connect with others who share your passion. Learn, be inspired, and help create the future we all want to see.*
What: STREETS FOR PEOPLE Kick-off Event
When: 5-7 p.m., Thursday, February 12
Where: Armory at Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave N.
Speakers:

James Irwin: Organizing in the Obama era.

Learn how to tap into community values and leadership to create change.  James was trained on organizing by the same team that trained the Obama Campaign organizers, and was the lead organizer on the Sierra Club’s successful 2007-2008 campaigns, including NoRTID, No on 985, Mass Transit Now and Cool State.

Renee Espiau: New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign http://www.nycsr.org/

Hear about the amazing changes occurring in New York as local advocates come together to work for change. Discuss how Seattle can create its own campaign to revive great public spaces and lively streets.

Michael McGinn: Director of Seattle Great City Initiative

The Streets for People Campaign is dedicated to building a community movement that enhances our quality of life by improving our streets as public places, and prioritizing walking, biking and transit as the “new normal.”  This campaign is based on the successful community coalition that passed the Seattle Parks for All Levy.

Event Host: Seattle Great City Initiative

Great City brings together organizations and individuals committed to making positive, lasting change by breaking down traditional barriers that can get in the way of smart planning and helping Seattle grow and thrive as a truly great city.

Event Sponsors: Cascade Bicycle Club, Feet First, and the Sierra Club.

CoSponsors: GroundswellNW, UrbanSparks, Sustainable Ballard, Friends of Seattle, Spokespeople, Sustainable NE Seattle, Sustainable Seattle, Seattle Parks Foundation, Sustainable Green Lake, and the SafeWalks Coalition.

*We’d love it if you’d like to work with us by presenting display at the event, being a cosponsor, and/or joining the campaign.  Please let us know if you have any questions and if you would like to participate.

Jan

25

P-Patch the White House

Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

This is a great concept — getting Obama to appoint a gardener to plant five acres of the south lawn in fruit and vegetables.  http://whitehousefarmer.com/.  Check out the site, and vote for your choice for White House Farmer, including one nominee from Tacoma.

So — what do we do in Seattle to deal with the 3000 people on waiting lists for P-Patch gardens?  We could all benefit by making more public property available for growing food.  In my neighborhood the Interurban trail right of way has lots of grass that could be turned into gardens, bringing more people into a relatively unused space, making it safer and more inviting.  If you could put a p-patch into your neighborhood, where would you do it?  If Obama gets a White House Farmer, maybe our city could appoint an official Seattle Farmer to get serious about meeting the public demand for p-patches and healthy local food.

Next Page →