Village Green: How to Tell if Development Is Good for the Environment

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Monday June 27, 2011 · 7:30 AM PDT

2011/06/27 · 07:30

If you are like most of us, you have wondered whether or not a proposal for new development in your community was a good idea, whether it was environmentally friendly, or whether you should support it. A Citizen’s Guide to LEED for Neighborhood Development is a hands-on introduction that NRDC developed for local environmental groups, smart growth organizations, neighborhood residents and just about anyone interested in making our communities better and greener.

Kaid at NRDC

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Friday April 08, 2011 · 9:26 AM PDT

2011/04/08 · 09:26

Perhaps heralding a new trend toward what social observer Suzie Boss, writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, has called “retailing with heart,” a bakery and restaurant has begun offering its wares for whatever prices customers are willing to pay. And, yes, that includes nothing at all if that’s what they can afford. While the establishment indicates suggested values for its products and meals, it does not insist upon collecting on them.

Kaid at NRDC

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Friday April 01, 2011 · 9:06 AM PDT

2011/04/01 · 09:06

WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2011 -- In an initiative apparently designed to win environmentally minded voters to GOP ranks, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner is today introducing a bill to stem the spread of suburban sprawl and conserve rural lands. “A conservative is first and foremost someone who conserves,” said the Speaker in a statement. “President Nixon recognized this forty years ago, and it is time to reclaim his legacy to protect this great land.”

Kaid at NRDC

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Thursday March 31, 2011 · 7:05 AM PDT

2011/03/31 · 07:05

If you are interested in the revival of walkable in-town neighborhoods, Cherokee Street in St. Louis is one to watch. I love the brief “description” of Cherokee Street on the community’s Facebook page:

“Have you seen the future of Cherokee? What did it look like? Did you see an entertainment district? An Arts district? A Green district? Did you see more residences on the street? More trees? What kind of businesses do you see?”

Kaid at NRDC

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Thursday March 10, 2011 · 8:54 AM PST

2011/03/10 · 08:54

A new, peer-reviewed analysis performed by the staff of Jonathan Rose Companies, with assistance from the federal EPA, shows the power of a superior location in substantially reducing a household’s environmental footprint. In fact, it shows this is so whether the housing type is a single-family home, townhome, or multi-family building. In particular, a comparison based on national averages indicates that the energy consumption (and, thus, global warming emissions) of a typical household in a transit-oriented location is likely to be less than that of a household in a conventional suburban location (i.e., “sprawl”), even if the household in a conventional suburban location employs energy-efficient building technology and drives fuel-efficient vehicles.

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Village Green: The wonderful world of neighborhood associations

Kaid at NRDC

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Wednesday March 02, 2011 · 5:58 AM PST

2011/03/02 · 05:58

I really shouldn’t get started and, if this post weren’t leading to such a wildly amusing place, I wouldn’t. Neighborhood associations do some wonderful things in distressed communities, pursuing economic development and other progressive neighborhood improvements. But, in more affluent locations, as far as I can tell they exist mainly to stand in the way of any evolutionary change, no matter how incremental or benign.

Take the case of the Hillbrook – Tall Oaks Civic Association, representing 266 homes in the northern Virginia suburb of Annandale, which spent several years fighting the addition of 7,000 square feet and 44 – yes, 44 – students to the Montessori School pictured below.

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Village Green: Libraries as Green Community Anchors

Kaid at NRDC

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Monday February 14, 2011 · 8:30 AM PST

2011/02/14 · 08:30

Sometime a very long time ago, when I was still new at this smart growth stuff, I remember hearing a planner from Portland recount two principles that had guided one of that city’s famous land use plans: every neighborhood should have a view of Mount Hood, the famous peak not far from the city; and every neighborhood should have a library its residents could walk to. I’ve never been able to locate a planning document that actually says that, but it has stayed with me as a terrific example of thinking about land use in a way that regular people can relate to.

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How recently have you visited a public library?

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How recently have you visited a public library?

within a week

16 votes

within a month

6 votes

within 6 months

4 votes

within a year

1 vote

longer

1 vote

Village Green: 10 reasons why I almost never watch the State of the Union

Kaid at NRDC

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Monday January 24, 2011 · 6:29 AM PST

2011/01/24 · 06:29

There is very little chance that I will be watching the State of the Union address this week. For my top 10 reasons why not, read on.

Kaid at NRDC

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Wednesday January 12, 2011 · 6:22 AM PST

2011/01/12 · 06:22

To creative-class types who inhabit trendy east and west coast cities and a few mid-country oases like Austin and Boulder, sleepy Paducah, Kentucky (population estimated 25,720 in 2009) might seem an unlikely location for a major revitalization effort being driven by artists. But even irony-laden urbanites would be soon impressed by what is becoming a national model for "creative placemaking," to borrow a phrase from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Mayors’ Institute on Community Design.

Kaid at NRDC

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Friday January 07, 2011 · 6:15 AM PST

2011/01/07 · 06:15

Many people who live in places undergoing change, and that includes most all of us, are fearful of what those changes may bring, even (some would say especially) if those changes are labeled as “smart growth.” I find this immensely understandable, particularly given some of the changes that we have witnessed in our built environment over the past few decades.

Kaid at NRDC

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Tuesday December 28, 2010 · 9:25 AM PST

2010/12/28 · 09:25

I love writing my NRDC blog and DailyKos diary; if I could do only this for a living, I probably would. I like that it makes me pay attention to what’s going on in my professional world, encourages me to think about the implications, introduces me to fellow travelers, and allows the all-too-rare satisfaction (in the policy world, at least) of having a work product completed and published almost every day.

I like all my posts, but some especially: there are occasions when I have more time or inspiration than I usually do.

[Published concurrently on DailyKos and NRDC’s Switchboard.]

Kaid at NRDC

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday December 21, 2010 · 6:27 AM PST

2010/12/21 · 06:27

It is impossible to have a great community without great public spaces - appealing and accommodating streets, sidewalks, parks, storefronts, plazas, accessible cafes, and so on. These are the essence of what many designers call "the public realm," to contrast with the realm of privately owned and secured homes, yards, and private office buildings. People love communities from Paris to Santa Monica precisely because their public spaces are so enticing.

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Village Green: How to Tell if Development Is Good for the Environment

Village Green: New Retail Model Promotes Equity

Village Green: House leaders surprise with national land use bill

Village Green: The emerging rebirth of Cherokee Street, St. Louis

Village Green: Green Living Isn't Very Green In the Wrong Place

Village Green: The wonderful world of neighborhood associations

Village Green: Libraries as Green Community Anchors

Village Green: 10 reasons why I almost never watch the State of the Union

Village Green: Arts-driven revitalization in Kentucky

Village Green: The messy issue of design in smart urbanism

Village Green: My Favorite Blog Entries of 2010

Village Green: Great public spaces make great holiday places