Examining New Urbanism...Intensity of Use

Intensity of Use

Intensity of use refers to the overall density of the development, specifically as to how the development utilizes the land. The empirical measurement of density for housing developments is expressed as housing units per acre of land. While the use of the empirical measurement of density will be important to our study, there are design factors that will need to be addressed when determining the sustainable qualities of the density of the four developments.

The siting of uses and their proximity to one another is one of the qualities that we will explore when assessing the intensity of use within each development. For analytical purposes two qualities have been identified when determining density within developments. The normative qualities associated with the intensity of use within the developments are whether or not the developments have been planned to be compact and consolidated in order to promote sustainability.

A compact and consolidated development promotes sustainability on multiple levels while addressing the three factors discussed earlier. Providing a compact and consolidated development encourages a higher level of social interaction between the residents and users of the development. Suburban sprawl actually deters social interaction between residents by siting residences on larger plots of land and lowering the overall density of a neighborhood.

Sprawl promotes this lower density due to the fact that individualism is the over-riding principle behind typical suburban development. A high-density development encourages and embraces the notion of civic pride; in that the uses are located within close proximity to each other and the residents feel that they not only live in the development but they are an integral part of the neighborhood and the overall development.

From an environmental standpoint, a compact and consolidated development consumes less land for the overall development and therefore reduces the negative impacts associated with sprawling development. This reduction of negative impacts is attributed to the encouragement of pedestrian forms of transportation in order to access portions of the development.

A truly sustainable higher-density development reduces the dependence on private automobile use thereby reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with automobile use. Suburban sprawl encourages the use of the private automobile through the implementation of low-density designs that separate uses and increase the distance required to travel in order to utilize different facilities.

This emphasis on individualism can be directly attributed to the ideals that capitalism was based upon, private ownership and individual freedoms. While these freedoms are essential for a capitalist economic system, it detracts from the democratic ideals of equality and civic pride.

Sustainable developments encourage economic diversity by providing a compact use of the land that reduces the cost of purchasing or renting a residence due to the fact that more residences may be located on a smaller amount of land.

The heart is the chief feature of a functioning mind. -Frank Lloyd Wright

Earth day is upon us...

Well, today is the 39th Earth Day.

I find it a bit perplexing that as members of the world-wide ecological community, we require a single day to be set aside to celebrate the planet we live on.

And honestly, with what we have done to this planet I not sure we should be celebrating, but instead begging forgiveness and seeking penance.

So before anyone gets into a tizzy regarding whether or not global warming really exists; or whether or not owning 4 cars in a 2 driver household really contributes to sprawl; or whether or not the trickle-down theory is really the most democratic economic system; or whether or not our development choices have really led to an alarmingly high child obesity rate; or whether or not our use of coal-burning power plants in the Ohio valley has really poisoned every body of freshwater in the Northeast with mercury; or whether or not developing nations really allow rampant deforestation in the name of hyper-capitalism masked as progress; or whether or not our hyper-capitalist driven land-use choices have really destroyed important wetland ecosystems whose function is to protect low-lying areas from flooding; or whether or not our government has really allowed hyper-capitalist auto manufacturers to convince us that an efficient, low-emissions internal combustion engine is not feasible; or whether or not our nation really has the largest privately funded rail network in the world yet we can't seem to implement a reliable high-speed rail network; or whether or not in our democratic and just society that our health care system is really ranked 38th in the world just ahead of Slovenia and Cuba; or whether or not we really allow hyper-capitalists to bulldoze the mountains of West Virginia in search of cheap coal; or whether or not we really celebrate the automobile so much that when a developer actually installs sidewalks or a trail system they want a commendation from the Sierra Club; or whether or not allowing National Home Builders to mass grade, change designated land-uses and leverage their projects based solely on speculation informed by reports that their own lobbyists generate has really contributed to the crash of the housing market; or whether or not hyper-capitalist driven greed has really fueled the subprime lending market in which housewives-turned-mortgage brokers fleece unsuspecting, uninformed homebuyers into products that they could never afford; or whether or not the lack of congressional oversight is really the true culprit behind many of the misdealings of the financial crisis; or whether or not relying on the guise of religion and freedom is really a just means to slaughter innocent people with roadside bombs, dirty bombs, hazardous chemicals, conventional weapons, plutonium-enriched shells or any other means of destruction; or whether or not globalization has really led to the exportation of American-style hyper-capitalism resulting in the further socio-economic stratification of developing nations; or whether or not our coastal development choices have really placed cities, towns and residents in danger of catastrophic weather events; or whether or not saving 10-cents a month on your electricity bill really means you are living a sustainable lifestyle; or whether or not greenwashing your development project with a certified "green" checklist is really a step in the right direction for facilitating a system-wide paradigm shift; or whether or not protesting taxes when nation's survival is at stake as opposed to protesting deficit spending to invade sovereign nations based on lies is really justifiable; or whether or not the United States really has over 1,300 endangered species of plants and animals yet we continue to plan to exploit wildlife refuges for hyper-capitalist gains; I would like to remind everyone of one thing.

Everything is connected to everything else.

If there is one phrase which should become part of the American lexicon, that is it.

The sooner we accept that our actions affect the larger eco-community and that in order for our species to survive we must change our habits, the sooner we can begin celebrating Earth Day everyday of the year.

The universe is wider than our views of it. -Henry David Thoreau

Shades of gray...

So they question remains, how do we facilitate the necessary paradigm shift towards a more sustainable homebuilding model?

This task is much more difficult than one can imagine. In order to demonstrate just how murky the waters truly are, we need to examine one of the organizations whose entire purpose is to defend national builders and their hyper-capitalist ways. This is none other than the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Just to give you an idea as to exactly what this organization is about, the "NAHB strives to create an environment in which...Housing and those who provide it are recognized as the strength of the nation." Unless you've been living in a cave for the past three years, we all know how this vision has panned out for our nation!

Regardless, the NAHB is making an effort to embrace and promote "Green Building Practices". However, if we take a closer look at this effort we will quickly discover yet another greenwashing smokescreen intended to distract us from the real issues.

(You didn't really think that I would simply point out the NAHB's efforts without immediately proceeding to systematically dissect its true intentions, did you?!?!)

Let us begin with the NAHB's "Green Home Building Guidelines", which is structured somewhat like the LEED rating system. The NAHB's system allocates points for green building "line items", resulting in a gold, silver or bronze rating.

Points for site selection, site design, building materials and so on comprise the overall strategies to achieve a "green" community. But, if we take a closer look at their overall "green" goals, we quickly discover how they truly feel about the movement;

It should be noted that although many green building programs have been in existence for 10 years of more, the concept and practice of green building is not clearly defined and straightforward. Many gray areas remain in identifying and quantifying the precise environmental impact for each particular line item. (NAHB, Model Green Home Building Guidelines.)

Huh, that's funny because as we have come to learn, everything is connected to everything else. That seems like a pretty straightforward concept, but then again it could be construed as a gray area. I mean, does everything include stuff that we haven't invented or produced yet? And does it include thoughts or electrical impulses?

I've changed my mind; it is pretty gray.

Let's look at it another way. How about the view that sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland, 1987.)

That doesn't help at all. For instance, what if scientists invent a way to solve all of the world's pollution problems in the future?!?! If that were to happen, then anything we do now won't really hinder the ability of future generations!

Yup, pretty gray.

How about if we look at the very first criteria for site selection; "Avoid environmentally sensitive areas". One could state with some certainty that this would include wetland areas.

Ahh, we remember wetlands don't we? Those diverse ecological communities which perform a variety of functions from cleaning water to providing protection from flooding.

But hold the phone, we may have discovered a gray area.

The NAHB, in all its infinite wisdom is quick to point out that "wetlands are a controversial issue for builders and federal agencies." Furthermore, they are quick to point out that wetland degradation and loss is a "common misconception". In fact, they feel that there has been "no net loss" of wetlands in our nation recently.

Well, those smoke-screening scientists over at the pesky EPA would probably like to step-up to the microphone to refute that statement by saying, "Huh?".

For instance, in Louisiana alone "every thirty minutes, an area of coastal land the size of a football field vanishes. Since the 1930s, more than 1.2 million acres (1,900 square miles), an area the size of Delaware, has disappeared from the Mississippi River Delta."

Yup, so very gray.

Perhaps the NAHB neglected to read the entire memo concerning the federal government's policies on wetlands. If they had read past the first two lines, they would have learned that both President Bushes wanted to implement a regulatory policy which accounted for no net loss of wetlands.

Oops. Missed that one.

A builder can still apply for a permit to "fill" a portion of a wetlands and either construct or "mitigate" their impact somewhere else on their site. Or they can even mitigate that impact to somewhere that is not even in the same area as their site!!!

In an effort to return to our original point, how do we expect the new homebuilding giant Pulex to embrace the concepts of sustainability and "green" building if the organization who supports them doesn't even wholeheartedly believe in these concepts?!?!

Well, in a democratic society operating under an capitalist economic system, We the People are the ones who possess the power to instigate change. That change must come from the consumer who demands nothing less than a truly "green" and sustainable product from organizations who are truly concerned with the impacts they are making on our society.

Remember, yes we can.

Are we not the whores of big business, selling our product for their commercial lust? -Arthur Erickson

Monopolizing sprawl....

During these difficult times for national builders, a feel-good story emerges from the organizations who gave us the concepts of fortified, age-restricted sprawling communities; McMansions and builder-based financing. In case you haven't heard, Pulte Homes is in the process of acquiring Centex. This will create the largest national home builder in the country (and most likely the world).

Hyper-capitalists everywhere are rejoicing!!! Perhaps we can continue to treat the land as a commodity and resume consuming it at an alarming rate!!!

Don't fire-up the mass-grading bandwagon just yet...I think I have some bad news for this sprawling mega-builder.

Perhaps the CEOs of the housing industry were too busy traversing the country in their private planes over the last few weeks to take notice of something that the new administration is fairly keen on...fixing failed business models.

I think that Rick Wagoner, the now former CEO of General Motors could give the new Pulex (which is a new company name that I freely offer the new mega-sprawler) some advice on revising their business plan.

Rick may begin by telling the building giant to steer clear of the "free-money-for-failed-hyper-capitalists" programs that the federal government has been funding over the past few months. That piece of advice would certainly be preceded by the caveat, things just ain't what they used to be.

Here's the real point; the housing industry needs to rethink their hyper-capitalist driven business models if they plan to survive.

This merger will not spur another housing boom. Sorry to burst the bubble before it even inflates, but if we think back about a year and a half, we should be able to remember that it was the national builders and the lending industry which started this economic downturn.

Here's another bubble-flattener; the new administration will not allow the widespread destruction of the American landscape in the name of hyper-capitalism. In fact, not since the 19th century has the federal government made a significant effort to fund and encourage public transportation projects.

What options does this leave our new friend Pulex? How about the opportunity to become the very first sustainable and equitable national home builder in the world.

Granted, the true meaning and practice sustainability and equity are foreign concepts to these folks. But let us imagine for a moment, a national homebuilder that creates truly sustainable site plans, encourages public transportation projects which connect their communities to urban cores, builds communities which encourage healthy living and social interaction and offer a diverse mix of housing types that people from every socio-economic status could afford.

Sounds nice, doesn't it. I'm certain that some hyper-capitalists are decrying the idea of such sustainable and equitable communities. They are most likely pulling out their latest mud-slinging terms; socialism, communists and the dreaded liberal.

But alas, I have some disturbing news for our hyper-capitalist brethren...these types of communities only embody one true political ideal; democracy.

Ahh yes, a concept which has become so clouded that a majority of people in this country don't even remember what it means. But let us remember that this great nation was founded (in theory at least) on the concepts of equality, fairness and opportunity.

These just happen to be the same ideals which drive the concept of creating equitable and sustainable communities. The time has come for a new approach to development in this nation, and Pulex has the incredible opportunity to lead that charge.

The question is, will they?

Instead of noblemen, let us have noble villages of men. -Henry David Thoreau

Greenwashing...

Hope.

If you haven't already heard that word expressed a thousand times since November, you're about to experience an unprecedented use of the word.

Yes we can.

A catchy little phrase coined by the first minority elected to the highest office of our nation; ironically also a phrase used by advertisers during one of the NFL Championship games on January 18th (and regardless of which hyper-capitalist entity used this phrase, it's disturbing just the same).

This week will certainly become one of the definitive milestones of America's cultural and social history, but there is a deep seeded problem that can derail progress. Americans expect too much and are unwilling to change their fundamental beliefs in order to facilitate progress and change. All the hope in the world will not change the decisions which are made that are based upon Hyper-Capitalist ideals.

In the Mississippi Delta region, such blindsided hope is preventing our nation from actually correcting many of the planning and development choices made prior to Katrina. President-elect Obama provides hope, but he can not fix everything on his own.

Along the same lines, a riverfront re-development project is beginning to take shape in New Orleans; but as we mentioned previously, the city has no comprehensive plan to adequately address the issues that led to the social, cultural, environmental and economic destruction left in the wake of Katrina.

"Stop raining on the parade!"

"Stop being such a Pollyanna!"

These may be the cries coming from the back of the auditorium, but if we are to hope I ask this question; why not hope for a leader who motivates people to develop equitable and sustainable goals and then implement those goals?

Now, this is not to say that there are not people and groups out there contributing to our equitable and sustainable future (fighting the "good fight", so to speak), but as we have mentioned, our future as a society, culture and community requires a systematic paradigm shift. And the only way to facilitate that shift is to include our national community's consumption habits in that shift.

Hope.

Yes we can.

As the title of this post suggests, I was originally going to simply discuss greenwashing and its lasting effect on our culture and society. However, we will begin that discussion another day and we will see how yet again, everything is connected to everything else.

"It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. Well, let our folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy!" -The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

Hyper-capitalism continued...

One of the main precepts of capitalism is to promote the interest of only one’s self, and to accumulate as much wealth as possible in order to raise one’s standard of living. The theory of “supply-side” economics has helped to further these ideals and to create an unequal distribution of wealth within the United States. Supply-side economics, also known as the “trickle-down theory”, is based on the assumption that a small percent of the population actually controls or possesses a majority of the wealth and that through the free-market system, each member of the economic community has an opportunity to obtain some of the wealth as well. This system, in theory, would reward the most resourceful and ambitious with the opportunity to accumulate as much of the available wealth as possible.

This was the basic economic policy of the Reagan and Bush (Sr.) administrations through the 1980s and into the early 1990s. ““Supply-side economics” that would make the rich richer in the hope that some of it would trickle down to the poorer…has proven disastrous for the welfare of the great majority, as not only the unskilled and semiskilled, the sick, the unemployed, and the destitute, but even our farmers and a great number of small business owners discovered [in the 1980s.]”The embracing of supply-side economics throughout the 1980s helped to create the largest gap between the wealthy and the poor in any industrialized nation. “According to a 1998 report by the Census Bureau, the upper fifth of income earners in the United States took home almost one-half of the total income on our country (49.3 percent), whereas the lowest fifth a measly 3.6 percent – a gap between the rich and the poor twice as large as in Germany and three times as large as in Japan.”Social and economic inequalities are a direct result from the uneven distribution of wealth that occurs in a supply-side economic system.

Even with the gap endlessly widening between the wealthiest and poorest citizens of our country, consumers from all segments of the population still manage to spend more on goods and services than in any other industrialized nation. The importance of consuming goods to the capitalist system creates a number of scenarios in which environmental degradation may occur. This has created a new breed of capitalism that can be labeled as hyper-capitalism.

“The national purpose of the United States, from the very beginning, has been to let everyone make as much money as he possibly can. If they found oil under St. Patrick’s Cathedral, they would put a derrick smack in the center of the nave, and nobody would give the matter a second thought.” -Acquaintance of Peter Blake, unknown, as quoted in God’s Own Junkyard

On capitalism and democracy

Prior to the presentation of the various definitions of the terms used here regularly, here are a few thoughts on capitalism and democracy...

There are no provisions or caveats in the constitution that state wealth should be equally distributed throughout the nation. Additionally, the framework set by the founders does not guarantee financial success or even security; however, the main motivation behind the establishment of the nation was to avoid paying taxes.

On the other hand, we can state that the consensus is that being poor is a bad thing for anyone. Yet, competition, as defined by the precepts of capitalism (especially hyper-capitalism) precludes us from actually taking action in redistributing our “hard earned dollars” to the less fortunate. If we look at a democratic society, which we are (as opposed to a capitalist society – which does not exist by definition), the hoarding of wealth and the exclusion of people based solely on their economic status is an undemocratic practice and goes against the moral and sociological intentions of the constitution and the intentions of the founders.

“The first man, who after enclosing a piece of ground, took it into his head to say, this is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. How many crimes, how many wars, how many murders, how many misfortunes and horrors, would that man have saved the human species, who pulling up the stakes or filling up the ditches should have cried to his fellows: Beware of listening to this imposter; you are lost, if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong equally to us all, and the earth itself to nobody!” (Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality)

Just the facts...

Election day is less than a fortnight away and the race, which has been seemingly going on forever, is quite close. Here aresome of the facts that I would like to present to you, the readers, to demonstrate which candidate has a clear vision and action plan regarding issues that we are dealing with in our daily battle to further the cause of sustainability and environmental justice.

(Note: These policies and viewpoints are quoted directly from the candidate's websites.)

Obama:

Build More Livable and Sustainable Communities:

• Reform Federal Transportation Funding
• will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account
• re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country

Restore the Wetlands:

• preserving our wetlands and supports a broad range of traditional conservation programs including the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Wetland Reserve Program in the Farm Bill
• will work with local governments to develop the best strategies for protecting and expanding wetlands
• protecting wetlands dates back to his days as a state senator, when he was a cosponsor of the Wetlands Protection Act in Illinois
• will help the Gulf Coast restore the wetlands, marshes and barrier islands that are critical to tamping down the force of hurricanes and serve as critical fish and wildlife habitat

Strengthen Federal Environmental Justice Programs:

• will make environmental justice policies a priority within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• will work to strengthen the EPA Office of Environmental Justice and expand the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
• will work to provide low-income communities the legal ability to challenge policies and processes that adversely affect the environmental health of low-income and minority communities

Build Healthy Communities:

How a community is designed – including the layout of its roads, buildings and parks – has a huge impact on the health of its residents. For instance, nearly one-third of Americans live in neighborhoods without sidewalks and less than half of our country’s children have a playground within walking distance of their homes. This lack of a safe place to walk and play is a major contributor to the growing numbers of overweight children. Barack Obama introduced the Healthy Places Act to help local governments assess the health impact of new policies and projects, like highways or shopping centers. Once the health impact is determined, the bill gives grant funding and technical assistance to help address potential health problems.

McCain:

Wetlands

• we must develop water resource policies that will protect these important natural assets for the benefit of all
• employing long-term science-based strategies that properly manage strained freshwater resources
• promote polices that will preserve sensitive areas like the Everglades and the Louisiana coastal marshes

Open Space

• Economic development is essential to a strong American economy
• promote responsible growth and encourage state and local officials to implement open space initiatives and establish green corridors within our communities
• will require strengthening federal tools like Land and Water Conservation Fund that emphasizes recreation and the protection of wildlife areas

Yes folks, that's all that Senator McCain talks about in his vision for creating a more sustainable and equitable America. As you can clearly see, McCain's policies are still founded on hyper-capitalist ideals that work against the ideals of sustainability and environmental justice. One of the most important paragraphs in this entry is Obama's views on Building Healthy Communities. Notice in the very first sentence he talks about design.

Can we honestly say that there has been a major political candidate in the past 30-years that has even uttered the word design in reference to the faceless, hyper-capitalist driven sprawl model which America has embraced for so long?

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts." -Abraham Lincoln

The end of hyper-capitalism

The Washington Post is currently reporting that the current financial crisis is the end of "American-style Capitalism"

Proponents of sustainability, specifically those of us who have been theorizing about the link between capitalism and sustainability, have known for some time that the United States has been operating under an economic system that is itself unsustainable. Not surprisingly, the right side of the political spectrum often labels those of us who have warned about over-consumption, corporate greed and the dire need for equity throughout the nation, as "socialists", "communists" or "liberals".

Regardless, it has become glaringly apparent that hyper-capitalism (which is the most appropriate label that we can give to our current economic system which has been encouraging unchecked consumption, greed and disparity to an alarming, unsustainable levels) has finally run its course.

This does not necessarily indicate, however, that we are shifting back to an agrarian, trade-based economy or that we are simply going to abandon over one hundred years of economic evolution simply because the greedy have begun to panic as they can see the end of their selfish, consumptionist lifestyles. We will most likely return to a normal, somewhat sustainable and manageable form of capitalism.

Rhetoric reminds us that "from the ashes a phoenix shall rise", and the current economic crisis is no different than the opportunities which we are presented with following a catastrophic natural disaster. Our return to a normalized capitalist system is a golden opportunity for America to instill an equitable and more sustainable approach to our national lifestyle.

We have seen evidence of the influence that hyper-capitalism has imposed on our nation's social, cultural and environmental planning and development choices. There is no better example of this influence than the inequity that had been fostered in the City of New Orleans for decades, and was placed on international display in the days, weeks, months and years that have followed since Katrina.

The time has come for a new breed of capitalism, one that instills social, economic and ecological equity into our developmental and planning choices (keep in mind that the onset of this downfall can be directly linked to the greed of the mortgage industry and the housing industry).

Sustainability, sustainable development and environmental justice are the concepts that must drive our new brand of American capitalism. A brand that highlights, celebrates and fosters these concepts so that we may live in a truly democratic society.