Planning Commissioners Journal

The Next Generation of Your Planning Commission

From: Wayne Senville, Editor, PCJ, editor@plannersweb.com

I asked Kit Hodge, who is CEO of the Neighbors Project, if she'd be willing to write an article for the Planning Commissioners Journal, sharing her thoughts on ways in which local planning commissions can seek out younger members -- in particular, younger "Generation Xers" (born 1965-1980) and older "Millenials" (1981-1999). The Neighbors Project focuses on creative ways of involving people in their 20s and 30s in the civic life of their neighborhoods and cities.

We're reprinting below Kit's article, from our just-published Spring '08 issue. Consider posting your thoughts or feedback after you read her short article. What works best for involving younger generations in local planning? And do younger commissioners bring different "generational" perspectives?

Ready for Car Sharing?

For some good online resources on car sharing, take a look at: Dave Brook's CarSharing.us blog. Brook was founder of Carsharing Portland, the first commercial car sharing company in the U.S. in 1998. He later worked with Flexcar, which recently merged into Zipcar. Dave also recently posted a google map showing North American cities with car sharing programs. For links to a variety of newspaper articles on car sharing, go to CarSharing.net. Finally, here are some of the car sharing programs discussed in Hannah's article in the Planning Comm'rs Journal: -- PhillyCarShare -- Chicago I-GO -- Zipcar -- Enterprise Rent-A-Car -- Arlington, Virginia, Car Sharing -- San Francisco City CarShare

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Curious about one of the hottest trends in transportation. We've got an excellent article, "Ready for Car Sharing?" in our Spring issue. Written by our transportation columnist Hannah Twaddell, it will help you understand how car sharing works, and factors in successful programs. You can take a look at excerpts from Hannah's article and, if you're interested, order & download the full four-page article. Take a look also at the video clips at the end of this posting.

Right now, car sharing is more common in larger cities. But it's expanding to smaller places, especially where partnerships can work together to promote it -- and where neighborhoods have high enough densities to support it.

Private businesses such as Zipcar, U-Haul, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car are also expanding their neighborhood-based operations to more communities. For a recent article on this newly competitive environment, see "Warning to Zipcar: Traffic Ahead" (Boston Globe, Mar. 30, 2008).

But in smaller cities, it still usually takes a nonprofit to get a car sharing program underway.

PCJ General Manager Betsey Krumholz recently spoke with Annie Bourdon, Executive Director of a nonprofit car sharing program under development in Burlington, Vermont. Take note, in particular, of the supportive role being played by the county metropolitan planning organization (MPO), which sees the value car sharing can play in reducing overall vehicle use and benefitting the region's transportation infrastructure.

Car Sharing Comes to Vermont
by PCJ General Manager Betsey Krumholz

"Car sharing programs can be successful in a lot of communities," asserts Annie Bourdon of Green Mountain CarShare in Burlington, Vermont. "The key is in understanding the needs and habits of the community in which it operates."

Bourdon is heading up this new organization, on a mission "to provide an affordable, convenient, and reliable alternative to private car ownership that enhances the environmental, social and economic well-being of our region and planet." It is gearing up for operation in Burlington, a city of 39,000 residents,

Exchanging Local News: from Colonial Taverns to Email Networks

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Neighborhoods have long been a cornerstone to community life in America. But there have been some striking changes in how we keep abreast of local news and participate in neighborhood life.

Historians have documented the central role that taverns and coffee houses have long played as places for people to exchange news and information.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg has also highlighted the valuable service that these and other "third places," as he calls them, have performed in knitting together communities and integrating newcomers and immigrants into their new place of residence. Here's some of what Oldenburg had to say in an article we published in 1997:

"Americans long enjoyed third places in the form of the inns and ordinaries of colonial society, then as the saloons and general stores springing up with westward expansion. Later came the candy stores, soda fountains, coffee shops, diners, etc. which, along with the local post office, were conveniently located and provided the social anchors of community life.

... Third places also serve as "ports of entry" for visitors and newcomers to the neighborhood where directions and other information can easily be obtained. For new residents, they provide a means of getting acquainted quickly and learning where things are and how the neighborhood works."

In many neighborhoods, you'll still find these kind of gathering stops, sometimes taverns, sometimes grocery or convenience stores, sometimes a donut shop, and sometimes even the laundromat.

The Willard St. Market in Burlington, Vermont.

For years, a common sight outside many of these places was the message board, where neighbors left word about a missing dog, a yard sale, an apartment to rent, a community meeting ... and where candidates for city council, alderman, school board, or mayor placed their campaign posters.

But fast forward to 2008. Email is how we often "talk." Many bemoan this, feeling it has weakened civic life and resulted in a loss of connection within our neighborhoods. And, yes, count me among those who've made such claims.

Yet something quite remarkable has emerged over the past two years here in Burlington and Chittenden County, Vermont. A locally-developed email-based message service, called Front Porch Forum, has established itself as

Housing & Transportation Spending: Are They Related?

We all know that more and more people are driving longer and longer distances to get to work. But there's some surprising information I came across when, in catching up with some of my back reading, I read through A Heavy Load, a report prepared by the Center for Housing Policy, the research affiliate of the National Housing Conference.

A Heavy Load (available to download), examines "the combined housing and transportation cost burdens of working families in 28 metropolitan areas at the neighborhood level."

The bottom line, according to the report, is that working families "spend about 57 percent of their incomes on the combined costs of housing and transportation, with roughly 28 percent of income going for housing and 29 percent going for transportation." What's more, "while the share of income devoted to housing or transportation varies from area to area, the combined costs of the two expenses are
surprisingly constant."

Some of the data is downright scary. Looking at the average household budget in these metro areas, 27.4% is spent on housing and 20.2% on transportation (incidentally, those figures dwarf the 10.6% needed for food and the 4.7% spent on healthcare). But when looking at what the study defines as "working families" (with household incomes between $20,000 and $50,000) the portion of the typical household budget spent on transportation skyrockets to 29.6% (the share for housing is 27.7%).

Think about that for a minute. It's remarkable that approximately 30% of a "working family's" household's budget is going into transportation-related expenses -- and that the share substantially exceeds that spent on housing.

What's even more frightening is that since the study (which relied on 2000-2004 Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data), gas prices have sharply increased.

Eco-Municipalities Step Forward Naturally

• a power plant fueled entirely by a city's own solid waste.
• only bicycles and pedestrians allowed in the city's downtown center.
• an eco-industrial park built to minimize energy consumption.

That's just some of what makes Umea, Sweden (population 110,000) an eco-municipality, planner Sarah James pointed out during the annual meeting of the Vermont Planners Association.

James, the co-author with Torbjorn Lahti of The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices, has focused much of her consulting work on helping municipalities develop approaches to reducing local energy needs and become more environmentally-conscious.

Screenshot from the Umea Energi web site of their Dava power plant.

Eco-municipalities seek to weave long-term sustainability into the fabric of their community. It's an idea that's taken hold in Sweden (click on the British flag icon for English), but is starting to catch on in the U.S.

At the Upper Midwest Planning Conference last November, Anna Haines, Director of the Center for Land Use Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, described how twelve Wisconsin municipalities in the rural Chequamegon Bay area have moved towards becoming eco-municipalities.

Local residents have taken the lead in advocating for their city or town to adopt a resolution designating itself as an "eco-municipality." The process usually starts with interested individuals meeting in weekly "study circles" to educate

Attitudes on Development

From Wayne Senville, Editor, Planning Commissioners Journal:

What do Americans think of development in their communities? That was the focus of a nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans conducted this past Fall by the Saint Consulting Group (for more on what this consulting firm does, as posted on their web site).

According to the Saint Group, it's "the first [survey] of its kind to quantify and track the politics of land use, spotlighting who actively opposes and supports real estate-related projects and why."

But perhaps the most revealing finding of the survey (referred to as "the Saint Index") was the strong level of interest residents have in local land use issues. One of the first questions in the survey was:

"When considering candidates for county and local office, how important is their position on new development and growth?"

The responses:

• Very Important ........... 54.7%
• Somewhat Important .... 34.2%
• Not Very Important ......  7.0%
• Not Important at all......  2.4%
• Don't Know ................. 1.6%

The survey asked individuals to rate their level of support or opposition to a range of hypothetical projects. Here's the way these questions were worded:

"I am going to name some real estate projects. Please tell me how you would feel if each project was proposed in your community ... Single family homes / Apartment buildings or Condos / Office building / Grocery store / Large shopping plaza or mall / Landfill / ... " [and several other possible land uses].

Here's to Your Health (part II)

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

In Monday's post I wrote about the new health element in Richmond, California's general plan. But this focus on the relationship between public health and planning isn't just some California thing. At this month's national Smart Growth Conference, dozens of health professionals from across the country were in attendance, making connections with planners and local officials.

Take Columbus, Ohio. Planner Christina Godward (on left) was hired last year by Dr. Teresa Long, the city's health commissioner, to serve as the Public Health Department's "Healthy Places Coordinator." Godward's job is to bridge the gap between public health professionals and planners -- and also to work with neighborhoods to promote healthier living. As Long put it, "we needed a boundary spanner, someone with one foot in public health and the other in planning."

During the Conference, Godward described the "language" barriers between health and planning professionals, each with its own jargon and areas of emphasis. But a focus on increasing walkability and bikeability seems to be working. As she observed, "physical activity is something everyone 'gets,' adding that "it's hard to argue with health!"

One project has involved developing basic neighborhood walking maps.

The focus is on providing a simple map that indicates common daily destinations and possible walking routes within neighborhoods. (You can visit the site and download a map to see what they're like).

Here's to Your Health

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

One of the fascinating themes at this February's national Smart Growth Conference in Washington, D.C., was the connection between public health and planning. Health professionals, as well as planners, are increasingly recognizing the benefits of collaboration.

Richard Mitchell, Planning Director of Richmond, California (on right), Tracy Rattray of the Contra Costa County Health Service Department (left below), and planning consultant Daniel Iacofano spoke about work recently completed on adding a "health element" to the City's general plan.

Richmond is a city of 102,000 on the East Bay, north of Oakland. It faces some pressing public health issues, from the impacts of crime, to injuries to bicyclists and pedstrians caused by motorists, to concerns about industrial contaminants, to concerns about sedentary lifestyles leading to poor health.

In fact, in hearing what's in their plan's new health element, I was amazed by its breadth. Beyond issues such as access to medical services and to healthy foods, the plan also covers concerns as diverse as promoting "green and sustainable" development, providing improved access to public transit, and ensuring quality affordable housing.

The health element also contains a wealth of data, some of which was displayed during the Conference session. One example: maps showing "hot spots" where there have been a number of accidents involving bicyclists or pedestrians. As Rattray explained, this kind of mapped data will be valuable for the city in prioritizing where to make streetscape safety improvements.

Rattray made another quite interesting observation -- one I heard echoed by others at the Conference -- public health professionals add credibility to discussions about development, placing, as she put it, "environmental justice front and center."

One of the issues facing Richmond is alcohol use and its impact on neighborhoods. Background reserach for the health element indicated that: "The density of alcohol outlets correlates with density of ...

Hospital Boom(ers)

"There are $4 billion worth of projects underway in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. In western Pennsylvania, an additional 1 million square feet of hospital space will be added by 2009," from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Feb. 25, 2007).

"Hospital boom felt in rural areas: 3 projects totaling $158 million finished in last 6 months; more on way," reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Feb. 19, 2006).

"56 out of 148 Minnesota hospitals since 2002 have planned or are conducting new building or expansion projects. The projects' total is estimated (conservatively) at $1.57 billion," notes a discussion paper posted by Minnesota Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Wherever you turn, there are signs of a remarkable surge in hospital construction.

Hospitals Pitch Their Economic Impact

I was waiting to get my flu shot a few weeks ago. I happened to pick up a copy of a glossy brochure prepared by our local medical center, Fletcher Allen. While scanning through it and learning about all the great health care services they provide, I was a bit surprised to also see a "pitch" for the economic benefits Fletcher Allen brings to the area (see sidebar on the right).

In browsing online the other day, I quickly understood that Fletcher Allen was far from alone in highlighting these kinds of economic benefits. In fact, hospital after hospital, in all parts of the country, are touting the considerable impacts they have on the local economy.

Just two quick examples I ran across. The first, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, New York. Take a look at the Economic Impact Statement they've prepared -- which I'll quote briefly from:

"In 2004, the facility had an estimated total annual economic impact of $396,116,000. The hospital supported 2,970 jobs, which paid $16,138,000 in state and local personal income and sales taxes. Brookhaven Memorial Hospital employs 1,546 FTE’s, with a total payroll of $111,859,000

... Hospital payroll expenditures serve as an important economic stimulus, creating and supporting jobs throughout local and state economies ... Dollars earned by the Medical Center employees and spent on groceries, clothing, mortgage payments, rent, etc., generate approximately $238,540,000 in economic activity for the local economy ... The Medical Center spends about $66,990,000 per year on the goods and services it needs to provide health care -- for example, medical supplies, electricity for its buildings, and food for patients ... Brookhaven generate approximately $142,855,000 for the local economy."

And notice the concluding line of their report: "We urge our legislators, members of Congress, and community leaders to recognize that our hospital is instrumental to supporting our state and local economy and that vital steps need to be taken to continue to invest in New York States’ health care system."

Will the Electric Grid Fuel our Vehicles?

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

One of the most intriguing aspects of the arrival of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles in large numbers is their potential for bringing about a radical change in the relationship of the transportation and utility sectors of the economy.

That was a key theme at a conference on the future of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, sponsored by the University of Vermont (UVM) Transportation Research Center this past December 11th. See also my previous post, Plug-In Your Car and Save Dollars (and the Environment).

Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to dramatically shift the landscape in which transportation and utility companies operate. As vehicles "fueled" from electricity start to increase in number, utility companies will play a much more important role in the world of transportation.

Nancy Gioia, Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle Programs at Ford Motor Company, who also spoke at the UVM Conference, indicated that there's plenty of off-peak electric capacity available for PHEV growth -- in part because the 6 to 8 hours needed for recharging the battery would most often be done overnight, when electric demand is lowest.

Plug In Your Car & Save Dollars (and the Environment)

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

"Climate change is real ... we need to be part of the solution ... that's a significant shift for us."

That's part of the message Nancy Gioia (pronounced "joya") brought to a packed ballroom at the University of Vermont last month.

Gioia is head of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle Programs at Ford Motor Company. One of her priorities has been getting out a commercially viable plug-in electric hybrid car (PHEV, for short). In fact, Ford is in the process of delivering a fleet of its new "Escape" PHEVs to Southern California Edison for extensive testing and evaluation.

According to Gioia, Ford is firmly committed to these rechargeable vehicles that run on batteries, with the ability to shift to gas when the battery is drained (hence, the "hybrid" nature). Gioia cited J.D. Powers research indicating that by 2013, hybrid sales will exceed one million/year (about 254,000 hybrids were sold in the U.S. in 2006, over 25% in California).

Ford is not alone in rushing to PHEVs. General Motors is scheduled to roll out its "Volt" PHEV vehicle (GM, for reasons explained on their web site, doesn't call the Volt a "hybrid") in 2010/2011 -- and

Jamming in Green

From Planning Commissioners Journal Editor Wayne Senville:

The green build movement reached critical momentum this week, as more than 20,000 people: developers, contractors, engineers, architects, planners, students, and assorted elected officials, jammed into the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago for the 2007 International Greenbuild Conference.

Sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council, the Conference featured a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton, and well over 100 workshops and panel discussions. This was in addition to over 800 vendors who packed the exhibition hall (go to a post on Best Green Blogs for more on some of the vendors, including photos).

Wading into the largest lunch line I've ever encountered (see below), I was floored to see such enormous interest in green building practices. Another attendee had a similar reaction. And CNBC reporter Diana Olick reported that "I'm not often shocked, but I am today. And so were the folks running the convention. An unbelievable response, is all I can say. This place is so packed with people from all over the world that the registration line was literally two hours long."

Just across the street from the convention center was a sign bearing witness to the growing interest in green building: a new Chicago condominium project touting to potential buyers its green features.

At the start of the Conference, former President Clinton announced an initiative of the Clinton Foundation that will include:

• partnering with the City of Chicago to enable a "green overhaul" of privately-owned multi-tenant housing across the city, as well as of the enormous Sears Tower and Merchandise Mart buildings;
• a partnership with GE Real Estate to retrofit projects in GE's $72 billion global portfolio; and
• a major effort (with the U.S. Green Buildings Council) to create a "Green Schools" program to reduce energy consumption in K-12 schools, along with a comparable program aimed at colleges and universities.

Clinton noted in his remarks that "when it comes to climate change, the hurdles we face aren't technological, they're organizational ... the solution to the climate crisis isn't far off in the future -- it's in the buildings we inhabit, our civic infrastructure, and the way we organize our lives."

In terms of green building, Clinton observed that "what we have to do is prove that this is not a big bottle of castor oil that we're being asked to drink." Instead, he described green building as an enormous economic opportunity for the nation.

More on some of what I heard during the Conference in my next post.

Getting fannies on the bus

I sat in on a fascinating panel discussion last Friday at the University of Vermont (jointly hosted by the University's Center for Rural Studies & new Transportation Center). The focus, public transit in suburban and rural areas. On the panel: Dale Marsico, Director of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), Dan Dirks, CTAA's President, and Charles Carr, the organization's Vice-President.

Several quite interesting points were made:

1. Rural & suburban transit needs to be much more than a social services provider.

Yes, public transit is vitally important in transporting low-income folks and others with medical needs, disabilities, and without access to (or the ability to drive) a car. But, as Charles Carr -- who is also Director of the Mississippi DOT Public Transit Division -- pointed out, "transit is an important public service, not just a social service ... we have to build the image of transit as a service everyone can use."

2. The local funding match is a hurdle.

As Carr noted, "in Mississippi, we literally have more federal transit money than we can spend, because we can't match it with local funds." He added, "we have 27 operating casinos in the state, but not one penny goes to transit."

Why is it difficult to raise the local match? In part, transit operating funds are at a disadvantage in federal funding formulas, with a 50-50 federal/state-local match, instead of the 80-20 match common to road and bridge projects. It's easier to make the case for spending local dollars when the share is lower.

Perhaps of even greater importance, in my opinion, is that many of those who use and depend on public transit in rural and suburban areas simply don't have much political clout. So there's another reason why public transit needs to broaden its market.

2. Rising gas prices will lead to explosive growth in public transit use.

I know this is something we've heard before, but CTAA Director Dale Marsico is a firm believer. Here's what he had to say:

Wicked good, Boston!

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, "Boston had the highest percentage among large cities of employees who walk to work (13 percent). Nationally, 2.5 percent of us walked to work." That's based on data recently published from the 2005 American Community Survey.

Cheers to Boston! But before you quaff your brew, there's a bit of gloom in Beantown cause the trend line is down ... from 14 percent walking commuters in 1990. For those wanting a closer look at trends in the Hub, there's plenty of info. on the Boston Indicators Project web page.

And we won't say which U.S. city is at the bottom of the charts with a walk-to-work percentage of 0.9, except to give you three small hints: it's in Texas; it's home of a major league baseball team; and it's name does not begin with the letter "H."