The Death of Sprawl – The Case of Victorville, CA

This blog has a great analysis of the conflunce of trends that led to several major parts of the current recession: declining real estate values, car-dependent development, the unraveling of community institutions and social capital, and escalating oil prices. The interplay between these trends that crested following the jobless recovery post-9/11, the blog argues, led to our current economic crisis and also points the way to potential solutions through more sustainable urban planning. Victorville, a once-prosperous model exurban community now facing some of the worst poverty in America, highlights the extent to which economic and environmental sustainability are intertwined.

 

http://www.commoncurrent.com/notes/2009/11/death-of-sprawl-part-2-mcmansi.html

Spotlight of the Week: Tyler Goulet

1. Your name

Professor Doctor Tyler Eugene Goulet the First

 

2. All majors and minors

Communication Major, Political Science Major, CEP Major, Pimpology Minor

 

3. Where are you from?

Beautiful Bothell Washington where you can enjoy a visit or stay for a lifetime

 

4. What is a random fact about you?

I hope to be president one day

 

5. What is your favorite thing about CEP?

The fact that its my only major that allows me to get to know people in an academic setting on a personal level

 

6. What are your hobbies?

Motorcycle Riding, Reading, Movies (post apocalyptic), Board Games (Settlers of Catan!) Poker, Treasure Hunting and the occasional adventure

 

7. What jobs/internships do you have? Tell us about them/why you like them

Past Jobs:
CEO/Founder of Rain City Productions. We hosted/promoted local punk/ska/indie concerts

Pro: I was able to do anything I wanted!

Cons: Was a lot of hard work and I didnt make any money

 

Office Assistant Arch Office in Gould

Pro: Easy job with nice people

Con: Didn’t provide any challenges

 

Becoming Citizens Intern

Pro: Learned a lot about Civic Engagement

Con: Communication amongst team members was hard

 

Director of Marketing for PugetSoundoff.org

Pro: I had my own team of interns!

Con: I was micro-managed

 

Current:

Deliberative Democracy Consortium Intern

Pro: I get to learn more about the field I want to work in post grad

Con: Its remote and its hard to get things done

 

Marketing Intern for Leviton Network Solutions

Pro: Steady job that pays well

Con: Isn’t the field I want to get into

 

8. What volunteer activities are you currently involved in? Tell us abou them/why you like them.

I participate in my fraternity’s, Phi Kappa Tau, volunteer activities and my internship with the Deliberative Democracy Internship is unpaid

 

9a. (For Seniors) What are your plans after graduation?

Help make democracy better by getting into the field of Deliberative Democracy. My senior project will create an outline for future online and face to face deliberative democracy projects around the world. Do that for 5-10 years somewhere in the world then come back to Seattle to settle down and start a career in politics.

 

 For more info on what the heck deliberative democracy is check out my personal blog at www.tylergoulet.com 

 

10. What was your favorite tv show growing up?

The Simpsons and Friends

Manhole of the Future is Powered by Rainwater by Ariel Schwartz, 11/05/09

The manhole is powered by rain drops that spin an electricity-generating fan, which activates the display when a user steps on it. Stepping on the right side activates subway directions, while a step to the right shows bus directions. It’s an interesting concept, but we wonder how practical it is. Would the manhole contain a battery to store electricity? Otherwise, it might not be particularly reliable. And asking pedestrians to stare at their feet while walking seems like an accident waiting to happen. Nonetheless, the manhole is an example of a seemingly ugly object turned into a thing of functional beauty.

via inhabitat

Great Speaker – Lester Brown – Nov 12

Environmentalist Lester Brown, author of books such as “Outgrowing the
Earth: The Food Security Challenge” and his latest “Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing
to Save Civilization,” speaks Nov. 12, 7 p.m., at the University of
Washington, Kane Hall 130. Brown, described by the Washington Post as “one
of the world’s most influential thinkers,” is credited with helping pioneer
the concept of sustainable development in the 1970s. He’s founder and
president of the Earth Policy Institute, a research organization based in
Washington, D.C., http://www.earth-policy.org/. The event is free and open
to the public. Come with me!

100,000 synthetic trees could help combat climate change

via inhabitat.

UW Farm Tees

Donate and get a sick T @ http://students.washington.edu/uwfarm/

 

 

 

Don’t Be Evil!

Good news on the good folks at Google: a public transit layer on Google maps! Integrating bus time/stop info into route overlays on your trusty old maps, Seattle is one of the first cities in the country to boast a Google transit map. Hopefully some color coding, perhaps differentiating the light rail will follow soon.

Our Philosophy

…Through the eyes of wordle (a web word clouding program) we are able to see the values and commonly used jargon that we hold so close to our hearts.

a picture’s worth a thousand words, no?

Viaduct Earthquake Simulation

This is a powerful argument for a surface road replacement for the aging viaduct, especially at about 1:40 into the clip, when they discuss the fill downtown liquefying during an earthquake. Imagine being in a tunnel surrounded by liquefying land!

350