From the category archives:

Urbanism

Where Are My Discounted Urban Mortgages?

December 16, 2010

I believe that mortgages should be biased toward homes in urban areas. This is not simply because such a bias would offer a positive response to global warming or the growing crises sparked by our energy gluttony (though its effect in those areas couldn’t hurt). Nor is it driven solely by my own love for [...]

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Energy Consumption: Home vs. Transportation

October 29, 2010

There are many appeals to living in a Postgreen home. Some like them for the modern look, some for the increased comfort of a home that has no drafts or spots of significantly varying temperatures, some for the extremely clean air, and many for the very low utility and water bills. It is that last [...]

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Land Ethics- An Idea of the Past or a Solution for the Future?

November 2, 2009

Yvette, as many of you know by know, is interning with us. This is her second post (catch up with the first). Read it and grace her with some of your expertise and ideas in the comments. With every year that passes it seems like more rich farmland is being converted into sprawling residential developments [...]

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Suburban Sprawl to Smart Growth – Shifting the American Dream

October 8, 2009

Yvette is interning with us this fall and will be writing regularly on planning issues. We ask our regular readers to reward her with their expertise and opinions in the comments. A McMansion, three cars, and spacious back yard in the suburbs, is this the American Dream or the American suburban sprawl nightmare? Suburban sprawl [...]

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Isolation and the Deterioration of Socialization . . . Oh My

September 23, 2009

We have talked before about how the home (particularly a large, suburban one) can become a tool of isolation, but since I can’t get enough of a good thing . . . As we continue to fill our homes with amenities previously only available in public spaces, we increase our separation from our community. Movie [...]

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Cars and the City – Safety

May 4, 2009

I was reading a report from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) this morning. The goal of this report was to identify the causes of pedestrian roadway fatalities in hopes of reducing their number. This is not the best way to stay awake in the morning, particularly during an office-wide shortage of hot coffee, [...]

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