In the Museum of Rome, a thought leader responds to decaying infrastructure in the provinces to the northwest.
Author: Chuck Wolfe
Charles R. (Chuck) Wolfe, M.R.P., J.D. provides a unique perspective about cities as both a long time writer about urbanism worldwide and an attorney in Seattle, where he focuses on land use and environmental law and permitting. In particular, his work involves the use of sustainable development techniques and innovative land use regulatory tools on behalf of both the private and public sectors. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington, where he teaches land use law at the graduate level. He contributes regularly to several publications including Planetizen, CityLab/The Atlantic Cities, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Grist, seattlepi.com, and Crosscut.com. He blogs at myurbanist.com.
reflections of an edge city
From Seattle, Bellevue’s skyline mirrors in Lake Washington on a January morning.
learning about due diligence and managing redevelopment risk
How to proceed with due diligence for redevelopment during challenging economic times?
Here is a Powerpoint presented on January 7, 2010 in Vail, Colorado at the Law Education Institute/Colorado Bar Association National CLE Conference which outlines basic approaches and issues:
wind power, indigenous culture and another Sound
News from Massachusetts and a proposed wind farm’s impact upon visual access to Nantucket Sound shows the role of the Federal government in balancing energy needs against the rights of two Native American tribes.
The dynamic of “traditional cultural property” consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act is not new, and often occurs with transportation infrastructure (including locally in the context of environmental review for initial light rail link ten years ago).
Nonetheless, Abby Goodnough’s article below summarizes the dilemma in particularly modern terms for the Obama administration: Should Nantucket Sound be listed on the National Register of Historic Places to honor the cultural traditions of “the people of the first light”? If so, what impact would such listing have on an already controversial Cape Wind project?
winter amenity urbanism redux, live from Vail: a walkable, yet fantasy world
Often efforts to reinvigorate commercial centers are theme based, and in the winter resort context, a common goal is to achieve the look and feel of an European alpine village amid expensive condominium residences and retail opportunities. Here, the redevelopment of the Lionshead area of Vail, Colorado provides an almost cartoon setting to a slope-side environment.
How could alternate designs and materials achieve a cohesive sense of place without imposing a fantasy upon the preexisting setting? Is this another instance of the issues first raised in the “nothing can come of nothing” discussion recently reposted from seattlepi.com?
