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Monday, May 28th

Symphonic Reflections in Nashville
Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, might be close to as far as you can get from classical refinement. The pleasing architecture is dripping with neon advertising, and the sidewalks are busy with tourists eating barbeque, drinking beer, buying compact discs and cowboy boots, and listening to a plethora of sounds coming from the future country singers of America. If less than refined music wasn't enough, there's even a "Florida trailer diner" inside an old Victorian storefront.

Look down Third Avenue and you get a glimpse of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The architecture there is not enough to make you want to explore further, but spotting a free parking place may be enough to draw you down the street. Just about at the point where you get to the rear of the Victorian storefronts facing Broadway, you'll get a glimpse of a neo-classical building that looks as if it's been there for a hundred years.

I hadn't been to Nashville for more than ten years, and I didn't remember the building I was looking at. I was taken by its beauty, complementary to the Tennessee State Capitol and Parthenon replica that Nashville has known for years. Perhaps in recent years the "Athens of the South" has taken a second row seat to "Music City, U.S.A." as Nashville's moniker, yet the Schermerhorn Symphony Center seems to hold both flags up with ease.

FULL ARTICLE

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.28.07 @ 02:13PST

Thursday, May 24th

Its Not Easy Being Green and Big
At the same time “green” is the buzz of the real estate industry, the size of American homes is getting bigger. While many are choosing renewable materials, the square feet of space and the amount of materials it takes to construct a home has continued to increase.

This is the result of viewing the concept as “green” as buying one thing instead of another—using bamboo instead of oak. What’s lost on this monster home greening is the space that needs to be heated increases, the footprint of the home increases and likely the distance it takes to travel to and from the home increases. That may be buying green, without thinking green.

I was in a hotel watching one of those real estate shows on cable. There was a house somewhere that had been remodeled and expanded using renewable materials like cork, stone and raw wood. The agent was excited because its easy these days get green for something that looks like green.

It was clear this home was three times the size it had been when the well-intentioned couple started down the green road, and it was located on a large, wooded lot that might have required owning an SUV to access.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average home size in the United States was 2,330 square feet in 2004, up from 1,400 square feet in 1970. That means we’re heating and air conditioning more than twice the space we did during the oil crisis of the 1970s. We have more wiring to such electricity, more gas pipes, more heating ducts, more spaces to insulate with green insulation, more appliances, more floors to vacuum, more countertops to clean with green products.

Green is not just about what we buy, it’s about how we live. Green is about how far we live from our work and shopping, its about how often we walk or use mass transit, its about how much space our home occupies and about how much energy we use getting around. Sure, being green is about buying and building with renewable resources, but its also about re-use and restoration and about being conscious not only of what we buy and do, but how much we use.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.24.07 @ 11:31PST

More Houses Have More Bedrooms
American homes are getting bigger — at least when measured by the number of bedrooms they have — according to a new analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. In 2005, one in five occupied homes (20 percent) had four or more bedrooms, compared to 17.7 percent in 2000.

In 2005, Utah was the leader among states in this category, with four out of 10 homes (39.2 percent) having four or more bedrooms. Maryland ranked second at 28 percent. Colorado (26.2), Delaware (25.8), Minnesota (26.2), North Dakota (26.1) and Virginia (26.5) also have a large percentage of bigger homes.

Among counties with populations of 65,000 or more (the threshold for 2005 American Community Survey data), Davis County, Utah (49.4 percent); Fayette County, Ga. (45.5); Forsyth County, Ga. (48.5); Loudon County, Va. (44.6); Stafford County, Va. (43.8); and Utah County, Utah (45.7) had the highest percentage of homes with four or more bedrooms.

Cities with populations of 65,000 or more that stand out in this category include Allen, Texas (52.0); Centennial, Colo. (52.5); Naperville, Ill. (53.0); Sandy, Utah (63.8 percent); and Sugar Land, Texas (55.3).

The bedroom data are among the dozens of housing topics that can be localized from the American Community Survey. Some other housing facts of interest include:

Single-family homes were the most common housing type (62.7 percent), and comprised more than eight out of 10 owner-occupied units (81.3 percent).

Apartments with 10 or more units were the second-most common housing type overall (12 percent). The District of Columbia had 42.4 percent of housing units in this category. Hawaii and New York had 22.1 and 27.7 percent, respectively. Among cities, about half of all housing units in Alexandria, Va., were in apartment buildings with 10 or more units; Miami Beach, Fla., had approximately 75 percent; and New York City had 54.2 percent.

The category comprising mobile homes or other type of housing (RV, houseboat, etc.) (6.5 percent) was the third most common. Nearly one in five homes in New Mexico and South Carolina were mobile homes (17.4 percent and 18 percent, respectively). Regionally, three-fourths of the nation’s mobile homes were found in the South (56.1 percent) and West (20.2 percent). The remaining quarter were in the Midwest (16.2 percent) and Northeast (7.5 percent).

Townhomes were the fourth most common housing type (5.8 percent). The highest percentages of townhomes could be found in Washington, D.C. (26.4 percent); Maryland (20.1); Pennsylvania (18.1); Delaware (13.4) and Virginia (10.3). Approximately half of all housing units in the mid-Atlantic cities of Baltimore (49.7 percent); Camden, N.J. (54.8); Philadelphia (61.3); Reading, Pa. (58.5); and Wilmington, Del. (52.2) were this type.

As part of the Census Bureau’s reengineered 2010 Census, the data collected by the ACS helps federal officials determine where to distribute more than $200 billion to state and local governments each year. Responses to the survey are strictly confidential and protected by law.

The 2005 ACS estimates are based on an annual, nationwide household sample of about 250,000 addresses per month, or 2.5 percent of the population a year. Geographic areas for which data are available are based on total populations of 65,000 or more. The ACS estimates released are for the household population and do not include populations residing in group quarters.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.24.07 @ 05:49PST

Saturday, May 19th

Best Cities to Relocate To
Worldwide ERC, the association for workforce mobility, and Primacy Relocation announced that Fort Worth - Arlington, Texas; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Provo-Orem, Utah, are 2007's Best Cities for Relocating Families among large, medium and small U.S. metropolitan areas.

The two organizations worked with Bert Sperling of Sperling's BestPlaces to rate cities based on those factors - short-term and long-term - that determine the likelihood of a successful relocation.


2007 Best Cities for Relocating Families - Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation:

Large Metro Areas Pop. 1,250,000+

1. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
2. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, TN
3. Kansas City, MO-KS
4. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN
5. Austin-Round Rock, TX
6. Pittsburgh, PA

Mid-Sized Metro Areas, Pop. 575,000-1,250,000

1. Knoxville, TN
2. Wichita, KS
3. Raleigh-Cary, NC
4. Salt Lake City, UT
5. Oklahoma City, OK

Small Metro Areas, Pop. 350,000 - 575,000

1. Provo-Orem, UT
2. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
3. Durham, NC
4. Colorado Springs, CO
5. Corpus Christi, TX

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.19.07 @ 01:42PST

Thursday, May 17th

MAYOR BLOOMBERG DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE C40 LARGE CITIES CLIMATE SUMMIT
“ Because this is a decisive moment for New Yorkers, and for the people of all the cities represented at this C-40 summit. Since the first C-40 conference in London in 2005, the world’s understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change has reached a true turning point.

“ While we still have much to learn; and while continued scientific investigation of global warming therefore remains of the utmost importance, it is now crystal clear that such ongoing research must be matched by decisive action in the political and economic spheres.

“ Because we now know beyond a doubt that global warming is a reality. And the question we must all answer is, “What are we going to do about it?” That’s a challenge that we all face, because, as proud as we all are of the cities and nations that we serve, global warming also makes us all global citizens. We are truly in this together.

“ Let me quote to you some of the conclusions reached by Sir Nicholas Stern, the former chief economist of the World Bank, in his authoritative review of global warming published last October. Of the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate, he said: ‘If no action is taken to reduce emissions, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the environment could reach double its pre-industrial level as early as 2035.’

“ This would, he warned, produce temperature increases that would ‘be very dangerous indeed, having serious impacts on world output, on human life, and on the environment.’ All countries would be affected, he wrote by ‘risks of major disruption to economic and social activity on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century.’

FULL TEXT

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.17.07 @ 02:38PST

Monday, May 14th

New Issue of Carfree Times
The latest issue of Carfree Times features an extended article on Röthelheimpark in Erlangen, Germany, a new development designed to be almost entirely carfree. A quote:

There is a large shopping center on the northern edge of the district which is reachable by bike within minutes. Some residents say their car often stands unused for weeks. Nevertheless many of them seem not to care about the high costs of owning a car (even an idle one), which shows that Röthelheimpark is generally a place of medium- and higher-wage families. Many people do seem to be interested in car sharing/pooling, however.

The new residential area was not planned from the start as a carfree district. If this had been the case, then there would almost certainly have been opposition from the beginning, as has been the case with other German cities. As a high density built environment most streets in Röthelheimpark are much narrower than usual, allowing cars to pass through but not to be parked since they would hinder any other vehicle (including ambulances and fire trucks).

Also included are articles on a new fully carfree development in Abu Dhabi and articles on freight trams, the ethanol scam, and more. Richly illustrated with photos.

To read this quarter's issue, go to www.carfree.com.

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 05.14.07 @ 19:26PST

Worl Mayors Meeting in NYC to Discuss Global Warming
Leaders of the world's largest cities, together with CEOs of international corporations, will convene in New York City next week to pursue joint efforts to combat global warming while insuring economic benefits for cities. The occasion is the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, a gathering of Mayors dedicated to reducing carbon emissions and to developing infrastructure that encourages more efficient use of energy.

Highlights will include a keynote address by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as presentations by Former President Clinton and other internationally known figures, including Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London; Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo; Richard Daley, Mayor of Chicago; David Miller, Mayor of Toronto; Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul; Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Mayor of Mexico City; George David, Chairman & CEO of United Technologies Corporation; Klaus Kleinfeld, President & CEO of Siemens; Alain Belda, Chairman & CEO of Alcoa; and Charles Prince, Chairman & CEO of Citigroup, Inc. Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO of JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Richard Parsons, Chairman & CEO of Time Warner, will host gala dinners for the international delegations on May 15 and 16, respectively.

Cities are responsible for three-quarters of the world’s energy consumption and, therefore, must play a critical role in the reduction of carbon emissions and the reversal of dangerous climate change. The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) is working with members of the C40 to develop and implement a range of programs that will quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CCI is providing technical experts to individual cities, pooling the buying power of these cities to lower prices on energy saving products, creating a common emissions measurement tool and sharing best practices. CCI has partnered with a range of the world’s leading organizations and institutions to achieve these objectives. The C40 and the Clinton Climate Initiative will announce important global initiatives during the summit.

Thirty-two mayors plan to personally participate in the summit, and delegations from a total of 46 cities from six continents are scheduled to attend. This includes the world's largest cities, as well as some smaller cities that are at the forefront of innovative efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Participating cities include Addis Ababa, Austin, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Bogotá, Cairo, Chicago, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Delhi, Dhaka, Houston, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lagos, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, New Orleans, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Rotterdam, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Warsaw.

Underwriters of the summit include David Rockefeller and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as well as JP Morgan Chase & Co., Alcoa, Deutsche Bank, Hearst Corporation, Shell, Siemens, Time Warner, BSkyB, Citi, Con Edison, Federated Department Stores/Macy’s, GE, KeySpan, KPMG LLP, Swiss Re & Tishman Speyer.

The event has been organized by the Partnership for New York City, on behalf of the Bloomberg Administration and the C40. Other organizers of the summit include New York City Global Partners, Inc. (formerly the Sister Cities Program), The Climate Group and ICLEI U.S.A. (both leading NGOs in the area of climate change).

On behalf of the Summit, The New York City Partnership Foundation has made donations to The Climate Trust (TCT) and CommunityEnergy to offset the 1,118 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) the Summit and its related activities will emit. TCT’s portfolio provides funding to diverse projects from wind farms to tree planting to traffic light optimization that reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment. The donation to CommunityEnergy will purchase 190 MWh of emissions-free, wind-generated electricity, which will enter the local electric grid for the event. HDR Inc. calculated the carbon footprint of the Summit pro-bono.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.14.07 @ 13:37PST

Wednesday, May 9th

New Products: Carbon Footprint/Recycle The City
How far does recycling go? What's a carbon footprint and how can you reduce yours? These are questions that confront us in the media today. The truth is that everything we do is tied to the future of our planet. Carbon footprints are the a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2 emitted as part of their daily lives. Carbon dioxide is a cause of global warming. Re-use/recycling is a big part of thinking green and having a smaller footprint as well. The bigger the item, the more CO2 it often takes to produce. Homes, buildings, land and cities are our biggest investment and perhaps the most important to recycle. Spread the word with the new products relating to these topics in our Marketplace

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.09.07 @ 12:53PST

Tuesday, May 1st

Nation's Air Quality Picture Split East-West
For the first time since the American Lung Association began issuing its annual air quality report card, data reveal a split picture along either side of the Mississippi River, as particle pollution (soot)—the most dangerous pollutant—increased in the East but decreased in the West, while ozone (smog) decreased nationwide from peaks reported in 2002. The number of counties scoring an A grade for ozone levels increased from 82 in 2000 to 145 this year, but particle pollution levels show an ominous trend, with F grades nearly doubling in just one year, according to American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007.

Higher soot levels in the East are linked to an increase in electricity generated by heavy polluting power plants. In the West, by contrast, soot levels continue to drop even in areas that rank historically high in particle pollution. California showed the most improvement with 32 counties dropping their year-round particle pollution levels.

Ozone pollution dropped thanks to a late 1990s requirement to clean up emissions of the raw ingredients of smog, as well as cooler summers in 2003 and 2004. Reductions in the nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants that were in place by 2004 kept smog levels down, even when the heat returned in summer 2005 in much of the East. In the West, particularly in California, aggressive measures to reduce emissions from a wide range of air pollution sources (cars, trucks, and other mobile sources) contributed to fewer high ozone days.

The American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007 ranks cities and counties most polluted by ozone, 24-hour particle pollution, and annual particle pollution, and reports county-by-county populations at risk from unhealthful levels of the most dangerous forms of air pollution. Particle pollution is reported for both short-term (24-hour) periods and annual averages.

Ozone and Particle Pollution Snapshots
According to the report, 46 percent (136 million people) of the U.S. population lives in 251 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles. About 38.3 million Americans – nearly one in 8 people – live in 32 counties with unhealthful levels of all three: ozone and short-term and year-round particle pollution.

One-third of the U.S. population lives in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone, a significant reduction since the last report when nearly half did, yet 99 million Americans still live in counties with F grades for ozone.

Roughly one in three (more than 93.7 million) people in the United States lives in an area with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution, a significant increase since the last report, which is only partially due to the new, slightly lower threshold of unhealthful air recognized in this report (based on the newly adopted national standards). Nearly one in five (more than 54 million) people in the United States lives in an area with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.

Los Angeles ranked as the most polluted city in the nation for all categories in the report, even though LA’s pollution levels have dropped. Other cities ranking among the worst for ozone include several in southern California, as well as large cities in Texas and on the east coast, including Houston, Dallas, New York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. Other cities on the lists of the worst for particle pollution include many in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, including Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, DC-Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.

With ozone pollution dropping in the eastern US, several cities returned to the list of most polluted cities despite improved ozone levels, including Atlanta, Phoenix, and Baton Rouge. They reappeared because of greater improvements by other cities. Some cities moved up to the worst cities for ozone list for the first time, including Las Vegas, Milwaukee and Kansas City.

To see how your community ranks in the American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007 report and learn how you can protect yourself and your family from air pollution, go to www.lungusa.org. While you’re there, you can send a message to the U.S. EPA to set more protective standards for ozone and other pollutants.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 05.01.07 @ 04:48PST