Archive for July, 2011

Tweet A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Director to Planning and Development at the City of Phoenix, Debra Stark. We talked about all the different things the department is doing to encourage reuse of existing buildings, promote energy efficiency and take away barriers of building for small businesses. Merger of Planning and Historic Preservation with Development Services: The merger of three different but related departments initially occurred because of City budget cuts but according to Debra, it’s proven to be great for collaboration and the streamlining of services. About a year and a…

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July 25, 2011

Eddie Jones on Design in Ruin

by: Eddie Jones

Tweet Today’s post is by one of my favorite architects Eddie Jones. I heard Eddie speak at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference a few weeks ago about a new direction he’s taking with design. Find out why Eddie is tired of shiny new buildings and is more intrigued with the effects of time on the built environment. Edward (Eddie) Jones, with his business partner and brother Neal, were raised in the oil fields of Oklahoma. From a very early age the two bothers aspired to be architects and share a studio. Eddie was born in 1949 Texas and moved to…

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July 20, 2011

The Red Mountain Report

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet What’s happening at Red Mountain? Airconditioning: One of the existing airconditioners did work, although not very well as it was old. The other airconditioner didn’t work at all. So we replaced both with brand new Goodman 14-SEER units. The big AC-drop at Red Mountain. They have to use a crane to get those heavy units up on the roof! Normally you can get a $400 rebate from APS for installing a 14-SEER unit. However, we got a deal from a contractor that we trusted but was not APS-certified that significantly surpassed the benefits of the rebates so we decided…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Jennifer Gunther: Taking the bus, hopping on the light rail and walking have been my usual means of navigating the Valley for the past two years. Every mile I have ridden or block I have walked has offered me a unique experience that driving from Point A to Point B could not. Although driving is its own pleasure, public transportation should be a desirable option for all Phoenix-area residents. It is imperative in the desert heat, which is at its most intense this time of year, that Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs reconsider…

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July 18, 2011

Phoenix’s Need for New Public Squares

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: Phoenix’s park system is something of an enigma: part of it is breathtakingly wonderful, the other part embarrassing. The City’s desert and mountain preserve system is world class and a jewel all Phoenicians should be proud of.  However, Phoenix’s “traditional” parks and squares are poorly designed and often don’t even exist where you’d expect to find them. Phoenix has four areas that are either urban or semi-urban (Downtown, Midtown, Uptown & Biltmore), and not a single one of them has a well-designed urban park at their heart. In order for each…

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July 17, 2011

What’s All the Haboob About?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The haboob last week was a sight to see! Thankfully it didn’t do much damage, but it did start me thinking about the intensity of the dust storm and the fact that so little rain was associated with it here in Phoenix. I wrote a series exploring the haboob and its possible connections to urbanization for Firefly Living. Take a look: What’s All the Haboob About? Part I and What’s All the Haboob About? Part II Photo Credit: Photo of the July 2011 haboob by Daniel Bryant.  

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Tweet I’m currently reading Jill Bolte Taylor’s book, “My Stroke of Insight” about her experience with a stroke that left her with only the right side of her brain functioning. Having lost the use of her left brain, she found out first hand what it was responsible for.  One of the things the left part of our brains does is judge whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. For example, Jill, since her childhood, hated squash. But because of her stroke, she sort of forgot that and tried squash again in her adulthood and now she loves it….

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass. Last month I discussed the ideas behind meeting all your needs in a hyper-local environment, specifically with transit-oriented development areas in mind.  At the end, I challenged everyone to give it a whirl: “See if you can get everything you need, and some things you don’t really need, without ever getting in your car. I bet you’ll like what you find, and your local business-owners will love the support. “ Feeling a need to put my money where my mouth is, what follows is a case-study in doing just that within…

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July 10, 2011

11 Bicycle Films

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I watched To Live and Ride in LA at Filmbar, a brand new film about aggressive urban cycling in LA. I walked away from the movie entertained but feeling under-represented. It was all about young men, mostly in their early 20s, who ride fixed gear bikes in traffic in LA and in urban races often without breaks. It was thrilling to watch and the accompanying music was great, but what does that reckless kind of biking have to do with me? Plus all the riders profiled in the movie were men, not a single woman…

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July 06, 2011

6 Strategies at Red Mountain

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Red Mountain is a duplex that Paul and I just purchased located near 11th Avenue and Indian School.  It is a new project in the development arm of Blooming Rock. Here’s a photo: Here are the specs: 1. Originally built in 1959 2. Constructed of 4″ block. Yes, it’s block even behind the board and batten. My favorite part – check out the weeping mortar which adds a very mid-century flair to the place. 3. Red Mountain is composed of 2 units that are roughly about 950sf, with each unit having 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. Here are 6…

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