Mar

8

EPA: energy efficiency is about location, location, location

Filed Under Cities, Housing, Land Use, Sustainability | Leave a Comment

One way for emissions to be noticed as a part of a home's environmental footprint. Via HikersItch.com

We’ve said it before: green don’t mean a thing if it aint got that urban swing…

Where we live has an enormous impact on energy use, according to new research commissioned by the EPA. The report, “Location Efficiency and Housing Type — Boiling It Down to BTUs” finds that Americans use far less energy if they live in an apartment building in a transit-oriented neighborhood than if they live in a detached suburban house, even if that house has green building features and sports fuel-efficient cars in the driveway.

When it comes to this report, a picture’s worth a thousand words. As the graph above shows, the biggest energy efficiency gains come from living in transit-oriented neighborhoods.

A household living in a single family detached house located in a typical sprawl development uses an average of 240 million BTU British Thermal Units, a unit of energy output of energy a year, while the same household would only use 147 million BTU if the exact same house were located in a compact neighborhood. Make that single family house an apartment and energy use is down to 93 million BTU. …More: via Streetsblog Capitol Hill » EPA: Energy Efficiency Is About Location, Location, Location.

Mar

7

Region’s largest cities aren’t accommodating population growth as planned

Filed Under Cities, Sustainability | Leave a Comment

The Downtown Seattle Association blog takes a look at Census data to see how we’re performing on our regional commitment to grow our cities where it makes the most sense (inside them).  We can do better…

The Puget Sound region has adopted specific strategies and goals that call on the largest cities to absorb a significant share of the total population growth projected to occur over the next three decades. The 2010 Census figures released this month show we are falling well short of those goals.

The Puget Sound Regional Council’s VISION 2040 is the four county region’s plan for how we will accommodate population and employment growth over the next three decades. The plan projects approximately 1.7 million more people and 1.2 million more jobs between 2000 and 2040 in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. That’s a lot of people!  …More via Region’s Largest Cities Aren’t Accommodating Population Growth as Planned | Let’s Talk Downtown!.

Feb

16

Buy a Print, Support the Film Urbanized (via GOOD)

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We loved Helvetica, and have been waiting with bated breath for the director’s next project: Urbanized.  GOOD has the scoop on how you can help be a producer…

The final film in director Gary Hustwit’s “design trilogy” is the new documentary Urbanized, which focuses on the design of our cities. You’ll remember that Hustwit made two of what are almost certainly the very best design documentaries we’ve ever seen, Helvetica (about type and graphic design) and Objectified (about product design). And now, as he ventures out into the urban environment, he’s enlisted the U.K.-based firm Build to create four posters promoting the film.

This is the second time Build has designed the poster for Hustwit’s film; their poster for Objectified featured silhouettes of every single product featured in the film, in the order of appearance. (Kind of like a roster of extras, if you think about it.) Here they’ve visualized four major themes in the film, from parks and public space, to transportation and mobility, to housing and real estate, and don’t forget the oh-so-sexy world of infrastructure.

Each print is $125 and proceeds benefit the film’s production. Should you order all four for $400 (and why wouldn’t you?), you’ll get thanked in the credits. Like a real Hollywood producer!

via GOOD Design Daily: Buy a Print, Support the Film Urbanized – Design – GOOD.

Jan

28

Portlandia: Bicycle Rights (Video)

Filed Under Bicycling, Cities, Great City TV, Sustainability, Transportation | Leave a Comment

“Bicycle Right!”

Dec

12

Make Sure the Tunnel Process Protects Pioneer Square

Filed Under Cities, Environment, Transportation | 1 Comment

The following is a post from Cheryl dos Remedios,  an artist/advocate and member of the Great City Board. Any opinions expressed here are Cheryl’s, and do not represent Great City. As an organization, Great City has not taken a position on the tunnel, nor do we plan to since that space in our civic dialogue is already well represented. If anyone would like to post any commentary on the tunnel process–regardless of your position–we are happy to make this blog available to you as we believe that honest, fact-based dialogue is important to a strong city. If you would like to contact Cheryl directly, her email address is: cheryldosremedios@gmail.com.

Constructing a tunnel on Seattle’s waterfront will permanently alter the historic character of Pioneer Square. Whether you are pro-tunnel* or anti-tunnel, here is some information that might be new to you:

· The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has identified 13 buildings with historic significance that may be damaged during construction, including several that have direct ties to the Seattle arts community (see list below). This project is incredibly risky. Why? Because this would be the biggest bored tunnel ever.

· Many Seattleites are dreaming of an open waterfront. Please know that the same 4-lane road is being planned along the waterfront with –or- without the tunnel. In fact, the tunnel generates more traffic on the waterfront than the surface street/ transit/I-5 option (that’s the option that the citizen advisory group recommended 2 years ago in consultation with WSDOT before Gregoire, Nickels and Sims pulled plans for a bored tunnel out of a back room)

· The tunnel will more than double traffic in Pioneer Square because there are no exits into downtown. The traffic numbers are 50,000 a day at the southern interchange without tolling, with an additional 40,000 autos once tolls kick in. Currently, autos can exit on and off the viaduct at Seneca, Columbia, Elliot and Western. But once the tunnel is built, Pioneer Square becomes the south portal in-and-out of downtown. Many people will drive through Pioneer Square just to avoid tolls.

· For over a year, WSDOT has been aware that the volume of traffic in Pioneer Square “would not be acceptable” but offers no alternatives. The amount of traffic – combined with the scale of the interchange itself – would permanently alter the character of this historic district. In addition to the giant portal, likely changes include constant streams of traffic on previously quiet streets, no street parking, elimination and damage to trees, damage to buildings from traffic vibration, etc.

· My favorite oxymoron is “value engineering.” This is what happens when the State runs out of money and all of the promises they made regarding aesthetics and other culturally important values get cut. All that’s left is the mega-engineering. This project has a high likelihood of being “value engineered.”

What to do?

There are a handful of historic preservationists who are diligently responding to the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (S-DEIS), but your stories are equally important.

Why do you care about Pioneer Square?

WSDOT and the mayor, SDOT, and the City Council members** need to hear from you. Please write today. Your letter can be as short as “Protect Pioneer Square” or as long as you’d like. Both types of messages are needed.

If you can get your comments in during the public comment period for the SDEIS – that would be great. The deadline of Monday, December 13, 2010 is looming. If this date passes – yet this is the first time you’ve heard about the threat to Pioneer Square – just note that fact in your email.

Want to do more?
Please share this information with other artists, musicians, architects, landscape architects, gallery owners, club owners, theater people, film makers, historic preservationists, etc.

Thanks so very much for your help in getting the word out!
Cheryl dos Remedios
cheryldosremedios@gmail.com

Cheryl dos Remedios is an artist/advocate and member of the Great City Board. Great City has not taken a position on the tunnel.

____________________________________________
* If you are pro-tunnel, I’m betting that the tunnel WSDOT has designed is not what you have in mind. Please engage in this process so that we can get a better design at a lower risk.

** If the link doesn’t work, please cut-and-paste these addresses into your email:
awv2010SDEIScomments@wsdot.wa.gov, peter.hahn@seattle.gov, mike.mcginn@seattle.gov, richard.conlin@seattle.gov, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, tim.burgess@seattle.gov, sally.clark@seattle.gov, jean.godden@seattle.gov, nick.licata@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov

Buildings at Risk:
At least twelve buildings that are located within the Pioneer Square Historic District or listed on the National Register for Historic Places may be damaged during tunnel construction:

1 Yesler Building — 1 Yesler Way
Maritime Building — 911 Western Ave
Federal Building — 900 First Ave
National Building — 1000 Western Ave
Alexis Hotel/ Globe Building — 1001 First Ave
Arlington South/ Beebe Building — 1015 First Ave
Arlington North/ Hotel Cecil — 1015 First Ave
Grand Pacific Hotel — 1115 First Ave
Colonial Hotel — 1123 First Ave
Two Bells Tavern — 2313 Fourth Ave
Fire Station #2 — 2334 Fourth Ave
Seattle Housing Authority — 120 Sixth Ave N.

One additional building that is a Seattle landmark but not listed in the NRHP:
Watermark / Colman Building — 1107 First Ave.

The 2 buildings most likely to experience damage (and be torn down):
Polson Building at 61 Columbia
Western Building at 619 Western

Here’s what the Western Building website has to say:
“The Art Building of Seattle – Celebrating 100 years! More than one hundred artists work from studios in this six story building. 619 Western is one of the largest artist studio enclaves on the west coast if not the world. It has been a workspace for artists since 1979.”

And what does the S-DEIS have to say about the Western Building? “Mitigation measures to protect the building may not prevent the need for demolition to avoid the possibility of collapse.”

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