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Envisioning Better Communities review part 2

Envisioning Better Communities: Seeing More Options, Making Wiser Choices, the new planning book by Randall Arendt that I’m reviewing, is a book I have trouble putting down. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I’m a big fan of Randall Arendt.)

I received a review copy of the book from the American Planning Association and am reviewing the book in a series of blog posts.

envisioning-better-communities-coverWhat I like best about the book is that it’s easy to read, and full of common sense advice and insight that, if utilized, will mean the difference between creating a town that looks like every other homogeneous, uncreative community and one that stands out as a place where people are excited to live.

I love the section on page 11 titled “The Status Quo Option Of Doing Nothing”. Randall Arendt writes. “The vast majority of new members of local planning boards and commissions come to their jobs without any professional background in community planning and with no specific training in the subject matter-except, perhaps, for a crash course in “legal mechanics,”, the statutory requirements regarding application procedures, review periods, and so on. They might therefore be excused for assuming that because their jurisdiction has duly adopted a thick comprehensive plan and subsequent zoning and subdivision ordinances, everything is all set, and their role is simply to administer those documents.
How wrong they would be.”

Randall goes on to mention that experienced planners know that typical zoning ordinances conflict deeply with laudable policies articulated in a community’s comprehensive plan. It’s a section of the book that rings so true to the problems nearly every community faces, which is why so many communities look so darn bad and boring, ugly really.

Envisioning Better Communities should be required reading for anyone even thinking about becoming a volunteer citizen planner, or a professional planner. Learn more about Envisioning Better Communities.

More posts about this great book to follow soon.

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Tryon Farm conservation community sponsors educational day for kids

Tryon Farm, my favorite conservation community and one of LandChoices’ good friends and supporters, recently sponsored an educational day for the kids of Lydia Home Association in Chicago. I learned about this wonderful event on the Tryon Farm Facebook page.

The games and events were successfully led by educators from the Indiana Soil and Water Conservation and Save the Dunes/Leave No Child Inside. It’s a great way for kids to learn that communities can be created like Tryon Farm that preserve working farmland, nature and wildlife.

Learn more about Tryon Farm.

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Conservation subdivisions: “Do it backward”

The following is a repost from my earlier post (September 4, 2009):

conservation subdivision River Valley, courtesy Randall Arendt

In the conservation subdivision River Valley, 34 houselots average 36,000 square feet (0.85 acres, just under one acre) each, on the 85 acre site, preserving 48.5 acres, almost two-thirds of the site, as permanently protected open space. Click image above for larger image.

I like Randall Arendt’s approach to conservation subdivisions: “Do It Backward”.

First, set aside land for conservation. This eliminates the left-over conservation areas that are traditionally created.

Last, divide up the land into parcels. This allows the developer to penpoint the prime developable area, while maintaining conservation areas.

According to Randall Arendt, “The term ‘conventionally designed subdivision’ refers to residential developments where all the land is divided into houselots and streets, with the only open space typically being undevelopable wetlands, steep slopes, floodplains, and stormwater management areas.”

“The term ‘conservation subdivision design’ refers to residential developments where half or more of the buildable land area is designated as undivided, permanent open space” at a neutral density (same number of homes) to existing zoning.

Let’s have more of the first, and less of the later. Planners (and homebuilders), are you learning and listening?

Note: The original site plan for River Valley called for a conventional subdivision of 34 house lots of 80,000 square feet (just under two acres) each on the 85 acre site, taking up all but the unbuildable land.

Text courtesy Randall Arendt, Conservation Design for Subdivisions (A GREAT book if you don’t already own it!). Images courtesy LandChoices, and Randall Arendt, Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Codes, Island Press, 1999 (planners, this is a must read for ALL of you!)

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Urban gardens in Detroit gain popularity

urban gardens

Urban garden photo courtesy Kaitlin Slattery.

This post is written by guest blogger and friend Kaitlin Slattery. Thank you Kaitlin for the terrific information!

In the next year alone, hundreds of acres of urban farms and urban gardens in Detroit will be operational—and those numbers are only growing. In the next 10 years, a vision (see “A New Harvest for Detroit“) to convert up to 30,000 acres of abandoned, urban land into farms is already in the pilot testing stages.

Throughout many neighborhoods, a number of newly implemented urban gardens in Detroit have met much success. These gardens, organized by groups like the University Cultural Center Association, have brought communities together, changed the composition of abandoned property and educated its members on gardening and healthy eating.  

These urban gardens have even supported local restaurants which purchase the foods grown for signature dishes or, in some cases, to make locally-brewed beer.

One example of a successful urban garden is the North Cass Community Garden, located on the corner of West Willis and 2nd Avenue in midtown Detroit. With over 90 mixed plots (residential, commercial and handicap-accessible), the success of this garden has spurred the creation of another, on Palmer and John R roads, near the Science Center in Detroit.

For more pictures and to keep up with the North Cass Community Garden’s activities, check out or join its Facebook page.

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“Envisioning Better Communities” book is a gem

 

envisioning better communities planning book by Randall Arendt

Envisioning Better Communities, the new planning book by Randall Arendt, is a gem. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I’m a big fan.) 

This week I received a review copy of the book from the American Planning Association. I will review the book in a series of blog posts.

The subtitle, Seeing More Options, Making Wiser Choices, rings true. I’m a big believer in offering citizen planners better choices to avoid the kind of needless destruction that happened to my childhood town.

In the preface Randall Arendt says, “Part of the problem is that much change is incremental, gradually occurring one development at a time, making it difficult to perceive the cumulative impact.” So true.

The thing I like most about Envisioning Better Communities is that the book is “intended to supplement the meager training that local planning board members receive in most states…”  Written in a way that makes it easy for anyone without a formal planning background to understand, I think it will be a big hit with citizen planners. The book includes a wonderful chapter on conservation subdivision design.

I own and have read all of Randall Arendt’s books, and cherish each one for it’s practicality. This one is my favorite due to it’s simplicity.

“This is precisely the kind of tool local planners need,” author Bill Mckibben said in a testimonial to the book. I wholeheartedly agree. More soon.

Learn more about Envisioning Better Communities.

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Green development with Natural Neighborhoods, aka conservation subdivisions

Natural neighborhoods, also known as “conservation subdivisions“, “ecological development”, or “green development”, shown in this video, preserve natural areas, water, wildlife and working farmland.

Wildlife conservation and farmland conservation are an important part of natural neighborhoods, along with water conservation as large swaths of natural areas filter and absorb storm water.

Learn more about natural neighborhoods.

More Land Conservation Videos
Visit LandChoicesTV YouTube channel for more online videos.

Credits and Thank Yous
Saw Whet Owl image courtesy Carl R. Sams II Photography. Site map images courtesy Randall Arendt, Conservation Design for Subdivisions, Island Press, 1996. Women with dog image courtesy Tryon Farm. Lake photo courtesy www.jeffcaverly.com. LandChoices wishes to thank Animoto for their very generous Cause contribution.

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Visit our new blog to save Boy Scout, Girl Scout and outdoor camps for kids

Visit SaveCamps.org, our new blog to save Girl Scout, Boy Scout and other outdoor camps for kids. Please comment, share, subscribe and help us spread the word.

A big thank you to volunteer editor Ken Jacobsen for stepping up and helping make this happen to preserve camps for future generations.

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Help us build a new website to preserve land

You can help us raise funds for a new website to more efficiently protect water quality, natural areas, wildlife and working farmland near you. Our new website will help planners preserve land in your community.

The most important reason we are building a new website is to make it easier for you, the user, to locate information with an improved site navigation system.

With more and more people relying on the Web for information and research, it’s time for LandChoices to create the best website in the industry about protecting land with conservation subdivisions and more. Thank you in advance for your support!

Donate Now
Donate Now
 
 

 

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Create your own vision board

The following is a guest post by LandChoices’ friend Jordan Mercedes:

It’s not safe to care, but it’s good to care. Caring makes you walk on the edge of something burning strongly in your heart…and jump!

It’s scary to stand up when everyone else sits down. If we’re going to make a difference to save land, animals and do other good deeds, we have to make a decision to care.

Stand up for Natural Neighborhoods
If you are tired of seeing your open space, trees and animals disappear and conventional subdivisions emerge, stand up for natural neighborhoods (conservation subdivisions).

A crazy video is circulating on YouTube about kids at a park. One kid gets up and starts doing this wild dance. For a few minutes he’s all alone.

Create Your Own Vision Board
I’m launching my wild dance: The Biggest Vision Board Party in History to bring at least one vision board party to each state during Mother’s Day week, May2-9.  I’m passionate about seeing women and girls live their dreams.

I’m inviting you and your friends to host a vision board party to celebrate the dreams in your hearts. Paste photos,  images from magazines, and inspirational text to poster board to create your own vision board.

Will you do a wild vision board dance for the women in your state? Will you host a vision board party to promote natural neighborhoods? 

It’s Good to Care
So, the kid is out there dancing alone, soon another kid gets up, then another and another. We need to get a little unsafe and care, do good and dance…wildly dance.

I’ve got a lot of states to cover to make my wild dance dream come true. Do you want to dance?

Jordan Mercedes is an Artist and Creative Visionary. She’s passionate about living her dream and helping others do the same. You can contact Jordan at gallery@jordanmercedes.com to participate in the Biggest Vision Board Event.

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Preserve your community with natural neighborhoods aka conservation subdivisions

Enjoy our new short two minute test drive video through natural neighborhoods, aka conservation subdivisions. Less-wide, safer streets and swales instead of curb and gutter reduce stormwater run off pollution.

Large swaths of preserved land and natural landscaping filters stormwater, protects wildlife, groundwater, natural areas, and working farmland.

Please share this video with your local planning commission and others by clicking on the “Share/Save” link at the bottom of this post, and comment on it. You can copy the embedded code available on this page and paste it into your HTML code to post this video on your website.

Here’s a link to the video if you want to add this link to your website or e-mail it to others: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAirqLJpT08

Learn more at LandChoices.org.

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