September 2011
How to Finance the Sustainable Urban Village
Sep 1st
Drew Tulchin
A key foundation to building the sustainable urban village we all want (in whatever form that is for you) is to ensure there is capital – money – to finance the creation/construction efforts, as well as sustainable institutions to hold money for the urban village. This article details the financial institutions, methods, and mechanisms that already exist today that are helpful to all of us, and where to learn more about these efforts. The future can be now. [Please note that mention of any financial institution or product is not an endorsement or recommendation. One should always do their More >
St. Michael’s Boulevard Design / Redevelopment Project
Sep 1st
Sergio Yamada
The city of Santa Fe invited seven urban design firms to participate in a competition to envision a future for St. Michaels Boulevard. The extent of the proposed redevelopment goes from Cerrillos Rd. to St. Francis Dr. and includes roadway, transit and land use design.
Our project was guided by the design criteria and the city planner’s vision for the boulevard. DPS’ plan transforms St. Michael’s Drive into two one-way roads with an arts district that supports new retail and housing along both sides of the street. The area in the middle of St. Michael’s becomes the Paseo de las More >
Commons Vignettes, or 144 Reasons To Live in Community
Sep 1st
Compiled by Ken Hughes
I wish so much for the transformation of St. Michaels Drive. As a planner I often think of the physical side and how important it is to get it right. Yet all too often the social side makes or breaks a community, a neighborhood, a place. Having the great good fortune to spend the last two decades planning, building and living in the Commons on the Alameda co-housing community, I get to experience the benefits of both a quality physical and social setting. What might that mean? Here are 144 answers from many of my 81 “commoners.”
- Water More >
Envisioning a Sustainable Urban Village- a Puzzle of 1000 Pieces
Sep 1st
Brian Skeele, Guest Associate Editor
Some 35 years ago, in college, my eyes opened to the probabilities of a social, economic and ecological train wreck that lay at the end of the line of our unsustainable, car-dominated sprawl lifestyle. Ever since, I’ve been on a quest for the antidote. What else can we do besides suburbia? How do we enjoy a quality lifestyle while living lightly on the planet? Maybe Sustainable Neighborhoods are the new American Dream. How do we make sustainable real?
I’ve come to call the antidote “Sustainable Urban Villages” (SUVs) – Mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods with lifelong learning and open More >
A “Think and Do Tank” to Fan the Embers of the Emerging Sustainable Economy
Sep 1st
The times call for an atmosphere that is conducive to economic innovation. How can we work together to create a thriving local/regional, resilient, innovative, sustainable economy?
Several months ago, a diverse group met in Santa Fe to brainstorm a “Think and Do Tank,” an interdisciplinary, affordable, innovation/fabrication lab to support turning creative, social, economic and ecological ideas into real jobs. This will require tinkering, rapid prototyping, testing and bringing to market sustainable, beneficial tools, processes and products.
Here are some more of the ideas and functions we identified for the Think and Do Tank:
- Connects idea generators to folks looking for purposeful endeavors
- An Idea More >
In the Green Fire Times we spotlight initiatives that create positive social impacts on climate change, energy independence, and green job development...
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