<DrumBeat: October 8, 2006 The Oil Drum DrumBeat: October 9, 2006>

83 comments on "Downtown Revitalization Rules"

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unplanner on October 8, 2006 - 3:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
As a planner I saw this line of thinking all the time, especially in Auto-centric central California.  Most of our decisions revolved around accomodating the automobile.  Now I am planner in somewhat more progressive Northern California and automobile-based planning still weighs on our decision.

But really this is expectations problem.  We (with limited exceptions) expect that we can continue to keep doing as we always have with perhaps cosmetic adjustments.

Like substituting ethanol for gasoline.

We EXPECT that just because we drove in the past and can drive today that we will continue to drive in the future.  Any other planning assumptions cannot reconciled with.  Even some of those that get that petro-fuel based transportation system is not sustainable cannot connect the dots so to speak into land use decision making.

I have come to the conclusion that we wont change until we literally run out of gas. Then the masses might just wake up.  

Hopefully anyway.

At the very least we wont worry about parking regulations when half the stores are closed and 90% can't afford or get gasoline.

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obdacher on October 8, 2006 - 3:48pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I have to agree. At the local level often the best possible compromise is to keep future options open. Like not building on disused railway tracks - if it has to be converting the right of way into recreational cycle paths , or like planning short cuts only for pedestrians...
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Rajiv on October 8, 2006 - 4:29pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I am really happy to see you get back into the Planner's role. Which part of Northern California are you now in?
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Rajiv on October 8, 2006 - 4:34pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Also, are you going to start writing on your blog soon?
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mbkennel on October 8, 2006 - 6:09pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
We EXPECT that just because we drove in the past and can drive today that we will continue to drive in the future.  Any other planning assumptions cannot reconciled with.  Even some of those that get that petro-fuel based transportation system is not sustainable cannot connect the dots so to speak into land use decision making.

I have come to the conclusion that we wont change until we literally run out of gas. Then the masses might just wake up.  

Before gasoline people still had personal transportion vehicles and they needed parking.  There happened to be a bunch of shit in the parking spaces too.

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radlafari on October 9, 2006 - 3:46am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Absolutely correct. Must have been dreadful. In NY alone thousands of deaths were attributed to the spread of infectional diseases by flies around 1900.
When electric trams where installed (don't know about NY exactly, more generally spoken) and less horses were around it was a benefit.
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83 comments on "Downtown Revitalization Rules"

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