sustainability - Yurbanism

Tag Archives: sustainability

Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview

Recently, my good friend Taz Loomans contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview on my time in Phoenix and my thoughts after leaving. Here’s what I had to say:

Life After Phoenix, a Retrospective

Firefly Living is happy to present a retrospective interview discussing Yuri’s thoughts about his time here in Phoenix.

: Uptown Phoenix. Photo by Taz Loomans.

Taz Loomans: What do you miss most about Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: I miss the weather, especially this time of year, but even in the summer, there is a quality to the sun light that you just don’t have in northern cities. I also miss the close-knit community of urbanists working together. While there is a great and very accomplished urban community in Vancouver, we are busy doing our own things and I haven’t been able to connect with others as closely as I did in Phoenix. It seems the adage that adversity brings people together is true, especially in an ‘urban desert’ like Phoenix.

Taz Loomans: What did Phoenix have the Vancouver doesn’t?

Yuri Artibise: Beside climate (and great tamales!), Phoenix has an affordability that Vancouver simply doesn’t; even before the economic downturn, Phoenix was an affordable place to follow your dream. This led to a more entrepreneurial culture that I miss. Vancouver has a lot of great things going on, but the high cost of living means that security comes first for a lot of people. Despite it’s often inward looking perspective the region has great potential as an incubator for social entrepreneurship.

Taz Loomans: What do you miss least about Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: The lack of urban form in the city, even downtown. I still pinch myself when I walk outside and see almost everything I strove for during my time in Phoenix, realized in Vancouver, from walkable streets, to mixed used developments to bike lanes, even dog parks! If anything Vancouver may be a bit TOO livable

as it’s desirability have driven prices sky-high. (As a result, real estate is the number one topic of most discussions, as it was in Phoenix, just for opposite reasons).

Taz Loomans: From the perspective of someone who lived here and now has left, what do you think Phoenix’s biggest pitfalls are?

Yuri Artibise: First and foremost the extreme political climate. It is the question I am asked about here. Second is sustainability. I know many Phoenix residents don’t want to hear it, but Andrew Ross got a lot right in his book, Bird on Fire. I mean there isn’t even recycling pickup in apartments! But seriously, while things like xeriscaping and shade are important, until the region drops the growth industry mantra and starts thinking seriously about things like residential water restrictions, limiting suburban expansion and significant investing in social infrastructure, especially K-12, the future of the Valley doesn’t look great.

In this regard, the sustained economic downtown may be a blessing in disguise, as you will be forced to do more with less. Hopefully politicians will stop looking to external investment as a way to disguise the great harms that that region’s (sub)urban form has done, not only to it’s long term environmental sustainability, but also it’s social and economic sustainability as well. I know that people there don’t want to hear it, but there is a reason that these issues keep being raised by outside commentators like Ross and expats like Jon Talton.

Taz Loomans: From the perspective of someone who lived here and now has left, what do you think Phoenix’s biggest opportunities are?

Yuri Artibise: Phoenix’s biggest opportunities are frankly the great expanses of vacant lots and empty storefronts. Combined with the entrepreneurial spirit and low-cost of living mentioned above, the city could become a great laboratory for sustainable desert living, in a manner like Detroit has become a beacon for rust belt revitalization. But to do so, the region needs to seriously consider ways to reconsider its relationship to its climate—not simply push for solar panels and rain barrels. I’m not sure that Paolo Soleri had all the right answers, but his radical rethinking of desert living are closer to what the region needs. Frankly, I didn’t see that thinking in the most of the current crop of so-called sustainable architects who pushed xeriscaping large lots and shade sails over private pools as sustainable solutions.

Taz Loomans: Would you ever come back to live Phoenix, given the opportunity? Why or why not?

Yuri Artibise: One thing that I have learned after returning to Vancouver is that this is ‘home’ and where my heart is. However, Phoenix will always be a special place for me, and I’d love to opportunity to return, at least part-time. I think that there is a lot both cities can learn from each other, and I’d love to help help this process.

Taz Loomans: What can we learn from Vancouver here in Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: There is a lot, obviously, given my earlier comments, but first and foremost, Phoenix can demand more from it’s developers. One of the things that has made Vancouver such a livable city is the high level of amenities that the City of Vancouver demands—and receives—from developers, especially when rezoning properties. This helps make sure that new developments are more complete communities, with access to daycare, transit, park space or cultural facilities.

Additionally, Vancouver has the greenest building standards in North America. While Phoenix is applauding itself for adopting a voluntary green construction code,Vancouver requires all new buildings to be at least LEED Gold. Such requirements have been criticized by developers, and have been named a cause in driving our sky-high real estate prices, but I think they have been an important factor in making Vancouver such a livable and sustainable city.

Taz Loomans: What can Vancouver learn from Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: One thing that it lacking in Vancouver is official neighbourhood input into planning decisions. While the city has an active and the speaking list at rezoning often tops 200 speakers, we have no equal to Phoenix’s Village Planning Committees. As a result, many neighbourhoods feel that their perspective is overlooked in planning decisions.

Another idea that Vancouver could borrow from Phoenix is the percent-for-art program that funds public art throughout the city. While Vancouver has a well-respected public art program, and public art is often included in the public amenity packages I mentioned earlier, it would be nice to have dedicated source of funding, and more integration of public art into civic utilities and infrastructure. While Vancouver has some great art in our parks and urban core, our highways overpasses are nowhere near as cool as Phoenix’s

Comments { 0 }

Friday 5: Articles for Urbanists [October 8th-14th]

This week’s curation of insights and interviews for urbanists

The 50 Coolest Fictional Cities

Design: City As Lab: Everywhere, metropolises big and small are percolating with ideas on how to improve themselves, their apartment complexes, their bridges, their kindergartens, their beds.Here are some of the best. (New York Magazine)

The 50 Coolest Fictional Cities: Some of the most fantastic places only exist within the pages of books, the frames of films, the panels of comics, even the lyrics of songs. (Complex)

Richard Florida on the Economic Crisis, the Great Reset and Creativity: “Quality of place is going to be of growing importance in the coming era to keep cities vibrant and attracting talent and the ‘creative class.’” (MyCityWay Blog)

Back to the Future: James Howard Kunstler offers a road map for tomorrow’s cities. (Orion Magazine)

A Conversation With Allison Arieff, Writer and Editor on Sustainability: Arieff discusses how sustainability issues suffer when they’re thought of as trends; why Julius Shulman deserves to be in a sustainability hall of fame; and why she’s done writing about gorgeous Italian closets and kitchens. (The Atlantic)

Comments { 0 }

Friday 5: Articles for Urbanists [October 1st-7th]

This week’s wrap of good reads for urbanists:

Image by Spencer T. on Flickr

Cyclists? Pedestrians? Drivers? Who is to Blame for Urban Tension? As cities become more crowded, tension between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers will become impossible to ignore. (This Big City)

Civic Engagement as Art: A new exhibition explores the influence of public participation in society. (The Atlantic Cities)

Occupy Sprawl! and Occupy the Cul-de-Sac: Inspired by the recent popular discontent expressed so colorfully on Wall Street, Galina Tachieva offers some ideas for those who want to take on sprawl. (New Urban Network)

Messy street patterns boost city’s walkability: Cities that have the most complex and messy street patterns provide the most walkable and enjoyable experiences for visitors and residents. (Vancouver Sun)

Is Smart the Most Sustainable Car on the Planet? Fuel type is only one aspect of a car’s sustainability. (Tree Hugger)

Comments { 0 }

Friday 5: Articles for Urbanists [Sept 24th-30th]

This week’s selection of news and views for urbanists.

Retrofitting Gas Stations for Good: In disparate parts of the world, vacant gas stations are being repurposed to become places of entertainment, local entrepreneurship, and cultural productivity. (Pattern Cities)

Spreading ideas through the urban process: To see through the uncertainties of the future to realize profitable ideas and to overcome the challenges of product development, entrepreneurs need to live in urban areas. (Neighborhood Effects)

Density Limits Are Urban Protectionism: Timothy B. Lee explains why limits on density destroy wealth in exactly the same way that limits on free trade do. (Forbes)

Sustainable communities must embrace the familiar: If sustainable communities are to become mainstream, they must provide potential residents, workers, and visitors with as much familiarity – in buildings, in design, in components, in comfort – as possible. (Kaid Benfield’s Blog)

A Call for Urban Doctors: Much like the human body, cities are complex, dynamic systems. Continually treating the symptoms without addressing the systems and thinking that the same prescription will work for everyone, will never result in a healthy solution. (Huffington Post)

Comments { 0 }

Friday 5: Articles of Urbanists [August 6th-12th]

Here’s this week’s edition of news and news for urbanists:

Redefining Creative Space: Because it provides high-paying jobs and tends to recycle old commercial buildings for creative space, the entertainment industry is among the most desirable economic drivers for cities and states. The article features my friends at Co+Hoots in Phoenix! (pictured) (Urban Land)

Why Apple’s ascension to world’s largest company is great for cities: Mobile devices are uniquely suited to the urban environment. They are such powerful connectors of people that they are literally replacing their need and desire for cars. (SmartPlanet)

The Passionate Minority: As frustration mounts with government, there is a passionate minority aimed not at yelling or leaving, but rather at making change. (Code for America)

Universal Principles for Creating a Sustainable City: Freiburg, Germany has become a stunning model of sustainability, thanks in part to Wulf Daseking, the city’s Head of Urban Planning since 1984. Sven Eberlein visits Daseking in Freiberg for this interview. (Planetizen)

Planning for a Range of Housing Options in our Cities:The prolonged economic downturn has had many impacts, but the most jarring for many Americans is the realization they are not as affluent as once thought. The planning profession can play an important part in helping Americans adjust to an age of austerity. (This Big City)

Comments { 0 }

Jane Jacobs—Neighborhoods in Action

A great video produced by the Active Living Network (a project of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). It features an interview with the urban goddess herself. The clip explores the role of the built environment in physical activity and public health. It’s 9 minutes and 46 seconds VERY well spent).

I love her support for skateboarding as an important of youth physical activity. Lots of good aphorisms at the end as well.

Comments { 0 }

Bringing the Fun Back to Green [Weekend Watch]

Here’s a fun video from my good friend Stacey Champion promoting her organization, Rogue Green. RG is a series of monthly social/networking events in downtown Phoenix for eco-minded ’rogues,’ along with side projects and events when the rogue mood strikes. For my non-Phoenix readers, here is evidence that the city does indeed have dedicated urbanites and greens, despite stereotypes to the contrary!

Stacey and Rogue Green are in the running for a Pepsi Challenge grant of $10k from the Pepsi Refresh project. If she wins the grant will go towards a years worth of sustainability programming/events for downtown Phoenix. If you like what you saw, please vote every day throughout the month of July for Stacey and Rogue Green!

For a daily extra vote, Text* 107309 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your mobile!

Also be sure to check out Rogue Green on Facebook and Twitter.

Bringing the Fun Back to Green [Weekend Watch]

Comments { 0 }

Placemaking: David Engwicht [Weekend Watch]

David Engwicht (author, place maker & resilient city capacity builder) discusses the role of placemaking in contemporary society.

How will you write your self into the story of your space?

Comments { 0 }

Friday 5: Articles for Urbanists (June 4th-10th)

Here is this week’s curated selection of articles for urbanists:

kevygee/flickr

The Financial Benefits of Living in Transit-Friendly, Walkable Areas: The neighborhood you live in can have a huge effect on your ability to spend or save, do the kind of things you really want to, and navigate the ongoing economic crisis. (The Atlantic)

The new New Urbanism: Fast, nimble, flexible, and tactical: The next generation of urbanists is dealing with a crappy economy. Big projects are hard to come by. That’s not stopping them from innovating. (Grist)

A Stupid Attack On Smart Growth:The National Association of Home Builders states that, “The existing body of research demonstrates no clear link between residential land use and GHG emissions.” But their research actually found the opposite. (Planetizen)

Why smart cities need smart stories: Whether our urban solutions are high-tech or low-tech, what makes them work is human scale and human understanding. People need to grasp the relevance and the connection with their lives. (Living with Rats)

Old Buildings Combine Sustainability, Preservation: Studies suggest the greenest building is the one already built — a pleasing message for historic preservationists. (Miller-McCune)

Comments { 0 }

Projecting Transportation Change in Vancouver

Originally posted on the Project Change Film Festival blog.

Easy and convenient transportation is key to Vancouver’s status as one of the world’s most livable and sustainable cities. However, as population and employment continue to grow, transportation needs and trips overall increase. To manage this growth, while maintaining livability and creating a more sustainable city, we need a robust transportation system.

A few weeks ago, I sat down and talked with Neal LaMontagne. Neal is a senior planner with the City of Vancouver, responsible for city-wide and regional planning. This means he’s part of the team responsible for the planning of the entire city. His division focuses on initiative like the Regional Growth strategy, eco-density, and the industrial land strategy.

Recently, Neal joined a team responsible for Vancouver’s Transportation Plan update. This team is made up of representatives from both the planning and engineering departments. This is in recognition that transportation is a city-building activity as much as it is a traffic-moving one.

Here is an overview of our discussion:

You’ve talked about the City’s Transportation Plan Update. Can you tell me a bit more about it?

Good transportation systems rely on strategic long-term planning. Vancouver’s Transportation Plan outlines an overall transportation strategy for the city. It sets out a direction consistent both with the regional transportation policy and the principles of the broader city plan. As Vancouver grows and changes, it is important that our transportation planning keeps up.

The existing Vancouver Transportation Plan was adopted in 1997. This plan put transit, pedestrians and cycling at the top of the city’s priorities. Overall, the plan have been successful. Both population and employment in Vancouver grew steadily between 1996 and 2006. This led to a 23% increase in trips to Vancouver. However, because of the re-prioritization, the number of vehicles entering and leaving the city has actually decreased by 10% over the same period! New trips have been by transit, cycling and walking.

We have completed almost all the 76 invitees outlined in the 1997 plan. In addition, we have met or exceeded most of the targets the 1997 plan set—many years ahead of schedule. As such, it is time to update the plan and look towards 2040.

Transportation 2040 is a two-phase consultation process:

The first phase runs from now until mid-July. We’re focusing on gathering ideas for Vancouver residents and commuters. This will offer a high-level view including our transportation successes and challenges to date, best practices and proposed goals. These consultations will form the basis of the draft 2040 Transportation Plan.
The second phase will be from January to March 2012. Then, residents can give feedback on the draft Transportation Plan.

To many residents, transportation planning seems dry and boring. Why should we care?

We all share the streets as commuters, residents and businesses. As such, transportation is something that effects everybody on a daily basis. Whether we are commuting to and from work, or school, going shopping, meeting friends or taking kids to hockey practice we are moving through the city. As a ‘complete city,’ Vancouver wants this movement to occur in a sustainable way.

In addition to impacting people on an individual basis (“am I stuck in traffic?”), transportation also impacts us on a city-wide level:

It is central to our economy. The ability to move goods and services; and connect people to share ideas is central to our economy growth.
It is closely linked to sustainability. If Vancouver is to be the greenest city by 2020, we are going to have to make some movement on how we move.
It has a big impact on our public health, especially in areas like air quality, accidents and obesity.
It matters in terms of community. Not only by connecting people within community, but ensuring that we keep public space for social interaction and celebrations.

As a general strategy, the City of Vancouver does not plan to expand road capacity. It will need to absorb growth without building new roads. Thus, the city needs to find other ways to absorb the demands of increased people, jobs, and trips without increasing the amount of traffic on our streets. The 1997 plan was able to do just that. The challenge for Transportation 2040 is how can we keep up with the trends of more people walking, more people cycling, and more people taking transit.

85 Projecting Transportation Change in Vancouver

Image from TalkVancouver.com

Projecting Change focuses on individual efforts. How can residents of Vancouver get involved in the process?

The City of Vancouver is encouraging all city residents, commuters, businesses, neighborhoods and industry groups to comment during the Transportation 2040 consultation process. We want to hear people’s approaches, ideas, concerns and where they see opportunities for improvement. The more people involved, the better sense we will have of what Vancouverites want . this will help us realize our collective goals.

We are at the beginning of this process. Public consultations sessions start this week. There will be one on June 7 at Killarney Community Centre (6260 Killarney St.) from 7 to 8:30 pm. there will be another at the Hastings Community Centre (3096 Hastings St.) on May 26 from 7 to 8:30pm. Hockey fans need not worry, we’ll keep participants updated on games. You can find other public meetings on the Transportation 2040 events calendar.

But you never know where great ideas will come from. So not only do we want a collective discussion, we also want collective brainstorming to come up with unexpected ideas. A great examples of an unexpected idea implemented because of public advice was the Laneway Housing initiative that came out of the EcoDensity consultations.

A lot of the city’s transportation initiatives will be small-scale, incremental and at the neighborhood level. One existing example of this is the city’s Greenways program. This is a project that has really relied on local participation, including neighbors planning their roundabouts and boulevards.

On a larger scale, the more people thinking and talking about transportation—even completely outside of the city’s process—the better. Additionally, the city would like people to try the different ways of getting around the city. If you normally drive, try out one of our bike lanes. If you normally take the bus, try walking along Main St, 4th Ave or Commercial Drive. Ride a skateboard, paddle a kayak, use a scooter. Taking a step outside your normal routine is a great way to get you thinking about transportation in our city.

73 Projecting Transportation Change in Vancouver

Image from TalkVancouver.com

Projecting Change is also about embracing new technologies. How is Vancouver embracing social media?

The home base for public engagement is our interactive website, TalkVancouver.com. We will also be setting up a Twitter account, hosting discussion forums and a Facebook pilot project. Our social media strategy will be dynamic and adapt over time. We are really interests to see how people respond, communicate and interact. We learned a lot from Greenest City and hope to build on that.

For the less technologically inclined, we are still conducting public meetings and getting out to hear from people face to face.

“If you can get 15 people in a room together we’ll come out and have a meeting with you.”

79 Projecting Transportation Change in Vancouver

Image from TalkVancouver.com

What role does an event like the Projecting Change Film Festival play in the City’s efforts?

We need people talking among themselves. An event such as the Projecting Change Film Festival is phenomenal for getting people talking and for people representing their ideas to each other. The more you are talking, the more you are thinking. The more you are thinking the more you’re being creative and coming up with really interesting and provocative ways for us to move the discussion forward. That is a phenomenal benefit.

“Even if were are no in the room, we want people talking transportation. And then we want people talking transportation with us.”

A big part of what the city does is communicate with the public; listening and telling our stores and ideas. We also want to promote a broader city-wide discussion. We want people talking not just about transportation, but about transportation in the context of the type of city we want to live in.