I recently had a conversation with a civil engineer who specializes in highly integrated super efficient infrastructure projects. For example, the methane gas from a sewerage treatment plant can be captured and used to generate electricity. The waste heat from a power generator can be used to run a desalination plant. Purified sewer water can … Continue reading The Complexity Trap
As a San Franciscan I get a lot of raised eyebrows when I mention that I recently bought property in Cincinnati. “Huh?” Then I walk them through it. Here’s the mom and pop business district along Hamilton Avenue in the Northside neighborhood during a recent Summer Streets event. This is a classic 1890’s Norman Rockwell … Continue reading Low Hanging Fruit
I filmed this short video in a small town in Ohio to show what new accessory dwelling units can be like when the local authorities permit them. My friend Kirsten Dirksen here did a great job editing the story and I encourage people to check out her site for many similar videos. Alex and his wife are … Continue reading Ohio Accessory Dwelling Unit
I have an on-going correspondence with a particular city planner who recently asked, “What pushes a neighborhood down vs. what lifts it up?” In the end I suspect this is going to be like the old joke. Ask three rabbis a question and you’ll get five answers. Perhaps I should provide a few examples of popular … Continue reading The Urban Planner’s Dilemma
I’m a longtime advocate of walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-served neighborhoods. But lately I’ve been having impure thoughts about suburbia. Let me explain. What often passes for a neighborhood in America is a low grade assemblage of chain convenience stores, big box outlets, franchise muffler shops, multi-lane highways, and isolated cul-de-sacs. Even when it’s physically … Continue reading Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Sprawl (Sort of)
No, my millionaire heroes aren’t computer whiz kids or international hedge fund managers. These are my friends Cali and Lou. They’re my heroes and I model much of my life after them. Aside from being endlessly charming, patient, kind, and generous they’re also smart and industrious. Here’s a little back-story that helps explain why … Continue reading My Millionaire Heroes: Not Who You Think
I have an Australian friend who works on an oil drilling platform off the coast of Tasmania. He sent these photos from his phone. Pretty cool, huh? These photos got me thinking about the Peak Oil meme. For the uninitiated there are two camps on the subject. One camp says there’s an unlimited amount of … Continue reading Peak Oil, Yes and No
Whether it’s an industrial accident that releases toxic chemicals into the water supply as happened in West Virginia in recent memory, or a Katrina or Hurricane Sandy type event, or the jolt of an earthquake in California, people very often find themselves without electricity, running water, natural gas, and many other supplies and services for a … Continue reading Emergency Preparation – Wherever You Live
Gracen Johnson of Another Place For Me recently sent out a request for examples of adaptive reuses for outdated buildings. This is part of her exploration of what’s likely to happen to all the cheap, ugly, poorly constructed, disposable structures that currently litter the landscape all across North America. First, here’s an example of a completely … Continue reading Adaptive Reuse: Old Stuff, New Life
Back when I was younger and a lot poorer I built a small cottage in rural Hawaii. At the time I didn’t qualify for any sort of mortgage or construction loan so I built incrementally and paid for things over a period of several years on a cash basis. In the end the house cost … Continue reading Building Codes and the Self Built Mortgage Free Home
Granola Shotgun 