Somewhere along the spectrum from, “everything will be perfect forever” to The Zombie Apocalypse there are many possible futures. I’ve organized my life in a way that covers most of the in-between scenarios. I’m clear about the things I have no control over and I’ve let go of those concerns. Instead I focus on the … Continue reading How to Ride the Slide: Suburban Homesteading
I just attended the final session of NERT training. The Neighborhood Emergency Response Team program was created by the city of San Francisco to help people become more prepared for the kinds of disaster situations that are likely to overwhelm professional first responders. If the general population is more educated and equipped to deal with foreseeable challenges … Continue reading How to Ride the Slide: NERTs Don’t Get Hurt
Some problems simply don’t have satisfying solutions and I believe it’s important to be honest about that. In the absence of a solution there are often perfectly good responses to a predicament without resolving it per se. Enter a new series of posts I’m calling, “How to Ride the Slide.” Installment One is, “Apocalypse Lite.” … Continue reading How to Ride the Slide: Apocalypse Lite
Last week I spoke with a contractor who had worked on a project for me back in 2010. He does very good work so I asked him back to look at a small carpentry job I need help with. He’s busy these days juggling several other much larger more lucrative projects. I have no expectation … Continue reading The Goldfish Economy
The fire at the Ghost Ship in Oakland, California that claimed thirty six lives touched on several themes that all congealed in one tragic event. But before I get in to the particulars I’m going to take a couple of digressions. A friend left San Francisco a couple of years ago to attend graduate school … Continue reading The Ghost Ship
Like most people I occasionally find myself wandering the aisles of big box retailers amazed at the sheer volume of incredibly inexpensive stuff on offer. I’ll load the car with a metric ton of toilet paper and enough tube socks to completely fill the passenger seat. I won’t lie. I kinda love it. But I’m … Continue reading Shortening the Supply Chain
A reader recently asked me to comment on the proposed Port Marigny development in his home town of Mandeville, Louisiana. The master plan is a standard New Urbanist TND (Traditional Neighborhood Development) that attempts to simulate many of the qualities of historic towns – in this case drawing from nearby New Orleans. I would have enjoyed visiting … Continue reading Port Marigny, Yea or Nay?
I’ve slavishly documented the failings of our built environment and it’s starting to wear on some of my readers. People want solutions to the problems I observe. So here’s an option that could be replicated and scaled up to retrofit many of our declining communities. Reruralization. If adding infill development to suburban neighborhoods is untenable … Continue reading The Reruralization Solution
Granola Shotgun 