[SustainableTompkins] bike to work

[GayNicholson at aol.com]

A good way to get started on increasing density is with in-fill projects  and 
redevelopment of low-density, one-story retail into 3-4 story mixed use  
buildings.  There are many opportunities to do this on State Street for  example.  
But we need to combine this will changing zoning and building  codes to allow 
this type of development.  Then we need to connect that to  changing the 
parking requirements for buildings.  If we had good public  transit available, we 
could build apartments over retail/commercial spaces and  more fully utilize 
the land for people and urban permaculture instead of parking  lots.  Connect 
Ithaca's vision is for exactly this kind of  redevelopment.  And that is why 
they are hosting the international podcar  conference here in Ithaca in 
September.  We need a more user-friendly  public transit system in order to attract 
people into downtown life without a  car.  We also need land use policy that 
makes it difficult to add to rural  sprawl.  Don't follow the Lansing model of 
growth!
 
Gay
 
 
In a message dated 5/8/2008 9:38:37 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
andrejs at ozolins.com writes:

Andy  Goodell wrote:
> ...
> Short of everyone renting out their space  to more people or subdividing 
their land to allow for more density, how do you  envision increasing density 
being any better? 
I think these matters really  would be a good first order of business, if 
we're to look for a way out of  this mess. The situation is serious 
enough to warrant a reexamination of  all the premises of our current 
culture. What, exactly, would be wrong  with everyone renting out their 
space to more people? Or subdividing land?  As for how increased density 
would be any better, George has sketched  enough of it to get my attention.


> The towns and cities have  been built, and they could have been built 
better, but I don't see an easy way  to change that now.

Probably there is a way to change it now -- are we  actually waiting for 
an *easy* way to do it? But even without changing  what's built, at least 
we could stop building more of the  same.

Andrejs
_______________________________________________



 
----------------------------------------------------
Gay  Nicholson, Ph.D. 

607-533-7312 (home office)
607-279-6618  (cell)

1 Maple Avenue
Lansing, NY  14882
gaynicholson at aol.com

Sustainable Tompkins 
Program  Coordinator 
w_ww.sustainabletompkins.org_ (http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/) 

Southern Tier Energy$mart Communities
Regional  Coordinator
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
615 Willow  Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850
agn1 at cornell.edu




**************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family 
favorites at AOL Food.      
(http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)