Shows such as “Upstairs Downstairs”, and “Downton Abbey” are very popular
among some. The idyllic setting of the English estate exudes images of heaven.
Life is good, at times even for those in servitude. Does not every human being
have their place?
Imagine the elderly matriarch directing the young servants in the proper
place setting for an upcoming meal; explaining etiquette and what will be
expected of them.
Now let us reimagine. Rather than speaking to servants, this wise old
matriarch is speaking to her grandchildren and great grand children. Further,
when she was of their age she was being instructed in the same manner to carry
out the same duties.
Every child under their matriarchs tutelage has the same opportunity to
inherit or build a similar legacy to their forbearer.
The system is changed from one of disparity, master servant, to a value
centric system. The Matriarch is in the position to bestow values, and the
children are in a position to receive or inherit value; moral values, productive
societal norms, among others and even material value.
In this dynamic the matriarch conveys value, or you could say love, and the
children respond with a natural receiving nature and exuding beauty to the
matriarch. All the while the children grow in their own abilities to love. A
hierarchy of age and experience, rather than an arbitrary social standing is
created. You could call it a natural or true system of hierarchy.
The idyllic estate model entails a closeness to nature, a stewardship over
the land, which may take many forms. A working agricultural endeavor, providing
that closeness to nature, God, the cycles of the seasons, life and death,
existence itself, is just one template. Land dedicated to forestry, hunting, or
to creating beauty for all to share in the form of gardens is another. All add
value to the greater good and convey similar virtues.
People seeking values, a new system that is sustainable and self reliant, are
pursuing small scale organic, natural, farms and homesteads across the world,
particularly the first world. Market gardens, permaculture orchards, pastured
chickens and eggs, grass fed and grass finished beef, silvoculture; the list
goes on.
Many of those propagating such systems do not believe communal farming can
ever work well. Some recognize in such attempts that those run by people of a
shared religious faith do better than those of more humanist tendencies. The
missing common denominator is ‘universally shared values’ which I believe exists
in a family/tribal structure, yes, much more than amongst believers of a shared
faith..
Under the control of an extended family I see, a concept of anti-fragility
growing amongst contemporary thinkers and value seekers, being established. That
is not simply a sustainable system of life, but one that is not fragile, can
grow stronger under adversity. Only under an extended family can the vast
variety in food production necessary to handle adverse conditions, such as
natural disaster or societal breakdown, be achieved.
All farmers of this new, but really old, kind of agriculture limit their
scope due to not simply the limits of their personal manpower, but also the
limits of fulfillment one can experience in creating an extensive operation
through employees; employees that may or may not share the same passions as the
employer and may have disconnected interests as to the future of the
endeavor.
To the employed it is not a question of heritage but simply income, with
hopefully a somewhat shared idealism thrown in. Definitely an employee is not
family. You can call them family, but it never is the same.
Besides ‘mutually shared values’, which a good family naturally entails, one
of three tenants of my faith required for the creation of an ideal world, two
other elements are necessary. ‘Interdependence’ and ‘mutual prosperity.’ In such
a social structure of extended family, recognizing their reliance on the land,
these develop naturally. They are lessons that can also be extending to the
greater society as children grow and mature to take up their own positions in
society.
But not everyone can be a farmer if mankind is to express the full potential
of his God given nature. While such an estate can accommodate people of varying
talents and skill, and give loving support to the elderly or less fortunate,
other pursuits are best fostered amongst a population concentration.
Larger communities, rather than small, far excel in support for the highest
standards of learning and the arts. How is one to form an orchestra of the
highest caliber on such a family estate no matter how extended that family may
be? How would sport clubs be supported, or institutions of the highest learning,
but by a large concentration of people of similar disposition?
What about manufacture and industry?
The facilities in a classic estate model are generally grand and could
accommodate a variety of manufacturing or production models. With computers, CNC
machines and 3D printers, limits no longer exist to the creativity of man within
such a dynamic and supportive system of extended family.
Larger manufacturing endeavors could be supported by a factory town. I
believe small towns will be much more desirable living environments than our
current urban centers in the near future. More complex and advanced projects,
dependent upon complex supply chains would benefit from an urban, or better said
metropolitan environment.
Does the high percentage of people currently living in cities live in a state
of sustainability and resilience? I do not believe so, and today’s system is
certainly not anti-fragile. It is far too dependent on easily disrupted
distribution systems that if broken would lead to urban societal collapse.
I believe personally no more than one third of the world’s population can
exist in an urban environment in an ideal world. And those cities would need to
be more resilient than they currently are. I will be expounding on this and
other points in the future.
In this pursuit of the ideal of, ‘interdependence, mutually prosperity and
universally shared values’ I believe the social structure necessary to achieve
this goal is absolutely clear, without doubt. It is the extended family. Any
honest and objective observation of history, of societies of goodness, will
reveal the importance of strong family structures.
What other constructs best serve the goal of ‘interdependence, mutual
prosperity and universally shared values?’ What is the ideal built environment?
What institutions and sustainable practices will create productivity, anti-
fragility, health in body and mind and allow mankind to strive for the highest
endeavors, to reach the stars?
These will be the issues this blog will be addressing. I hope any and all
interested parties will share freely, that we may pursue these goals together,
learning from each other for best possible solutions.
Thank you for reading.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Friday, February 23, 2018
Even More FOXCONN Jobs
I have no connection to or knowledge of the development plans of FOXCONN, the
associated municipalities or developers concerning the FOXCONN campus here in
Wisconsin.
For any developers or municipal planners that are eager to cover existing farmlands with housing and commercial, I hope you will read to the end.
Farm to table, local grown and organic produce are in high demand. Farmer’s markets are popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a rain. Farmer’s market numbers are rising dramatically year after year across the country. And what demographic is driving the market for access to unprocessed, natural, fresh food? Millenials.
Public Television’s Nightly Business Report recently covered the growing trend of millenials turning to farming; small scale sustainable farming. Silicon Valley has invested millions in supporting new and innovative agriculture, particularly urban agricultural, systems.
Sustainability is highly valued among our upcoming generations. The transportation of our foods across vast distances is unsustainable. It consumes fossil fuels unnecessarily. The nutritional value of fresh produce drops drastically in direct relation to the time it takes to get to one’s table. Our soils are being depleted by agricultural practices of monoculture and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, further depleting nutritional value. Grains whose genetics are produced in a laboratory have yet to be understood ramifications on health and the ecosystem.
All this and more is driving younger generations away from industrialized agriculture and the foods it produces. Perhaps it is not the agricultural job, but how the agricultural industry is operating that has produced the agricultural worker shortage here in Wisconsin. I see nothing but enthusiasm and dedication in the sustainable farming movement.
But above all when planning new development, emergency preparedness should take precedent. Public safety is in jeopardy in the event of war, terrorist attack or a natural disaster that could disrupt or shut down our transportation system and or power grid. Yes we have plenty of beer and milk here in Wisconsin to sustain ourselves for quite some time, but how will the people of Chicago or New York be fed If no food stuffs are being brought in to stock the grocery store shelves? Where will these citizens go when they run out of food?
Market gardens, organic farms, permaculture orchards, aquaponics, hydroponics and an increasing number of innovative food production techniques are being developed in North America and other regions in a desire to provide local healthy food for all. New small scale highly profitable (in many cases) farms are developing all across the developed world. And who are the majority of these new innovative farmers? Millenials.
What I am proposing is a green/agricultural corridor to be established between Milwaukee county and the Illinois border, between Lake Michigan and I94. Big stretches of this area is still farmland. Dedicating ten square miles to small scale sustainable agriculture would only cover about 30% (maybe less) of the farm/open land presently existing in the described zone. The long term goal would be to create a fresh produce basket for the ever growing surrounding metropolitan area.
From a planning perspective, in regards to FOXCONN’s desire to keep all their suppliers close by, I suggest an option that may be, as far as I am aware, in the works already; a variation of a bus rapid transit corridor to run North to south parallel to the expressway. From General Mitchell Airport to the Kenosha Airport would make up its furthest extents, with continuation of public transit to downtown Milwaukee and to the Chicago Metra System.
But not only buses and emergency vehicles would be allowed. Pre approved cargo transport would be allowed to facilitate manufacturing along the corridor. I am confident bike paths could be worked in easily. No automobiles allowed at all; a completely dedicated corridor to support manufacturing, and to keep industrial development parallel and close to I94.
Well developed north south highways already exist through Racine and Kenosha counties, Highway 31 in particular, east of I94. I propose no more north south road expansion of roadways, and east west corridors to be developed only where they lead directly to I94 access. There is more than enough opportunity for commercial development along existing highly developed roadways and in small towns and crossroad communities.
In regards to flood control, rather than building extensive sewer systems to handle rain runoff, systems that require public maintenance and repair, development can be designed to absorb any potential flood waters. The lower Fox River floods nearly annually. Some streets in the city of Kenosha flood regularly in heavy thunderstorms. A new approach is required in land development. It is absolutely required to attract millenials, FOXCONN’s target for employment.
The Village Homes Davis, CA, development is an early model for such development, though it was not planned as a farming community. It is a development that promotes community vegetable gardens and vineyards, and the propagation of a large variety and quantity of fruit trees in residential yards. When Davis, CA faced severe flooding Village Homes absorbed the flood waters into its gardens, orchards and stands of trees. This residential development maintains a density similar to surrounding developments. Such developments were lobbied against in California by the real estate lobby as people living there never moved.
Do we want nothing but a concrete jungle from Milwaukee to Chicago east of I94? I took a wrong turn in Chicago once. They do not even line all their streets with trees; nothing but pavement. Though our upcoming generations may have no desire to care for vast swatches of manicured lawn, if they desire a residence outside the city at all, they desire property with a purpose. Even if it is merely dedicated to the preservation of wetlands or property covered in timber that can clean the air and be harvested to preserve outlying pristine forests.
Development along the lines I suggest can draw workers form all across the country, even California, or especially so. It will foster restaurants that can serve some of the highest quality food in the world to not only the executive guild, but all. An urban agrarian development will refresh our air, rejuvenate our soils, and make the four season popular again.
Development that supports and allows families to thrive, development that plants family roots deep whereas they do not want to move, developments that support healthy work ethics appear to me to be the kind of development that produces workers any industry would fight over. Development that promotes healthy living and eating lowers demands on our healthcare system; an employer’s bottom line.
Interacting with nature, working the land, has been shown to be rehabilitative for some, therapeutic for those suffering from trauma, and simply healthy for the development of our young people. Scores of YouTubers are living such a life and the one overwhelmingly common statement made by this group is, “This is how we want to raise my children.”
Farms? Yes, property tax issues aside, I propose residential development on land that will keep its agricultural potential, whether that be land remaining zoned as agriculture or through municipal ordinance.
High rotation market garden farmers across the world can gross $100,000 on a quarter acre. Considering one can own, rent or borrow the land, and that there is access to water, this figure can be reached within three to five years by a properly motivated astute business person with an initial equipment and supply investment of approximately $7,000 to $15,000. Yes, $100,000 gross on a quarter acre. Five acres alone can underpin a thriving organic farm or permaculture orchard, supporting varied lot sizes of one plus acre to five be planned.
Markets for the farm’s produce? Farmer’s markets, local grocers including Sendik's (Sendik's Fresh2Go) Metcalf's and Metro Mart are all-in with the farm to table, local grown movement. Not to mention Whole Foods now owned by Amazon, with a distribution center right here, a company looking to deliver produce directly to your doorstep, as do others such as Pea Pod. Kwik Trip sells produce and runs their own farms. Restaurants from Milwaukee to Chicago, and even FOXCONN cafeterias would all be in the market for high quality fresh grown fruits and vegetables.
Some may argue that the markets cannot support small scale, quality produce farming as prices will drop as the supply increases. People in the field will tell you, yes, the prices may drop a bit but the demand continues to rise as more people seek quality nutritionally dense produce. Also both low tech and high tech equipment is continually being developed to increase production. Why? Because there is a demand for that equipment; in other words there are a whole lot of people already farming at this scale and quality. The paper pot trans-planter is one of many examples; reducing a week’s work to less than a day. Correspondingly, rising demand for tools and equipment, an item such as a greenhouse, produces competition and lower tool and equipment costs.
First and foremost the need is to draw workers to the region for the FOXCONN manufacturing boom. I believe development focused on sustainable living will be that draw. I am not propose artificially establishing hundreds of small farms in the proposed target zone, I am proposing creating the potential for such business development through planning. It is a vision that may take a generation or more to come to fruition in its entirety. As families grow, a stay at home parent will be empowered to delve into such endeavors, if they desire, as their spouse works full time in this new manufacturing paradise. The markets are here. The demand definitely exists. The trend for small scale sustainable farming and living is rising.
The small scale farm, where the soil is treated as a living organism, organic practices are held in high regard and nutritional density is of paramount importance is the wave of the future. The number of such farms will continue to increase into perpetuity.
Up and coming families recognize the great benefits technology of the highest caliber brings. They also observe a tendency for people to become lost in the delusion of a virtual world that lacks true human interaction and accountability. They yearn for a life that is true for all, a society that understands we are accountable to the people and world around us, if we are to survive and prosper.
Related Videos
Joel Salatin speaks at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBZgANtcXm8
Geoff Lawton on Urban Agriculture and Village Homes Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8xUIncH9t0&list=PLOq3hRD2l1WyvUzuV7P0Owr_yNatsTtAG
Curtis Stone the Urban Farmer with Diego Footer on the ten most innovative small farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ATgiz1wNw&list=PL0-eENDJNcJCw_TIE6mOgJO3HSS5KuqSZ&index=44
A five acre profitable permaculture orchard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3riW_yiCN5E
Part time small farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRlmPRLUPwk&list=PL0-eENDJNcJCw_TIE6mOgJO3HSS5KuqSZ&index=37
Expanded View
There are 640 acres in a square mile. A one mile by ten mile area zoned agriculture with an average lot size of four acres creates 1,600 residences with the potential of an equal number of secondary residences. That is the potential for over 1,000 independent small businesses. Most farms of this scale, each innovating to find their own niche and path to profitability, are larger than a quarter acre and hire full and part time workers.
There is three times that area in open land and farms within the parameters I have given.
Once a critical mass in number of farms and their production is achieved, drawing the eyes of restaurateurs and grocers, home owners in these agricultural residential developments, resident would be free to opt to grow one or two crops a year as a secondary income. Tens of thousands of dollars of secondary income could be collected with a minimal, yet at times concentrated, use of One’s time.
An APP called “Crop Swap” allows one to post what they have available and negotiate a price for their produce. One could include the harvesting of the said crop in one’s proposal because working at FOXCONN they don’t have the time for the concentrated hours at harvest.
Appears a bit altruistic? Consider that the products not only hold demand on the market but by the growers themselves.
My peach tree has given us delicious fruit for over a decade now. Planting five peach trees a year, reaching near 100 peach trees after twenty years and continually planting to maintain 100 productive trees, on less than one acre one can produce three tons of peaches. Make those dwarf trees, one can grow over 1000 trees on an acre and produce 20 tons of fruit or more.
Of course varying your fruit trees for different harvest dates, and expanding to five acres in permaculture fashion the potential for 100 tons of fruit is possible. That is 200,000 pounds of various fruits along with, if one desires, berries and nuts. Memberships can be sold for ‘you pick’ harvest that can bring well over $1 per pound average return. Or a middle man can harvest and market all the produce; harvesting the fruit one day and having the fresh produce in grocery stores the same or next day.
Greenhouse growing could produce crops year round, along with indoor aquaponic and hydroponic operations. The micro environment created by proximity to Lake Michigan and a surrounding thermal mas of urban and industrial development also allows a longer growing system.
Old urban industrial structures are often converted into indoor aquaponic and hydroponic growing facilities. Micro greens and wheat grass are best produced indoors.
Separating food waste in one’s trash is a trend in some parts of the country. It is recycled in worm farms that produce a high quality natural fertilizer to rebuild starving soils. These systems and businesses already exist along with other related business models. The number of existing connected businesses is expansive.
Such a sustainable and visionary social development will draw workers from all over the country. It is a philosophy of living that will also attract craftsman of every type. I see blacksmiths, potters and glass blowers a match for such enlightened citizens.
In the near future I hope to write a day in the life of one such individual living in a society this region may become under such a vision; a world of people living real lives integrated with the most cutting edge technologies.
For any developers or municipal planners that are eager to cover existing farmlands with housing and commercial, I hope you will read to the end.
Farm to table, local grown and organic produce are in high demand. Farmer’s markets are popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a rain. Farmer’s market numbers are rising dramatically year after year across the country. And what demographic is driving the market for access to unprocessed, natural, fresh food? Millenials.
Public Television’s Nightly Business Report recently covered the growing trend of millenials turning to farming; small scale sustainable farming. Silicon Valley has invested millions in supporting new and innovative agriculture, particularly urban agricultural, systems.
Sustainability is highly valued among our upcoming generations. The transportation of our foods across vast distances is unsustainable. It consumes fossil fuels unnecessarily. The nutritional value of fresh produce drops drastically in direct relation to the time it takes to get to one’s table. Our soils are being depleted by agricultural practices of monoculture and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, further depleting nutritional value. Grains whose genetics are produced in a laboratory have yet to be understood ramifications on health and the ecosystem.
All this and more is driving younger generations away from industrialized agriculture and the foods it produces. Perhaps it is not the agricultural job, but how the agricultural industry is operating that has produced the agricultural worker shortage here in Wisconsin. I see nothing but enthusiasm and dedication in the sustainable farming movement.
But above all when planning new development, emergency preparedness should take precedent. Public safety is in jeopardy in the event of war, terrorist attack or a natural disaster that could disrupt or shut down our transportation system and or power grid. Yes we have plenty of beer and milk here in Wisconsin to sustain ourselves for quite some time, but how will the people of Chicago or New York be fed If no food stuffs are being brought in to stock the grocery store shelves? Where will these citizens go when they run out of food?
Market gardens, organic farms, permaculture orchards, aquaponics, hydroponics and an increasing number of innovative food production techniques are being developed in North America and other regions in a desire to provide local healthy food for all. New small scale highly profitable (in many cases) farms are developing all across the developed world. And who are the majority of these new innovative farmers? Millenials.
What I am proposing is a green/agricultural corridor to be established between Milwaukee county and the Illinois border, between Lake Michigan and I94. Big stretches of this area is still farmland. Dedicating ten square miles to small scale sustainable agriculture would only cover about 30% (maybe less) of the farm/open land presently existing in the described zone. The long term goal would be to create a fresh produce basket for the ever growing surrounding metropolitan area.
From a planning perspective, in regards to FOXCONN’s desire to keep all their suppliers close by, I suggest an option that may be, as far as I am aware, in the works already; a variation of a bus rapid transit corridor to run North to south parallel to the expressway. From General Mitchell Airport to the Kenosha Airport would make up its furthest extents, with continuation of public transit to downtown Milwaukee and to the Chicago Metra System.
But not only buses and emergency vehicles would be allowed. Pre approved cargo transport would be allowed to facilitate manufacturing along the corridor. I am confident bike paths could be worked in easily. No automobiles allowed at all; a completely dedicated corridor to support manufacturing, and to keep industrial development parallel and close to I94.
Well developed north south highways already exist through Racine and Kenosha counties, Highway 31 in particular, east of I94. I propose no more north south road expansion of roadways, and east west corridors to be developed only where they lead directly to I94 access. There is more than enough opportunity for commercial development along existing highly developed roadways and in small towns and crossroad communities.
In regards to flood control, rather than building extensive sewer systems to handle rain runoff, systems that require public maintenance and repair, development can be designed to absorb any potential flood waters. The lower Fox River floods nearly annually. Some streets in the city of Kenosha flood regularly in heavy thunderstorms. A new approach is required in land development. It is absolutely required to attract millenials, FOXCONN’s target for employment.
The Village Homes Davis, CA, development is an early model for such development, though it was not planned as a farming community. It is a development that promotes community vegetable gardens and vineyards, and the propagation of a large variety and quantity of fruit trees in residential yards. When Davis, CA faced severe flooding Village Homes absorbed the flood waters into its gardens, orchards and stands of trees. This residential development maintains a density similar to surrounding developments. Such developments were lobbied against in California by the real estate lobby as people living there never moved.
Do we want nothing but a concrete jungle from Milwaukee to Chicago east of I94? I took a wrong turn in Chicago once. They do not even line all their streets with trees; nothing but pavement. Though our upcoming generations may have no desire to care for vast swatches of manicured lawn, if they desire a residence outside the city at all, they desire property with a purpose. Even if it is merely dedicated to the preservation of wetlands or property covered in timber that can clean the air and be harvested to preserve outlying pristine forests.
Development along the lines I suggest can draw workers form all across the country, even California, or especially so. It will foster restaurants that can serve some of the highest quality food in the world to not only the executive guild, but all. An urban agrarian development will refresh our air, rejuvenate our soils, and make the four season popular again.
Development that supports and allows families to thrive, development that plants family roots deep whereas they do not want to move, developments that support healthy work ethics appear to me to be the kind of development that produces workers any industry would fight over. Development that promotes healthy living and eating lowers demands on our healthcare system; an employer’s bottom line.
Interacting with nature, working the land, has been shown to be rehabilitative for some, therapeutic for those suffering from trauma, and simply healthy for the development of our young people. Scores of YouTubers are living such a life and the one overwhelmingly common statement made by this group is, “This is how we want to raise my children.”
Farms? Yes, property tax issues aside, I propose residential development on land that will keep its agricultural potential, whether that be land remaining zoned as agriculture or through municipal ordinance.
High rotation market garden farmers across the world can gross $100,000 on a quarter acre. Considering one can own, rent or borrow the land, and that there is access to water, this figure can be reached within three to five years by a properly motivated astute business person with an initial equipment and supply investment of approximately $7,000 to $15,000. Yes, $100,000 gross on a quarter acre. Five acres alone can underpin a thriving organic farm or permaculture orchard, supporting varied lot sizes of one plus acre to five be planned.
Markets for the farm’s produce? Farmer’s markets, local grocers including Sendik's (Sendik's Fresh2Go) Metcalf's and Metro Mart are all-in with the farm to table, local grown movement. Not to mention Whole Foods now owned by Amazon, with a distribution center right here, a company looking to deliver produce directly to your doorstep, as do others such as Pea Pod. Kwik Trip sells produce and runs their own farms. Restaurants from Milwaukee to Chicago, and even FOXCONN cafeterias would all be in the market for high quality fresh grown fruits and vegetables.
Some may argue that the markets cannot support small scale, quality produce farming as prices will drop as the supply increases. People in the field will tell you, yes, the prices may drop a bit but the demand continues to rise as more people seek quality nutritionally dense produce. Also both low tech and high tech equipment is continually being developed to increase production. Why? Because there is a demand for that equipment; in other words there are a whole lot of people already farming at this scale and quality. The paper pot trans-planter is one of many examples; reducing a week’s work to less than a day. Correspondingly, rising demand for tools and equipment, an item such as a greenhouse, produces competition and lower tool and equipment costs.
First and foremost the need is to draw workers to the region for the FOXCONN manufacturing boom. I believe development focused on sustainable living will be that draw. I am not propose artificially establishing hundreds of small farms in the proposed target zone, I am proposing creating the potential for such business development through planning. It is a vision that may take a generation or more to come to fruition in its entirety. As families grow, a stay at home parent will be empowered to delve into such endeavors, if they desire, as their spouse works full time in this new manufacturing paradise. The markets are here. The demand definitely exists. The trend for small scale sustainable farming and living is rising.
The small scale farm, where the soil is treated as a living organism, organic practices are held in high regard and nutritional density is of paramount importance is the wave of the future. The number of such farms will continue to increase into perpetuity.
Up and coming families recognize the great benefits technology of the highest caliber brings. They also observe a tendency for people to become lost in the delusion of a virtual world that lacks true human interaction and accountability. They yearn for a life that is true for all, a society that understands we are accountable to the people and world around us, if we are to survive and prosper.
Related Videos
Joel Salatin speaks at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBZgANtcXm8
Geoff Lawton on Urban Agriculture and Village Homes Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8xUIncH9t0&list=PLOq3hRD2l1WyvUzuV7P0Owr_yNatsTtAG
Curtis Stone the Urban Farmer with Diego Footer on the ten most innovative small farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ATgiz1wNw&list=PL0-eENDJNcJCw_TIE6mOgJO3HSS5KuqSZ&index=44
A five acre profitable permaculture orchard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3riW_yiCN5E
Part time small farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRlmPRLUPwk&list=PL0-eENDJNcJCw_TIE6mOgJO3HSS5KuqSZ&index=37
Expanded View
There are 640 acres in a square mile. A one mile by ten mile area zoned agriculture with an average lot size of four acres creates 1,600 residences with the potential of an equal number of secondary residences. That is the potential for over 1,000 independent small businesses. Most farms of this scale, each innovating to find their own niche and path to profitability, are larger than a quarter acre and hire full and part time workers.
There is three times that area in open land and farms within the parameters I have given.
Once a critical mass in number of farms and their production is achieved, drawing the eyes of restaurateurs and grocers, home owners in these agricultural residential developments, resident would be free to opt to grow one or two crops a year as a secondary income. Tens of thousands of dollars of secondary income could be collected with a minimal, yet at times concentrated, use of One’s time.
An APP called “Crop Swap” allows one to post what they have available and negotiate a price for their produce. One could include the harvesting of the said crop in one’s proposal because working at FOXCONN they don’t have the time for the concentrated hours at harvest.
Appears a bit altruistic? Consider that the products not only hold demand on the market but by the growers themselves.
My peach tree has given us delicious fruit for over a decade now. Planting five peach trees a year, reaching near 100 peach trees after twenty years and continually planting to maintain 100 productive trees, on less than one acre one can produce three tons of peaches. Make those dwarf trees, one can grow over 1000 trees on an acre and produce 20 tons of fruit or more.
Of course varying your fruit trees for different harvest dates, and expanding to five acres in permaculture fashion the potential for 100 tons of fruit is possible. That is 200,000 pounds of various fruits along with, if one desires, berries and nuts. Memberships can be sold for ‘you pick’ harvest that can bring well over $1 per pound average return. Or a middle man can harvest and market all the produce; harvesting the fruit one day and having the fresh produce in grocery stores the same or next day.
Greenhouse growing could produce crops year round, along with indoor aquaponic and hydroponic operations. The micro environment created by proximity to Lake Michigan and a surrounding thermal mas of urban and industrial development also allows a longer growing system.
Old urban industrial structures are often converted into indoor aquaponic and hydroponic growing facilities. Micro greens and wheat grass are best produced indoors.
Separating food waste in one’s trash is a trend in some parts of the country. It is recycled in worm farms that produce a high quality natural fertilizer to rebuild starving soils. These systems and businesses already exist along with other related business models. The number of existing connected businesses is expansive.
Such a sustainable and visionary social development will draw workers from all over the country. It is a philosophy of living that will also attract craftsman of every type. I see blacksmiths, potters and glass blowers a match for such enlightened citizens.
In the near future I hope to write a day in the life of one such individual living in a society this region may become under such a vision; a world of people living real lives integrated with the most cutting edge technologies.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Publishing
If you are wondering why this, one of my many blogs has been without content for sometime it is not out of a lack of interest. I am planning to publish my views. A more complete and comprehensive view on planning and design will be put together in a book. A unique view of economics with historic perspective will be the foundation for developing many views shared in previous posts into a substantive thesis. Morals, ethics and the role of nature, God’s creation, in man’s lives will make this a complete work on planning.
Without an understanding of the designer of this world and His design one’s work is lacking no matter how useful it may be perceived. It is only when we understand God’s design, like his laws of physics, geology and the nature of materials can a building stand. When we go beyond the physical truths and touch the reality of God’s nature can one create lasting beauty and relevance. This suggests the most advanced thought and views on God and his purposes will capture men’s imaginations. We’ll see.
Of my two published works, “Struggles, A Pair of Short Stories” will be available free, the Kindle version, this Saturday, Sunday and Monday; December 14-16, 2013. Look for other free promotions in the future. You can click on the cover to download the book.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Form Follows Function
When I lived in Korea I noticed something that as a westerner I found annoying. As a church worker living in a small shack behind the Minister’s home, the chapel comprising the entire second floor of the two story structure, I could hear the phone ring. At that time there were no cell phones, only landlines. It was a traditional phone with a traditional loud ring for those of us who are old enough to quickly recollect what a traditional ring sounds like. Did I mention it was loud?
Often the phone rang and rang and rang without ceasing. Why the person would not simply hang up when no one answered is part of the eastern character I am attempting to convey here. The complimentary side of that annoying attribute is explained as follows.
Hearing the phone ringing continuously, bothering me to no end, I often jumped up from what I was doing and ran into the church residence and answered the phone. Of course the person on the other end would be seeking the minister. Instinctively, though I could only imagine no one was home, I would call out for the minister. And this ritual held over and over would end in most all cases the same way. The minister’s head would pop out around the corner from his office and he would calmly respond, “Yea” yes.
Western civilization may attribute its technical dominance of the world to its ability to observe absolutely everything, seeking to understand how it all works. This attribute might have served an undeveloped civilization well. But in this era of information overload does the eastern attribute of simply ignoring what one is not focused on in the moment a superior approach in this modern age?
We are overly consumed with not only information but material, and data devices rule the day. I find it liberating to get out into the forest, leaving the Internet, TV and even my phone behind. I long for the day when you needed to be home to receive a phone call and what was going on in the moment in your own life held prominence without the urge, the temptation to instantly share what one is up to at any specific instance. Always concerned with how we are perceived by others than simply on how we are is not healthy.
But the data craze cannot be ignored. The personal computer empowered small businesses and then radically transformed the home as prices came down and software was designed to meet near every demand of business and fancy. The family room has become a colder more industrial space dominated by the TV, computer desk and gaming systems. The formal space has little to no time to be appreciated. Aesthetics and decorum are ignored.
The tablet is the latest craze. And why will they fail? Because no one really needs a device equivalent in power and function to their laptop, or desktop, to carry around with them. And there is a cheaper alternative that meets the functions people are seeking in a tablet; the e-reader.
Kindle has just come out with their Kindle Fire for $199. It is in color, uses a version of Google’s android and has hundreds of apps to chose from. In short, with access to sites such as Facebook, the ability to game and listen to music along with not only one’s library but to receive subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, what more does one need in a tablet. And the Barnes and Noble Nook Color does much the same thing.
The tablet is folly. Producing a product whose form far exceeds its desired function when a superior product, a product whose form does follow function, already exists. In fact the e-reader was design from bottom up to match the most desired functions of what a tablet should be. The tablet’s starting point was to replace the laptop. You can’t replace a full scale operable keyboard with a touch screen. But many are willing to throw their money away on the latest craze.
The e-reader will not be the end of print. The bookshelf may become the instrument for the return of the formal, the disciplined, the refined in life and home. The quality and topics of ones books displayed to convey a message of, who the person who lives here is; a showcase. Much more traditional, aesthetically attractive than the cold clutter of a compute terminal in ones home. An instrument that will inspire the resident to simply sit down and take some time to read. To read in that quiet isolated realm of one’s own mind; imagination.
In fact with the laptop, the e-reader or tablet for the fool hardy, along with entertainment and gaming systems being confined to rooms designed for their specific function, the home, free of the desktop in all areas including the bedroom, will revert to much more traditional design. The formal spaces returning to importance and focus can only promote civilized relations in a world where relationships are suffering at the hands of materialism.
And of course I cannot ignore the technology that is the greatest transformation of the family space since the development of the television; The flat panel TV. The old boob tube TV no longer dominates the space, protruding into the center of any space it is placed in. And due to the laptop the desktop has come full circle, returning to the domain of business where it is best suited.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Scale
Geography is an interesting study.
Dictionary.com describes it as such.
1. the science dealing with the areal differentiation of the earth's surface, as shown in the character, arrangement, and interrelations over the world of such elements as climate, elevation, soil, vegetation, population, land use, industries, or states, and of the unit areas formed by the complex of these individual elements.
It is a science applied to the urban/human environment just as much, if not more, as it is to what is described as the natural environment. An understanding of the science essential to the urban planner. A study of relationships that can be experienced, come natural to some (everyone is gifted with their own form of genius) or can be learned. Urban geography being the focus of one of my honor classes when I was in school.
SARUP has had an outstanding and diverse array of lecturers for their Friday Afternoon Live, FAL, lecture series. Included in the past was an urban geographer/planner. After the lecture I asked a question concerning high speed rail. I questioned whether the traditional downtown or the airport, Chicago being the city in question, was more appropriate for a high speed rail hub. I suggested a slower system was appropriate to bring people into the Loop. The response to my query was, 'but it's not high speed rail' as if all rail must now be high speed.
Being the last question of the night, received with a bit of uncertainty and trepidation as all my questions are, I didn't push the issue. But in my view the issue is two fold; one is economics, the other scale.
I find this knee jerk reaction that all rail must be high speed rail even when it isn't, like what was planned for here in Wisconsin, not unsettling but uninspiring. Birds of a feather the common phrase that comes to mind describes it best. Those of a certain belief flock together and then need to invest far less to justify or sell their ideas. My ideas expressed here in this blog concerning high speed rail are not unique either. There are groups that promote using high speed rail to connect airports and those that believe in a much more personal scale of fixed public transportation; personal rapid transit systems.
First of all the cost of high speed rail is very ...high. Yes, minimal government producing a vibrant economy would create plenty of funds for such amenities that most often don't turn a profit, but may be considered beneficial overall in high density or traffic conditions. I do not believe most parts of the world will achieve such population densities to justify the wide spread use of traditional high speed rail. I advocated a much smaller scale system for the Milwaukee-Madison corridor. We will always have New York and Tokyo, among others, as part of the human experience, but man is far better off living closer to nature, in greener environments. I am better for my experiences living in such high density areas, and some could easily show their benefits to the world economy, global interaction and development. But how many mega metropolitan areas do we need?
So I do not believe we need to plan such density for new or growing cities. We do not need such a large scale high speed rail system. The cost would not be justified and no one will ride it where the car is available, making the cost all that more reprehensible. Also, bringing such rail through a dense urban environment to connect downtowns is fiscally irresponsible when the airport is clearly the new transportation hub for any large city.
And the scale. ...When I travel I truly enjoy observing the natural environment. When I drive out to the north woods the landscapes are beautiful. I can look upon it, ...and some minutes later look upon it again as I drive and it hasn't changed as far as I can perceive. I have taken the bullet trains in Japan and can take in the essence of all the changing natural environment, agricultural or otherwise, at very high speed.
Coming into an urban environment is very different. The density of flavor, color, the heart and soul of a city needs to be experienced at a much slower pace. Rushing through an urban environment at high speed is to deny oneself the kind of rich experiences that open our eyes to the essences of our fellow man. Yes, the high speed rail can slow, may have to slow, as it enters the city (the 'high speed' aspect becoming irrelevant), but one can transfer to a more appropriately scaled, in size and speed, system at the airport. All at lower cost to the public as rail systems generally don't turn a profit.
Dictionary.com describes it as such.
1. the science dealing with the areal differentiation of the earth's surface, as shown in the character, arrangement, and interrelations over the world of such elements as climate, elevation, soil, vegetation, population, land use, industries, or states, and of the unit areas formed by the complex of these individual elements.
It is a science applied to the urban/human environment just as much, if not more, as it is to what is described as the natural environment. An understanding of the science essential to the urban planner. A study of relationships that can be experienced, come natural to some (everyone is gifted with their own form of genius) or can be learned. Urban geography being the focus of one of my honor classes when I was in school.
SARUP has had an outstanding and diverse array of lecturers for their Friday Afternoon Live, FAL, lecture series. Included in the past was an urban geographer/planner. After the lecture I asked a question concerning high speed rail. I questioned whether the traditional downtown or the airport, Chicago being the city in question, was more appropriate for a high speed rail hub. I suggested a slower system was appropriate to bring people into the Loop. The response to my query was, 'but it's not high speed rail' as if all rail must now be high speed.
Being the last question of the night, received with a bit of uncertainty and trepidation as all my questions are, I didn't push the issue. But in my view the issue is two fold; one is economics, the other scale.
I find this knee jerk reaction that all rail must be high speed rail even when it isn't, like what was planned for here in Wisconsin, not unsettling but uninspiring. Birds of a feather the common phrase that comes to mind describes it best. Those of a certain belief flock together and then need to invest far less to justify or sell their ideas. My ideas expressed here in this blog concerning high speed rail are not unique either. There are groups that promote using high speed rail to connect airports and those that believe in a much more personal scale of fixed public transportation; personal rapid transit systems.
First of all the cost of high speed rail is very ...high. Yes, minimal government producing a vibrant economy would create plenty of funds for such amenities that most often don't turn a profit, but may be considered beneficial overall in high density or traffic conditions. I do not believe most parts of the world will achieve such population densities to justify the wide spread use of traditional high speed rail. I advocated a much smaller scale system for the Milwaukee-Madison corridor. We will always have New York and Tokyo, among others, as part of the human experience, but man is far better off living closer to nature, in greener environments. I am better for my experiences living in such high density areas, and some could easily show their benefits to the world economy, global interaction and development. But how many mega metropolitan areas do we need?
So I do not believe we need to plan such density for new or growing cities. We do not need such a large scale high speed rail system. The cost would not be justified and no one will ride it where the car is available, making the cost all that more reprehensible. Also, bringing such rail through a dense urban environment to connect downtowns is fiscally irresponsible when the airport is clearly the new transportation hub for any large city.
And the scale. ...When I travel I truly enjoy observing the natural environment. When I drive out to the north woods the landscapes are beautiful. I can look upon it, ...and some minutes later look upon it again as I drive and it hasn't changed as far as I can perceive. I have taken the bullet trains in Japan and can take in the essence of all the changing natural environment, agricultural or otherwise, at very high speed.
Coming into an urban environment is very different. The density of flavor, color, the heart and soul of a city needs to be experienced at a much slower pace. Rushing through an urban environment at high speed is to deny oneself the kind of rich experiences that open our eyes to the essences of our fellow man. Yes, the high speed rail can slow, may have to slow, as it enters the city (the 'high speed' aspect becoming irrelevant), but one can transfer to a more appropriately scaled, in size and speed, system at the airport. All at lower cost to the public as rail systems generally don't turn a profit.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Hills are Evil
I first heard of this site on the BBC World Service while driving one night. Hills are Evil is trying to create a database of conditions that are either complimentary, or adverse to handicap accessibility, as well as other alternative travel. Any conveyance outside of pedestrian or automobile traffic, like bicycling or simply pulling a hand cart to and from a desired location.
As bicycling is an interest of mine, and promoted as alternative travel by the few but fervent, I believe hills are an immensely important consideration in planning bike paths. And, if one considers bike travel a serious alternative to the automobile, where development should be located.
With a East West corridor from Milwaukee to Madison and beyond, developing centered on the expressway, how should responsible planning be promoted? Also in the corridor is a substantial bike path core. If we look far into the future, with growing populations, there is even talk of the need for a fixed independent transit system. A controversial issue. Something I've shared my two cents about.
I would put forward that if we want responsible development that includes bicycles, promoting what are called multipurpose paths as they are called these days, hills are truly evil. The bicycle enthusiasts are few and far between. Yet work hard to support multipurpose paths and bicycling as a commuting option. Perhaps claiming a disproportionate amount of funds for the cause. The reality is few people, if presented the opportunity, will commute by bicycle. And if a larger population would, they would not want to travel more than two miles, or work up a sweat doing it. In other words, hills are evil. Even if solid percentages of people take up bicycling, like on many campuses, they will not use their bicycles at every phase of their life, or even in season of the year. Conditions and demands change with time. The money invested should be spent on what is most attractive to the largest number of people. Can I say again, hills are evil?
Even in a mountainous nation like Japan, the ancient densely populated cities are surprisingly level. In Korea the development goes up a mountain only after every available space in the valleys and open areas is consumed. Most developed before the advent of the automobile. But even with the automobile, fuel efficiency would be better served by avoiding hills.
JJR, a civil engineering firm recently gave a presentation at SARUP titled, "Sustainable Waterfront Redevelopment that Serve as an Economic Catalyst for Underutilized Harbor Areas." They have been successful in harbor area developments. They work under the premise that they create the bones, many already in place as harbors already contain substantial infrastructure, and allow time and market forces to fill in the meat.
So if we look at the Milwaukee-Madison corridor we can presume that development, to both the north and south, will want to tie into the nodes currently existing around the expressway. Either as a destination, or to connect to an alternative form of travel such as a bus. Or connecting to a potential node that may develop around a fixed mass transit alternative. Or even, if business and housing develop centered on the existing bike path, to promote green commuting, nodes developed around the bike corridor. In all cases planning, creating infrastructure, to avoid any major elevation change would be advantageous to promoting travel that is not automobile driven.
In the interview I heard on the BBC, the site promoter suggested that many chose longer routes to their destination based on the information they provided. They choose ease over distance. So do we develop elevation based zoning? Only allowing development, say, between five feet and fifteen feet above the applicable floodplain? All in our effort to promote any form of travel other than the automobile? I don't believe that is the roll of government, outside of insuring reasonable safety. It is the job of Architects and Planners. And in regards to developers or other interested parties, it is the job of society in general, possibly religion and media carrying much of the burden here, to promote a common standard of morality.
We can keep streets smaller and friendlier by creating several alternatives. Planning ahead of time, for how people can get from point A to B. Maybe we need to plan for one hundred years in the future now. Or maybe, as has happened many times in history, massive migrations may expand the population much more quickly than we can imagine. If we can draw business to Wisconsin. We have a beautiful corridor with great amenities from east to west, that needs to be protected through responsible development. That needs to be accessible from the north and south.
Most important is the perspective from the ground. Roads, and railroads, have always taken elevation changes into consideration when being planned. But what may appear to be a gentle climb for your car, will stop the vast majority of the population from even considering using a bicycle.
As bicycling is an interest of mine, and promoted as alternative travel by the few but fervent, I believe hills are an immensely important consideration in planning bike paths. And, if one considers bike travel a serious alternative to the automobile, where development should be located.
With a East West corridor from Milwaukee to Madison and beyond, developing centered on the expressway, how should responsible planning be promoted? Also in the corridor is a substantial bike path core. If we look far into the future, with growing populations, there is even talk of the need for a fixed independent transit system. A controversial issue. Something I've shared my two cents about.
I would put forward that if we want responsible development that includes bicycles, promoting what are called multipurpose paths as they are called these days, hills are truly evil. The bicycle enthusiasts are few and far between. Yet work hard to support multipurpose paths and bicycling as a commuting option. Perhaps claiming a disproportionate amount of funds for the cause. The reality is few people, if presented the opportunity, will commute by bicycle. And if a larger population would, they would not want to travel more than two miles, or work up a sweat doing it. In other words, hills are evil. Even if solid percentages of people take up bicycling, like on many campuses, they will not use their bicycles at every phase of their life, or even in season of the year. Conditions and demands change with time. The money invested should be spent on what is most attractive to the largest number of people. Can I say again, hills are evil?
Even in a mountainous nation like Japan, the ancient densely populated cities are surprisingly level. In Korea the development goes up a mountain only after every available space in the valleys and open areas is consumed. Most developed before the advent of the automobile. But even with the automobile, fuel efficiency would be better served by avoiding hills.
JJR, a civil engineering firm recently gave a presentation at SARUP titled, "Sustainable Waterfront Redevelopment that Serve as an Economic Catalyst for Underutilized Harbor Areas." They have been successful in harbor area developments. They work under the premise that they create the bones, many already in place as harbors already contain substantial infrastructure, and allow time and market forces to fill in the meat.
So if we look at the Milwaukee-Madison corridor we can presume that development, to both the north and south, will want to tie into the nodes currently existing around the expressway. Either as a destination, or to connect to an alternative form of travel such as a bus. Or connecting to a potential node that may develop around a fixed mass transit alternative. Or even, if business and housing develop centered on the existing bike path, to promote green commuting, nodes developed around the bike corridor. In all cases planning, creating infrastructure, to avoid any major elevation change would be advantageous to promoting travel that is not automobile driven.
In the interview I heard on the BBC, the site promoter suggested that many chose longer routes to their destination based on the information they provided. They choose ease over distance. So do we develop elevation based zoning? Only allowing development, say, between five feet and fifteen feet above the applicable floodplain? All in our effort to promote any form of travel other than the automobile? I don't believe that is the roll of government, outside of insuring reasonable safety. It is the job of Architects and Planners. And in regards to developers or other interested parties, it is the job of society in general, possibly religion and media carrying much of the burden here, to promote a common standard of morality.
We can keep streets smaller and friendlier by creating several alternatives. Planning ahead of time, for how people can get from point A to B. Maybe we need to plan for one hundred years in the future now. Or maybe, as has happened many times in history, massive migrations may expand the population much more quickly than we can imagine. If we can draw business to Wisconsin. We have a beautiful corridor with great amenities from east to west, that needs to be protected through responsible development. That needs to be accessible from the north and south.
Most important is the perspective from the ground. Roads, and railroads, have always taken elevation changes into consideration when being planned. But what may appear to be a gentle climb for your car, will stop the vast majority of the population from even considering using a bicycle.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
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