February 13, 2007
Managing Discontent
The StreetsBlog notes that the tide of popular opinion may be turning against mayor Delanoë's policies mentioned previously.
It quotes a few articles that have picked up that Parisians' discontent with the changes are starting to let their elected officials know, starting with the mayor.
One of the questions that interests me the most right now is how should we organize decision-making in a context where necessary but unpopular reforms need to take place. In this particular case, most citizens understand the need for change, and started out very supportive of Mr. Delanoë's plan.
Naturally, it will be unpopular for the current population to bear the inconvenience and cost of transitional change, even if clear future benefits are apparent to most. It's also clear enough why politicans would be weary to take on such projects. So what do we need to do? Is the answer simply to elect more courageous politicans, or do we need to find a way to insulate them from the whims of the electorate? Is that why we have bureaucracies?
Posted by jessehudson at 09:39 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
February 11, 2007
Federal Push on Congestion Pricing
The Christian Science Monitor reports that Bush's proposed 2008 Budget offers $305 million to cities and states to come up with ways to charge drivers for traveling at peak traffic.
Already succesful in London and Singapore, this sort of congestion pricing has had a hard time getting traction here in the US, even though some cities and states have expressed interest in the idea. This is a textbook example of the type of issue where leadership needs to come from the top. As it stands now, no mayor or governor can seriously embark on this experiment without some federal backing, the political cost would just be too overwhelming. I get the feelings that many cities, including San Francisco, would like to enact some kind of congestion pricing policy, but is waiting on Washington to provide some cover for the effort. This could be it.
I hope that on this topic, the democrats will work with Bush to make something happen.
Link via Planetizen.
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February 08, 2007
Sprawl and Obesity in the Media
With the obesity epidemic finally getting the kind fo press attention it deserves, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised at just how much people are talking about the effects of the built environment on our health.
The cover story in the current issue of Science News gives a nice overview of the current research on the topic. Essentially, as summarized by Prof. Crane of Urban Planning Research, it does seem that people living in suburbs are fatter, but it's very hard to prove that this is definitevely caused by their living environment. The correlation may be the result of self-selection, for instance.
As interesting as the research is, I wonder if focusing the conversation solely on the research best serves the interests of the public at large. I'm reminded of the conversation around the "scientific case" for Global Warming during the 90's. Our health is also a complex phenomenon influenced by a great number of factors over time. Obviously, that makes finding conclusive, definitive scientific proof difficult. But does that really matter? Isn't there a case to be made that in certain situations the cost of uncertainty is greatly surpassed by the benefits of actually doing something? Everything else seems like stalling.
No one needs infrared satellite images to understand the influence of our environment on our health. I'd add that focusing solely on weight gain and obesity rates is a poor way for us to gauge that relationship. A scientist needs clearly defined parameters, but for the rest of us it is useful to deal with more subtle concepts like quality of life and active living styles.
Two people may have the same weight-height index, say, but have drastically different living styles. One commutes to and from the suburbs to then spend an hour a day in the gym, whereas the other walks home everyday. These are not identically "healthy" lifestyles, even if these two individuals happen to be as healthy. To name just one factor that's often over-looked , there is a profound class-bias to the first case, as not everyone can afford a gym membership.
I do want to add that I don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't be doing this kind of research, only that we have to be able to see the forest for the trees.
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February 07, 2007
Self-Service Bikes
The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, has made transforming the capital's transportation system one of his top priorities. He's already made headlines (and angered more than a few French drivers) by setting up BRT lines throughout the city and building new tramway lines.
The Streets Blog now reports that City Hall has signed an agreement with advertising firm JC Decaux to provide more than 20,000 self-service bicycles around the city. Customers will use swipe-cards to rent them for trips around the capital, to deposit them back later at any of the 1,451 stations planned.
You can find more details and pictures of a similar program already in place in Lyon here.
Posted by jessehudson at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 06, 2007
Wi-Fi Google/Earthlink Project
SF Metroblogging reports that hearings on the municipal WiFi proposal will be held tomorrow at City Hall.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
TIME: 3:00pm (approximate start time)
WHERE: City Hall, Board Chamber, room 250, Budget and Finance Committee
As everyone interested in the subject knows, this effort has been in the works for what seems an eternity now. The upside is that there's quite a bit of litterature on it available online. Supervisor McGoldrick has sponsored a resolution on the city's proposed Free WiFi project which you can find here. The SF Budget Analyst has also finished a report on the topic.
As always, the events mentioned here are added to the Urban Commons Calendar.
Pfew. It's good to be back. Anyone else excited about the new sf cityscape?
Posted by jessehudson at 08:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 25, 2006
Un An Plus Tard
A year ago the suburbs that ring Paris erupted into violence. For over a month young men poured into the streets at night and looted buildings, burned cars and clashed violently with the police. The unrest in the Banlieues eventually subsided, but the root causes were never tackled. As a result violence and unrest are still in the news today.
These suburbs are dotted with massive housing projects which house much of France's ethnic population (African and Caribbean Blacks, Arabs, Kurds, Asian, etc.) Economic and social discrimination is thus compounded by the geographic isolation of these suburbs from the urban core, resulting in the kind of ills that in the US we associate with the inner-city: Massive unemployment, discrimination and blight.
But France's Cites also suffer in other ways: Through stereotypes, and particularly those associated with the youth of the Banlieues. Recently the city north of Paris where the violence first started last year inaugurated an art exhibit to tackle this stereotyping. Clichy-sous-Bois became known to the whole world as the epicenter of the urban unrest, but it's now attempting to redefine itself with the help of some world-reknown photographers. These neighborhoods are people's homes, their community, and these snapshots attempt to show that humanity.
At the same time, the mayor of Clichy is speaking up to get the political leadership to fulfill its promise to act. A year later, little has changed for the residents of his town in terms of economic opportunity, jobs and transportation. Worst of all, the plight of the suburbs seems to have fallen on the sidelines. A telling detail: Not one of the main political leaders chose to come to Clichy-sous-Bois for this event, although they had all been invited. With the presidential campaign approaching, politicians have taken a page out of the US political playbook and are struggling to outdo each other at being "tough on crime". And I guess that means being tough on the Banlieues too. It's a real missed opportunity for France.
Posted by jessehudson at 11:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
October 06, 2006
Urban Families
I'm getting a bit tired of reading about the flight of middle-class families away from cities. I grew up in cities and believe that contrary to what suburban propagandizers would have you believe, they are great places to be a kid. The problem is what kind of public spaces, transportation and other amenities you provide for children, teens and their parents.
The most obvious hurdles are good schools and affordable housing, but I've opined on these before and think the city can't tackle those issues alone. The State and Federal Government need to be part of the solution. I'm interested in what cities can implement on their own today. The San Francisco universal preschool initiative is perhaps an exception, but I hope something like Prop 82 will pass statewide someday so the burden to do the right thing on education doesn't always fall on city government.
On the other hand, there are many other policies that cities should be thinking about through the lens of retaining kids and families. Family-friendly doesn't have to mean white-picket fences and parking lots. City governments already manage and work on many projects that directly benefit urban families, such as pedestrian and bicycle ways, public transit, parks and recreational activities.
Parks and public spaces are absolutely critical, both as venues for recreation and play, and as shared cultural spaces. A city is defined by the mingling of people and ideas, and public spaces is where that mingling takes place. Making those spaces available, safe and comfortable should be paramount.
Good transportation is also essential. I moved from an urban environment to a suburb in my teens, and it was a real shock to find myself so dependent on cars -and thus on adults- to go and do anything. I applaud cities that focus not only on public transit, but on the wider concept of mobility in the urban environment. Reclaiming the streets from cars for bikes and pedestrians, creating wider and more pleasant sidewalks: All of these factors contribute to an urban landscape that is easier and more inviting to families and kids.
Cities also host museums, libraries, cinemas and other cultural institutions that should all be made more available to families and children. Kids in cities have a great deal more available to them than their suburban counterpart. Perhaps cities need to invest in the kind of PR effort that suburbs have benefited from over the last 50 years to better convince people that they are a great place for kids and families.
Posted by jessehudson at 09:44 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
October 03, 2006
The City: A Global History
I've recently finished reading The City: A Global History by Joel Kotkin, noted author and speaker on global economic, political and social trends.
The City is a whirlwind tour of cities through the ages. A macro-historical study of various cities in time, to which the author assigns three essential and universal functions shared by all: Cities as centers of religion, political power, and commerce. By placing urban spaces at the heart of his analysis, Kotkin offers a convincing look at what has made them central to human society and civilizations, as well as what distinguishes the more successful examples from the rest.
My main problem with Kotkin's account rests in its theoretical frame. He fails to convincingly explain the ups and downs of past civilizations' great cities. The three roles he outlines in the beginning are a good start, but he doesn't delve much deeper than that. His account ends up reading like laundry-list of cities throughout history, and he seems to justify their success or failure largely on whatever point he is trying to make at that moment. Amsterdam's expansion is presented as a necessity, one nearly as evident as its eventual demise explained away briefly on the next page. Kotkin reverts to this kind of tautology again and again. Often, I couldn't see from his account wether the three factors to which he ascribes so much importance were the only or even the primary causes for a city's growth or slow-down.
I appreciate his effort to keep his work on the shorter side, as some of these macro-histories tend to drag on for far longer than is necessary to make their point. But succinctness shouldn't be an excuse for poor analysis. At times that brevity felt like the result of tunnel-vision.
Kotkin is best when he focuses on the global nature of cities, and when he looks to their future development. There in particular he has some interesting points to make about what will happen to cities when their physical roles (as market places, centers of human interaction, etc.) become less important as a result of technological change. This work also echoes his criticism of the Ephemeral City. Cities cannot depend only on the "creative classes" for their survival, he has argued, since only a vibrant middle-class can lead to successful cities. I see a link between that realization and his assertion that cities need some shared sacred myth(s) to thrive. Both necessitate the masses to be central participants in the urban project. What happens to cities when those people are priced out?
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September 27, 2006
Oakland's Warehouse Culture
There's an article currently in the SF Bay Guardian on the secret life of warehouse shows. The piece explores Oakland's warehouse culture, and overall does a good job of representing the genuine idealism of most of the people involved in these ventures.
I should point out that these include many of my friends, including Jason Smith, the "chuckle-prone" owner of the Cereal Factory, members of local bands like Battleship, the Mothballs, Dreamdate, etc. as well as many of those that have struggled in the past to keep alive the now-defunct 40th St. Warehouse and French Fry Factory. If you don't live in Oakland: Yes, these names are a bit strange, but know that they represent the very vibrant heart of the Oakland music and art scene, places where the underage and the broke can also partake in the fun. It's good to see that the folks that are helping make this a reality are getting some recognition for their efforts.
I was also pleased that the reviewer touched on the efforts by responsible organizers like Smith to work with their neighbors to make sure the shows don't alienate the local community. Too often tensions with neighbors and the city flare up, resulting in crackdowns on alcohol and noise violations, making it very difficult for the warehouses to survive.
I think that these venues exits because there is a need for them, and the wonderful creative energy of Oaklanders is responding to that need. The city should do a better job of bringing some of these warehouses into the fold of legality, rather than focusing on shutting them down. Obviously, I don't condone selling alcohol to minors, and not all warehouses should be -or would want to be- turned into for-profit businesses. But some of these warehouse organizers could very well make the jump from members of the underground-economy to full-time, recognized and licensed venues. Provided the city is interested in helping them along the way. Lobot Gallery strikes me as a possible example for a successful model. The city will benefit by capturing that tax revenue, and with time can increase the prestige of Oakland as a place for night-life, helping it achieve it's stated goals of bringing more residents to Oakland.
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post scriptum:
Since we're on the topic of the Oakland music scene, I encourage all you locals to go to the fundraiser on September 30th for the drummer of Oakland's own Rogue Wave at the Independent. Poor Pat Spurgeon's got some serious kidney problems, and this fundraiser is to help him pay for the cost of the surgery. I'm sure it will come as a surprise to no one that record labels don't often provide health insurance. So help Pat out by going to the show.
The benefit concert has been added to the calendar, and will feature Ben Gibbard, Nada Surf and John Vanderslice.
Posted by jessehudson at 02:47 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
September 25, 2006
Architecture in the City
September was Architecture in the City Month in San Francisco. The SF American Institute of Architecture has been organizing this month-long exploration of San Francisco's unique built environment and design, which unfortunately is coming to a close. I need to do a better job keeping track of these things.
From the website: Architecture and the City is the first series of its kind in the Bay Area to feature architectural tours, film screenings, exhibitions, design lectures and more. Now in its third year, the month-long celebration engages members of the public, design enthusiasts and architects and designers with a deeper appreciation for San Francisco's rich architectural and design community.
There are a few interesting events left, including this Thursday when the AIA's Ed Mazria will explore How Architects Can Reverse Global Warming. Interesting.
Posted by jessehudson at 07:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
