Archive for the ‘sustainability’ Category

October 25, 2010

Craving Green Breathing Space in a Fast-Paced City

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is a continuation of my series Learning from European Cities and I’d like to talk about the role of green space in urban life. In my past visits to European and South American cities, I’ve always been impressed by the green space embedded in their urban fabric in the form of beautiful, lush city parks. On my recent trip to Europe, I was particularly impressed with the green spaces in Brussels. This may partially be due to the fact that Paul and I stayed next to the Botanique, a beautiful and very old botanical garden right in…

October 12, 2010

Councilman Peggy Neely on City North and Downtown Development

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I spoke to Councilman Peggy Neely who’s formed an exploratory committee to see if she wants to run for Mayor in 2011. Councilman Neely’s is District 2 that includes Kierland Commons and City North. I was curious to find out, since her district is away from the central city, what her view is for Downtown. I was also curious to know about her position on City North as it is in her district. Also, I asked the Councilwoman about how we can support small businesses since as much of her district is home to lots…

October 11, 2010

Biking Infrastructure as Sign of Modernity and Progress

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet “Bruges is a biking city” declared the woman at the information counter at the train station when we arrived from Brussels. I found out first hand that she wasn’t kidding. Biking is an integral part of the infrastructure in Bruges, which is a tiny city in Belgium that has gotten a few big things right. And one of those things is their bicycle culture. Right from the get go, when we walked out of the train station, I saw a sea of bicycles parked outside: The woman at the information counter would later tell me that locals bike to…

October 05, 2010

Tom Simplot on the Impact of the Reversible Lanes on the Central Core and More

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I spoke with Councilman Tom Simplot, the councilman for District 4 in Phoenix. There is a possibility that Councilman Simplot may run for mayor in 2011, but he did not confirm one way or another during our interview. He did, however, answer questions about many of the things we find important at Blooming Rock such as historic preservation, sustainability, growth and the reversible lanes. Below is our conversation: Blooming Rock: Are you running for mayor? Councilman Simplot: I’ll tell you right now, no one should be saying definitively if they are running for mayor because…

October 04, 2010

Learning from European Cities: An Introduction

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet It’s good to be back in the Valley of the Sun! I had a fantastic time in Europe and learned a great deal about how dense urban centers work. I’d like to share what I learned over the coming weeks on Mondays in my Learning from European Cities Series. It’s true that Phoenix will never be and shouldn’t be a reproduction of a European city. We have very unique characteristics here, as well as a completely different climate and landscape, land availability, and cultural differences among other factors. However, there are a few universal things that work well in…

September 28, 2010

An Inexpensive, Eco-Friendly Solution to Connect Areas not Served by the Light Rail

by: Tony Arranaga

Tweet Continuing this week of guest posts by top-notch Phoenix writers and thinkers, today’s post is by the Light Rail Blogger, Tony Arranaga. Since 1995, Tony has worked in television newsrooms around the country. Tony started his career on the assignment desk at the West Coast Bureau for ABC News in Los Angeles. He then spent several years covering politics in both Tampa and Washington, D.C. before landing in Phoenix where he helped ABC 15/KNXV-TV grow a morning show audience. Tony’s new passion is mass transit and alternative transportation. He is the publisher of Light Rail Blogger – which talks…

September 15, 2010

Claude Mattox on the Sahara Hotel and the Reversible Lanes

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is part II of my interview with Councilman Claude Mattox who is running for Mayor in 2011. If you missed part I of the interview, catch it here. Below is the rest of our conversation: Blooming Rock: This is a question I’m sure you get a lot, what are your views on the reversible lanes? Councilman Mattox: My view of the reversible lanes is that they function the way they are designed. In lieu of having another freeway that runs north and south, they decided to do this (the reversible lanes) 40 years ago. My official position…

September 13, 2010

Claude Mattox talks about City North and Arizona’s Solar Future

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago, I sat down with Councilman Claude Mattox in his office on the 11th floor of City Hall and asked him questions about future development in Phoenix. I’ll be posting the interview in two parts. Part I is on Councilman Mattox’s views on Green Phoenix, City North, commuter rail, and attracting solar companies to our State. Councilman Mattox is running for Mayor in 2011. Below is Part I of our conversation: Blooming Rock: Tell me what your views are on the Green Phoenix plan and what your priorities would be to implement it if you get…

September 08, 2010

Engineered Shade is a Poor Substitute for a Vibrant Urban Forest

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet As I’ve discussed in the previous weeks on the Wednesday Phoenix Tree and Shade Masterplan series, the first step outlined in the Masterplan to restore our urban forest is Raising Awareness. The second is Preserve, Protect and Increase. Today I’ll be talking about the third and final step towards the Masterplan’s 2030 goal of a 25% canopy coverage in Phoenix – Sustainable, Maintainable Infrastructure. The goal of this step, according to the Masterplan, is to “Treat the urban forest as infrastructure to ensure that trees and engineered shade are an integral part of the city’s planning and development process”. …

September 07, 2010

Greg Stanton on Alternative Transportation and Historic Preservation in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is a continuation of my interview with Greg Stanton, the Deputy Attorney General who is thinking about running for Mayor of Phoenix in 2011. Read yesterday’s installment of the interview here. Blooming Rock: Mayor Gordon has this Green Phoenix plan. What do you think are the key aspects of becoming a green city? Greg Stanton: When I was chair of the committee that I talked about, (I oversaw) the carbon emissions plan of Central Phoenix. The Mayor’s plan I think is a good ambitious plan. We ought to always be looking for ways to be more environmentally…