the quotation for Copenhagen: “What is the use of a [fine] house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

On the way to Copenhagen and current focus on climate change, the familiar Thoreau quotation has been renewed by many. Images can remind us of past relationships of housing, changing modes of transportation and the planet, and provide backdrop for current progressive norms which advocate for a more sustainable future.

In Seattle, housing still graces the path of the cable car that ascended Yesler and ended in Frink Park above Leschi, from 1888 until replaced by buses in 1940:

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Across the world, two Italian images from former donkey trails–now walking paths–show a farmhouse between Monterosso and Vernazza in the Cinque Terre, and an abandoned stone structure on the Sentiero degli dei on the Amalfi Coast. DSC_0126DSC_0059

Going forward, as we adapt transportation and land use patterns to continue goals of emission reduction, can we use these “anachronistic landscapes” (about which J.B. Jackson and others have written) in concert with Seattle’s pending Comprehensive Plan update and companion plans and programs in order to craft a vision of the post-Copenhagen future?

U.S. to unleash millions for streetcar, bus projects to reduce pollution | Oregon Environmental News – – OregonLive.com

Key news reported from light rail utopia, befitting of certain Puget Sound regional visions:

miami update, paradigm shift evolves

Here’s an update on the evolution of Miami 21, discussed in my recent articles in Crosscut and seattlepi.com.

multimodal inspiration (2 hemispheres, 3 countries)

Trams, two wheels and canal-based vehicles…what is missing? At least a pedicab…

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help with learning more about TOD, part 2

The initial myurbanist post on transit oriented development (TOD), highlighted two recently released reports. Here is an additional resource, a Powerpoint summary presented in Olympia about a month ago, which outlines findings after investigation of top barriers to vibrant urban centers and TOD in the University of Washington/Quality Growth Alliance “From Barriers to Solutions and Best Practices” report.

As also noted in the post, the recently released Futurewise/GGLO “Transit Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State”, provides an applied analysis of what makes for successful development around transit stations and general guidance for future legislation.