The English Estate, Communal Farming and The Ideal World

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.

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.

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.

In the meantime, including the fore mentioned work I have three other works of fiction in process. The most notable and expansive includes my design of a Lunar colony. I have a collection of poems I look to expand into a volume to be published.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm Published

Self published that is. A small work of fiction that I hope everyone will enjoy. Available now on my Create Space e-store, and it should be available on Amazon within five business days. My wife and I would appreciate your support.

Click here to buy now.

Click here to buy for Kindle.

810 Million Dollars

Can we give it back?

That is the amount Wisconsin has received for the proposed Milwaukee to Madison high speed rail. just a small part of the 3,000 mile Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. I suggested to one local pundit that the maximum ridership would be 4,000 in the first month and downhill from there, making reference to the now extinct Janesville to Chicago line that had one daily rider and averaged less than 20 riders a day. I think I could be a bit high with any of those figures.

Living in Korea for four years, I depended on mass transit to get into Seoul. On several occasions we visited our central church. The trip using the train took us just under two hours. If we grabbed a taxi to the train station we could make it in an hour and a half, if we didn't have to wait long for the train. Someone suggested that the bus was quicker. But I was more familiar with the train and during off peak hours there were always plenty of open seats. Unlike the bus, the buses often lined up at the stops eight deep like a train, which were always crowded.

Many of the students I tutored in English, as they started their professional careers, consistently expressed their desire to someday buy a car. Though parking was an issue and the main streets in Korea, sometimes eight lanes wide as they worked there way through narrow valleys between the mountains, were always packed with traffic.

But it just wasn't the horror of traveling during rush hour, the passengers pressed hard one against the other that they abhorred, it was their time that they cherished. On one of those trips to our central church, usually a two hour trip, one of our local church elders offered us a ride in his minivan. We slogged through the Seoul metropolitan traffic and after 15 minutes were well settled into our seats, content with watching the mass of humanity that surrounded us when our driver said;

"We're just about there!" Maybe twenty-five minutes point to point.

There is no need for the Milwaukee to Madison train line. It does not matter how fast it travels, driving will always be quicker and cheaper. That is as long as we are allowed to have our own cars. Looking at the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative you have to wonder if that is not the whole idea; denying us our cars. Electric cars are a great idea, but what if you are only allowed to charge them at your personal residence? With the time it takes to get to a station, then wait for the train and then transfer to another form of transportation to get to your destination, no one will take this train.

I suggested in the past that high speed rail only has value if it could compete with, or perhaps 'complement' is a better word, the airplane. A System traveling at +300 mph that connects only major airports. Airports already containing plenty of long term parking as well as car rental facilities. And all major airports have well established connections to their respective city centers.

The expense of high speed rail is far greater per rider than our existing system. Even in high density areas such as Chicago some have suggested that rail is too expensive and that the existing roads could handle the extra traffic. I think I can safely say that wouldn't be true in Manhattan. And few rail lines of any kind in the United States turn a profit. The only high speed rail line that turns a profit is between Tokyo and Osaka. One of the richest most densely populated areas of the world. And the supposed environmental benefits of rail are disappearing as passengers per miles traveled is dropping as rail invades low density areas. That high speed line to Duluth, population 85,000, could send it over the edge.

In fact existing rail transit as a commuter system can only claim viability because it came before the availability of the automobile. New rail systems will not spur development. They are an economic disaster for the communities where they have been built. With the unsustainable tax burden (not to mention the existing tax burden) that the Milwaukee to Madison rail line will create there will be no new development in Wisconsin and there will be no need or desire to relocate or expand existing businesses along the rail line.

We do have an attractive corridor between Milwaukee and Madison that can become one of the most attractive areas in the country, if we can revive our local economy. We already have many natural areas preserved from development, Lapham peak and several other State Parks. A transit system as a planning tool, a tool to control development in what some call a responsible fashion, is far superior than the heavy handed restrictions and land grabs our federal and local governments seem to favor more and more. The expressway whose own nodes, access points, have created pockets of density is another example.

But a fixed transit system has few advantages over buses. And those only exist if they operate free of interaction with other systems such as cars or freight trains. So they can move fast and free and not obstruct traffic. But they are extremely expensive and cannot be supported without hurting our local economy.

These should be important considerations to planners and architects as they propound they uphold standards of ethics. Some recognizing the economic infeasibility of old technology rail transit systems (the bullet train is some 40 years old and travels faster than what we have planned for Wisconsin) and are investigating personal rapid transit systems.

If we had a truly ethical government, the waste, corruption and folly removed, there would be plenty of money to develop systems judged money losers, but holding other benefits the public values. If we can cut taxes and spur development, a transit system can be 'planned' right down to its paths and stations, influencing development without actually building it until it could be deemed economically responsible.

Still we would hardly be a Manhattan or Tokyo. But rather than shopping the market for the latest fad, old technologies and systems that have already been shown not to work, at least to those with basic standards of intellectual honesty, why not demand something new to meet the specific needs of this community? And not putting out money for studies, but guided with common sense going to companies and saying this is what we want. Show us what you can do to meet our needs.

And some person rapid transit systems go a bit larger. Perhaps a ten passenger system between Milwaukee - Madison is sufficient, and  if it works well maybe run it all the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Yes a personal rapid transit system is much lighter than traditional rail. If designed well it can require a lighter support system, a smaller infrastructure, which means it could be brought through tighter areas. It would not be difficult to make it much quieter than traditional rail or elevate it above the roadways.

Five pairs of two seats, with business class leg room, would translate into a car about twenty feet long and eight feet wide. Perhaps five tons total operating weight. How difficult would that be to support and move at twice the speed of traffic (140mph) or faster? (I'm asking, I'm not an engineer)

Computerized, as it would be an isolated system, to save on labor costs and create a nearly on demand access. With computerized ticketing systems, common, one would purchase a ticket from a vending machine priced specifically to distance traveled. You would need one attendant at each station, maybe one or two more at the busiest, to deal with problems or collect extra fees if the wrong ticket was purchased. If everyone on a car is going all the way to the end of the line and the car is full it would automatically go express.

When someone buys a ticket the system can determine how long before a car will arrive that they can board, and a new car can be pulled up if no other car is coming. A device in the armrest would take the ticket and spit it back out when you reach your destination. The system could guarantee boarding within five minutes. If there is no one seeking a ride, no cars will be moving. A semi on demand system would require a surplus of cars. A cost analysis would have to be made.

The greatest advantage is the system is capacity flexible. If populations dramatically increase more cars can be added. Like that scene in Korea, with the buses lined up like a train. Why build an unsustainable system that will carry hundreds and expect the demand to appear? Why not a system that meets the demand and can be expanded?

Providing spacious seating a bicycle ticket could be bought, where a bike rack drops in one set of seats allowing for up to three bikes to be held. A car with five pairs of seats could carry six bikes and six bicyclists. And we have many attractive bicycling options in the Milwaukee - Madison corridor. A pair of seats could lift up to provide for handicapped access. Yes, every pair of seats would need its own access.

With the expressway and bicycle corridor that already exists, adding a fixed mass transit 'plan' could control development, create nodes of density through planning rather than government dictate. Currently I personally believe when purchasing a house people are more interested in bicycling options than mass transit options. And that would be recreational bicycling.

A system that truly responds to the future needs of Wisconsin. That is, if we are to grow along with the rest of the country.

Unfortunately common sense, public ethics, and vision are not currently in vogue.

Modern Residential Construction

My older brother moved into a new suburb some years ago. Standing at a certain point, one could bounce the floor in his house and watch the walls moving as well. Amazingly there was no corresponding cracking in the drywall and no squeaking. The wonders of modern materials and engineering. I didn't find it attractive. Soundness creates a sense of security. Could there be some yet to be documented negative influence on the social and ethical norms of the greater society? One's environment influencing the way one feels, and thinks about, and judges his surroundings? I enjoy investigating the metaphysical but have a more tangible point to make.

This summer there was a story of a home where the outdoor gas grill caught fire and soon the entire home was consumed by the flames, a complete loss. Living in the city, when an older home catches fire, I know that a structure seldom burns to the ground. That when the fire department arrives they have a lot of work to do, climbing onto the roof to vent the smoke, searching for victims, and other general fire fighting duties. Yet when they get to a single family home of modern construction how often do they have the chance to do much more than pour water on the blaze? Unfortunately too often, as a rise in fire fighter deaths is attributed to modern engineered construction materials and/or systems.

Modern multifamily structures, like we see in our own downtown here in Milwaukee, have high standards for fire separation between units built into the codes, preventing similar conflagrations. (OK maybe it's just the sprinklers) But this boom in downtown construction, much of it standing empty, also points out the money ties between our construction industry, with its contractors and unions, and the political establishment. A lot of money has been made and contributed.

In the multi-unit construction Architects are involved. Could that be one of the reasons the safety standards are higher? Or maybe it is just privacy issues in multi-unit construction that would require a more substantial construction. I am sure many in the Architectural profession promote this kind of development for ideological reasons. Is there an intentional lack of focus on single family housing for these same ideological reasons? If these multi-unit buildings are not a response to market forces and waste tax payers money, two criteria, I would consider it an unethical endeavor.

And though some Architects are involved in residential design, what is their focus? Functionality? Interior designs that meet the ever changing demands of modern families? Cost savings? And are Architects involved at all? They are not required in construction under 50,000 cf.

Systems that are engineered, using less material and cutting costs, are often (but not always) substandard when fire is added to the mix. But we have smoke detectors that get everyone out of the house safely. A product of a disposable society? If something goes wrong we throw it away and get a new one? So let us not raise the standards, cutting into the contractors profits, but let's require sprinkler systems. More work for the construction industry.

Wood is the definition of a renewable resource. Is it best to use as little as possible when constructing a home? Or would it be better to go heavier and create a home that will on average last much longer? I would say go heavier. And beyond the traditional timber framing, there are some modern engineered materials that would work just as well if not better.

There are serious issues with modern single family home construction that have not come to the forefront and in the interest of public safety they should be. Lives are on the line.

Early Work

A project from 1970.

And here's one for you blue door fans.

Yes, I am still writing on Architecture though I haven't posted recently.

My wife was impressed that my mother saved all my art work. Happy Mother's Day to all to whom it applies.

"Resiliency" or "Economic Sustainability"

Yesterday at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at U. W. Milwaukee the Charles Caussier Memorial Lecture was held in conjunction with the Architecture departments 40th Anniversary. Timothy Beatley was the guest lecturer and the topic was 'Resilient Cities' or the resiliency movement in general. The latest evolution of environmental or sustainable design that captures man's true place in the world. A movement where man is promoted to intimately interrelate with his natural surroundings, including his fellow man, creating beautiful and productive responsive environments, and not punished for being a scourge to the planet.

The question and answer session soon became a corporation bashing bonanza. Maybe soon is the wrong word. Does anyone realize that this is straight out of atheistic Marxist ideology? That we were all sharing resources until one group decided to hoard the resources for themselves; the origin of evil in the world. A theistic view teaches that we are all subject to the same proclivities that are inherent. Proclivities not dependent on how much money (material) one possesses as communism professes.

One question came to mind for the distinguished speaker that I kept to myself; "Have you found it easier working with government or corporations?"

Friday February 20th, at the school's Friday Afternoon Live (FAL) lecture series the 'Congress for a New Urbanism' had a forum on what the Obama stimulus package means for Wisconsin. In general it was to support the principles of Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND). There was a common agreement on the panel that the dollars should be going more to urban infrastructure rather than freeways. A position hard to deny with our overbuilt out lands and the condition of the roads in our urban areas.

Mark Ernst of Engberg Anderson Design Partnership was one of the panel members and made an interesting comment.

He said, 'the number of dollars determines whether good or bad decisions are made.'

So much for the quality of one's character. But he went on to qualify that by lamenting that people with educations in architecture and planning are not more involved in government; in seeking elected office and shaping our communities in a more responsible fashion.

I asked the FAL panel how they could support rail solutions, a topic that took a good portion of the discussion, without the potential for any real growth in Wisconsin; with companies leaving Wisconsin. To have a truly vibrant community we need not only jobs to increase, but corporations to decide to make their headquarters here. Much of the arts and other amenities a city has to offer can only be supported with corporate sponsorship. Amenities that draw people into the city.

The answer was, developing unspecified water based and green industries will bring growth and a supposed justification for rail. Most likely heavily subsidized corporations and rail. And how profitable will those companies be? How many jobs will that create? What kind of profits, corporate dollars, will go back into the community and what percentage of those actually originated in government subsidies? (is there any real tax revenue generated?) In our current tax and anti-business climate, even if such jobs materialize they will not bring vibrant corporations to Wisconsin that can support the amenities that define a major urban center. Corporations and jobs have been leaving Wisconsin far before this economic down turn.

The blunt reality is that centralization of capital is required for man to advance. Corporations have been the centers for free market development in the past and abuses are far to easy to find. But man has been abusing his fellow man irrelevant to ones social or economic condition. As we see the consciousness of man advance we find the inverse to also be true. Corporations are becoming more and more responsive to their employees, the environment and the world condition. There are many examples of corporate philanthropy. Architecture is no exception. Below is a picture of a Carnegie Library in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, now a bed and breakfast.

On the other hand the centralization of capital in government is the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity that exists in the world today. No organization wastes money more efficiently and is subject to scams and abuse than the government. And government produces nothing. Even more dangerous is the misdirection of resources. Resources that could be directed to real need rather than manufactured need that breeds dependency. A dependency some may call buying votes whether you are on the dole, working in a government run health care system or building structures ever increasingly funded by the public dollar.

Under my last employer I learned some very basic economic realities. If a church comes to you wanting to do an addition or new building ask them if they have a segregated building fund. If they don't... don't waste your time, the project isn't going to happen. As far as Day Cares, it is not an uncommon occurrence that the investors will realize, far before they inform you, that they cannot afford to go ahead and they don't understand why they have to pay for something they are not doing. If you already brought in consultants, such as an engineer, it is a cash flow catastrophe.

But are Planners and Architects aware of the public capacity to fund the projects they promote, such as rail based on archaic technologies? Tax dollars are not a bottomless pit of money. As organized as the AIA is, do they hold any views on the economic sustainability from the public perspective of the projects its members are working on? The reality is Architects and Planners have much more influence on how our money is spent than they want to admit. (I was working in one of the more prominent firms in the city before a major Presidential election some years past. Next to a junior partner who spent the greater part of his day organizing vehicles and drivers to bring people to the polls.) Do they understand their own bottom line but are incapable of understanding economic sustainability on a larger level? Can any responsible organization look at Southeastern Wisconsin with it's density, tax burden and business climate claim with competence that rail is economically sustainable? They claim, Architects and politicians alike, that it is an amenity that will draw people and businesses to Milwaukee. I guess that is over other cities such as, San Francisco, Seattle or Phoenix. I believe 'Penny wise but pound foolish' is the proper expression for the profession. And just foolish as far as government goes...

No,... just foolish overall.

I am not against dedicated mass transit under the right conditions, but the conditions do not exist and new technologies are not being implemented to the extent they should be.

Charities, NGO's, other organizations such as Architects for Humanity, Center for Resilient Cities and even corporations, that must produce to remain viable, are far more accountable and do far greater economic good for the world as a whole than any government that can simply raise taxes that must be paid under threat of imprisonment. Government that has increasing power to outlaw or ostracize those in contention with their policies as the masses become more and more dependent on the mind numbing dole effect. Dependent on monies bound to dry up along with the charities and fore mentioned engines of human advancement.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely and no corporation comes close to the power of the government.

Natural Lighting

I was in Madison today, which shouldn't surprise anyone. Designers spend a lot of time designing buildings, finding materials, products and systems to provide as much natural light as possible with the least amount of heat loss and/or gain depending on the climate. In this age of environmental consciousness and man's tendency to work from illuminated screens reducing energy consumption has become a priority.

As you can see in the liberal capital of the United States, in a building with a near completely glazed exterior, the lights are on. And it's lunch on this clear sunny and first truly warm day this year. There is no one inside.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink... yet.

Diagonal Parking

Over the past several years planning and development work has been done for the Menominee River Valley east of Miller Park. The industrial park infrastructure includes, if you look closely, diagonal parking. If you reflect a moment one thing should strike you. The parking stalls angle opposed to oncoming traffic, called reverse angle parking.

When I went by earlier on bicycle, on this late summer day, I did not have my camera with me. Though one might conclude that traffic would back into the stall, giving the driver better visibility when leaving, I witnessed the contrary. Even with the median vehicles had crossed over and pulled in front first. How much more so will that occur when there is no median as we see in the photo below? And how dangerous will that will be for traffic when the driver backs out crossing both lanes? Perhaps signage would control man's natural urge to take the path of least resistance and worry about the consequences later, or traffic volume would be such that it is inconsequential.

I had a group project when in school where all three in the group planned to use diagonal parking, at least initially. Though diagonal parking has received a bad rap for being a traffic hazard, according to our then professor studies had shown it is no more dangerous than parallel parking. We had put together a kind of mixed use traditional neighborhood approach that worked it into the scheme with additional parking shielded from view from the street by the buildings.

Anyway... that was the plan we thought we were all following until four weeks into the six week project. At that point, in our group revue with our professor, one member of our team, I'll call 'Pompous One', walked up with three sheets of marker on mylar drawings with a scheme completely contrary to what we had been doing for four weeks. A modern concept with parking lots directly off the street. He really had a problem with diagonal parking. We all looked at him like he was from Mars and he at us like fools for not just falling in line with his obviously superior design.

Of course this didn't sit well with anyone. I certainly was not going to compromise myself by producing (not producing) a group project in which I had no input, even in the final production. The young lady in our team surely didn't recognize his genius and wasn't going to give in to the 'Pompous One.' And the professor wasn't motivated to let him pull this stunt again. The same thing the 'Pompous One' had done on the previous group project, and gotten away with for the most part. (He has blood relations in the profession)

The 'Pompous One' wasn't going to budge either, but it is when we had our individual meetings in our professors office when things really ... Let's just say got interesting. When the young lady in our group was meeting with our professor the conversation became obviously heated. I walked to the far end of the hall wishing nothing to do with petty quibbles that ultimately tear down. Another young man who I knew fairly well was just outside the door waiting for his personal revue. He kept looking back at me with a nervous tension.

A few moments later the young woman yelled, with such force that not only I could hear but most of the building as well,

"I WONT WORK WITH HIM!"

And as she clearly wouldn't give in to the 'Pompous One' it became clear it was not he she was speaking, or screaming, about. I was told we were working together and continuing our original concept and the 'Pompous One' was on his own, but the young lady refused to acknowledge my existence. Whenever I went to speak to her in regards to the project it was as if I wasn't there, and she said, had said, nothing to me.

One of the more charismatic members of our studio who knew her, came to me with a wink wink, nod nod, telling me she was graduating valedictorian. Most likely some other honor like summa cum laude, since I don't believe she gave a speech at our graduation. But the message was clear; 'Why mess up her honors?'

The professor had an entire studio to guide and there was no time for him to get dragged into conflict resolution, beyond his initial attempts, without detriment to the others in the studio. What was done or not done to address the issue, I believe was decided by the larger administration.

The young lady in our group worked on a very detailed and well crafted perspective drawing modeled from a book. A drawing to reflect the residential part of the project. And that was it. And it wasn't a clear match to the design concept. It didn't reflect the street plan that in the end I had to resolve, or the surrounding environment of the real world site we were working with.

We were to produce four sheets of ink on mylar for the final review. As I said the 'Pompous One' brought three sheets of mylar drawings to the week four review. He spent the next two weeks, when he was in the studio, lamenting that he was burdened with producing the entire project himself. He shuffled around his work and then left muttering under his breadth. He had a job in the profession and spent little time, and did little to no work, in the studio. In fact I was nearly the only one in the building Thursday evenings when "Friends" was on. This was 1997. But I digress.

I feel I'm a good judge of people and in fairness I would say the 'Pompous One' was just that, and he didn't care what my religion was. And yes we are talking about religious bigotry. I could have been Jesus Christ, Gandhi or Charles Manson in a blood lust and he would have treated me or anyone he was working with the same. I received several words of sympathy from the two who worked with him on the previous project on more than one occasion.

For the final review the 'Pompous One' put up the three mylars he had at week four and one more he had produced since. The young lady of our group put up her rendering off to the side. I had spent the last two weeks of the six week project developing all the designs and all but one drawing required for the final review. Work that was intended to be dome by three. I also produced a perspective of the commercial buildings to highlight the tower and heavy column feature I had designed to connect the design to the water tower down North Avenue and a church steeple down Humboldt. I was only able to complete one ink on mylar sheet with the remainder of the required drawings (on trace, vellum or paper) taped to sheets of foam core. The Dean shooed away the camera man as he came to our presentations.

At graduation the young lady seemed intent at parading in front of me with multiple chords over her shoulders, much to the chagrin of the dean as we all waited to enter the auditorium. I had spoken with the administration about this and other problems more than once in my time there. One of the Chairs expressed sincere regret on any problems I may have experienced and another simply wanted to know if I had any evidence.

The stark reality is if you are part of any group that may be associated with the label 'cult' you really are a second class citizen, if even that. This is a problem not specific to the Architectural profession, where diversity generally comes with a foreign accent. If the administration had come down on this young lady that would be one more person, with her family and relatives, who would blame Reverend Moon and the Unification Church for the consequences of her actions. Our society is so adverse to so called 'cults' that the University itself very well could have faced ridicule for taking any action against this young lady. While religious discrimination is illegal in employment and enrollment neither were clear as the issue here. I didn't look into it either. And I certainly do not know, or care, what her justifications would have been.

Bigotry was validated. Did I make an impression on anyone with how I handled the controversy? Was just letting it ride the proper approach for the University? Or myself? Of course, as in the profession, most if not all teachers and administrators in the school belong to the AIA, an organization that claims to hold its members to ethical standards. There is a reason I have little to no interest in belonging to a group that makes such claims. On many levels, not just personal but public, of which I will write more when the opportunity presents.

Well ....

So much for diagonal parking.

Pays Big

I never was in support of the Casino in Milwaukee. I've always said, if someone can't afford to go to Las Vegas they can't afford to gamble. Of course, I should question my logic since much more than gambling occurs there. Things I am no way in support of. It may be best to stay far away from Las Vegas all together.

But I have several relatives that go to the casino here regularly and my wife has always wanted to visit since she knows friends who go occasionally and talk about it. So I took my wife to the Asian restaurant, RuYi, for her birthday. It was right off the floor and too noisy for my taste, but the food was clearly very fresh and well prepared. Excellence obviously a pronounced goal of the Potawatomi Bingo Casino. My wife was looking for sushi, but I should have guessed with the older clientele and short shelf life that we wouldn't find any there. They have fine dining also, isolated from the gambling floors.

But how are Casino's designed? When the Casino was approved I was working at American Design and had commented to the managing Architect, first of all my views on gambling previously stated and, on the Casino design. I suggested windows.

American Design didn't work on the casino but did work on the Milwaukee Connector study. Something, I made clear to everyone I worked with, I thought was redundant and unnecessary. A misuse of the tax payer's dollars, though I did the work I was told to do. I also made clear my opposition to the Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee Commuter Link (KRM), in favor of simply extending the Chicago Metra service farther north, something the public prefers two to one over the KRM, if needed (it's not, Amtrak fills the need if any exists). I attended one in office meeting with HNTB as we worked together on the 'Milwaukee Connector.' Others were scheduled on my days off or I was given out of office duties. I also had no knowledgeable opinion on the MPS school expansions we worked on, but did ask questions. "Are they necessary?" "Do they have that many students?"

Windows? The Casino was highly controversial and split the community. Many cited the downsides of gambling, how it can destroy peoples lives, during the debate. I suggested a compromise to embrace the whole community would be a design that didn't accommodate the maximization of profit. Views of the outdoors, natural vistas or a star filled sky to give the gamer a sense of a 'greater reality'. These could be actual or generated images. A window wall showing the valley in it's pre-European influenced state. Where the real world outdoor weather conditions could be matched with computer simulation. Or the allusion of an open roofed structure creating the star filled skies of the North Woods those of us in urban environments have been denied. Images that instill wonder at the beauty of the natural world, the passage of time and vastness of the universe. A 'Greater reality.' There are some nature motifs worked into the interior but they are inconsequential.

But Casinos are designed to focus all ones attention on gambling. It may be appropriate for a game of skill that requires ones attentions, but the majority of the floor is filled with slot machines. The design serves the client but how well does it serve the public? Yes, there is more to do than just gambling. And the Potawatomi have invested in programs to help those with problems and casinos have ways to find and track anyone with serious problems, but that deals only with the aftermath.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the leading professional membership association for licensed architects. It claims to hold its members to ethical standards. The law, in many ways, is a minimum standard, a minimal expectation of good conduct to support the mutual well being of a society. When we begin to speak of ethical standards that suggests striving for the highest possible standards, ....at least in my book. Their Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, while holding their members to a standard of public awareness and service beyond the norm, does not strive for absolutes. One should ask which is worse; claiming ethical standards you have no intention to pursue to their ends or mistaking technical and professional excellence for ethics? I certainly wasn't rewarded or acknowledged for any ethical queries I may have made on the job.

While we were driving to the Casino, less than ten minutes from our home, we had to pull over to allow some emergency vehicles to pass. They were there at the casino when we arrived. We saw on the news that a man had apparently killed himself in his car in the casino parking lot. There was no follow up in the media.

Does not design have a marked influence on human behavior and well being?

Happy Halloween

An example of form equals function, or where a function creates the ideal form for a seasonal sales vehicle in its simplest form. I e-mailed the company a couple weeks ago in regards to the inspiration for this structure. Was it a marketing professional who came up with the idea? An engineer, specialist contractor, entrepreneur or even an architect? I didn't get a response and no one working there had any idea.

Air-supported structures have been around for decades now and have evolved into a variety of smaller scale seasonal uses. Clearly the engineering would be the driving force behind the application. Where would we be without engineers? But as I look at this structure and contemplate the variety of sources from which the concept may have originated, perfection of the form equals function ideal, I have to wonder how relevant is the architect? As architecture becomes more technology driven, are architects becoming glorified technicians? A set of tools and management skills driven by markets, trends, production demands and the pursuit of public funded projects that anyone of reasonable intellect can master? Where the obvious as well as the artistic innovation is missed? ... Scary!

Sidewalks

One change in consumer habits created by rising gas prices is the rising prominence of the local usually ‘upscale’ grocery store. And this before the recent near doubling of gas prices. Here in Milwaukee county in Wauwatosa a Rainbow Foods replaced the Sentry on State Street, and then converted back to an upscale Sentry store within the year. Sendick’s expanded to several new locations. The Pick n’ Save also on State Street has musicians playing on the weekends. hello

The first picture is the Pic-n-Save on State Street. Completely remodeled and turned high-end. The sidewalk feature added to the parking lot is not unique. Many if not all new development (e.g. Lowe’s on Burliegh) contain such features.

The next picture is Whole Foods, with its very wide sidewalks, on the East Side and as on the UWM campus bikes are numerous. The student population is strongly into bicycling and this will hopefully carry over onto their later years. Of course the radius of travel for a college student cannot be much over two miles, if that.

The next picture is The Outpost, also on State Street. One bicycle most likely that of an employee in the rack. One was also in the rack at the Pick-n-Save. The final picture being the Sendick’s’ on North Avenue; a remodel of an old Kohl’s Foods store. One bike and two scooters, and one bicyclist leaving as I drove up. There are no schools of higher education near by, only neighborhoods. The difference, the terrain is generally flat in the surrounding area unlike the river valley the State Street stores rest in.

Here is a blog post in which the first commenter clearly cannot tolerate riding on the street. It may appear she is in the minority but you have to consider who the readers are. The arguments against adults bicycling on sidewalks are valid for an experienced rider moving as fast as possible. I would argue those potential riders who cannot tolerate riding in traffic, or past parked cars whose doors may swing open at anytime, would not be going nearly as fast. They would be operating like pedestrians rather than vehicles at intersections, stopping and looking both ways. And they would be moving even slower than a child on a bicycle and easier to see.

Here is an article on bicycling in Britain. Documenting the results of a predominance of parents expressing a general fear for their children riding bicycles in traffic. My personal observations suggest this is a widespread fear in our nation among all age groups. Bike lane advocates also are moving to alternatives that create much greater separation from the automobile.

There are certain areas where I ride my bike on the sidewalk. Where Watertown Plank Road goes under highway 45 or parts of Hawley Road and pedestrians are near non-existent. I have two reasons that at times I do. First, it is much safer and second I’ve been stuck myself behind a bike in these stretches and know the frustration a driver feels. Highway 100 is an impossible ride with traffic speeding in all lanes and in some stretches there are no sidewalks. Of course it is illegal for an adult to ride a bike on the sidewalk. But should it be?

Bicycle advocates fight hard to protect bicyclists rights to roadways and vehicle status. They are generally ardent riders who ride many a mile and are in excellent shape. Unfortunately, there is a large group of potential riders that do not want to interact with auto traffic at all (even in a parking lot) when riding a bike, so don’t. As gasoline prices continue to rise and people grow more environmentally conscience there is an opening for promoting the use of bicycles for everyday tasks such as going to the grocery. Trek, a responsible bicycling advocate, has targeted this group with several models most notably the ‘Lime’ recognizing a large market that shuns shifting gears, and even hand brakes, as too complicated. In my own travels I spent three years overseas with a bicycle and public transit as my only form of personal transportation. In parts of the world where bikes enjoy wide use, multiple gear bicycles are almost non-existent for everyday use and all have baskets or a cargo rack.

I have brought up the issue of riding bicycles on sidewalks with bicycle advocates in the past and have always been met with a resounding, “No!” The reality is that is what we have already done in the new Canal Street corridor. Some will say the cities are not designed for such use of their sidewalks. They are if you widen the sidewalks. I recall all the Traditional Neighborhood Development types lamenting the past and the loss of the corner grocer. People did not drive their cars to the corner grocer. While the corner grocery is gone, the neighborhood grocery is on the rise.

The older parts of our cities were designed for our sidewalks to accommodate significant pedestrian traffic. I remember when we all walked to school every morning. Now many of our sidewalks are nearly empty. Altering the sidewalks to accommodate a specific user group is a kin to the building of bike paths and lanes. The difference is the potential users have no representation. A user group not particularly athletic or mechanically minded that would only travel short distances on every day errands. If gas prices continue to rise, a group potentially much larger than any group of bicyclists we have now. A group whose use of bicycles, on errands they had used their cars for in the past, would be making the largest contribution to fuel conservation.

The multi-use paths in our County Parks are ten feet wide and handle a variety of traffic of all different types, age groups and activities. They are quite crowded at times and accidents rare. There is a beauty to our sidewalks. They are size perfectly for their traditional use. But as gas prices increase, if the bicycle truly is an alternative to our energy and environmental needs there are places where the sidewalks should be widened and adults allowed to ride at slower speeds. Restricting this privilege to single speed bicycles may be the best way to control the speed.

Rather than engineering and reconstructing roadways to include bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks on stretches such as highway 100, here in Milwaukee County, would serve the fore mentioned user group. Sidewalks along Highway 100, where they have sidewalks, have few pedestrians and many destinations are currently only accessible by automobile. Ten-foot wide multi-use path on both sides along the entire length of Highway 100 would give access to jobs and shopping to bicyclists.

A ten-foot multi-use path on one side of Watertown Plank Road from Highway 100 and the Village of Wauwatosa would be similar to what was done on Canal Street. However, for most of the city, for those who will not travel more than two miles by bicycle on an errand, what would be the proper criteria for widening the sidewalk?

A combination of destination, terrain and crime are determinants for other locations for wider sidewalks. Local grocery stores and shops such as video rental or health food stores, being the main target, where consumer products would fit into a bicycle basket. The target user group not necessarily being the athletic type, there is no need for wider sidewalks in hilly areas. North Avenue is an ideal model where there are few hills in the surrounding neighborhoods to frustrate the target user group. Not that every sidewalk be widened, but those on one side of a street that would be central in a neighborhood and feed to the desired locations (North Avenue in this case), which can also include connections to bike paths. The final piece to the puzzle is the perception of crime. Low crime areas and secure bicycle parking facilities in any circumstance are necessary. Large numbers of inexpensive bicycles are the norm where bicycles enjoy widespread use and drastically reduce the threat of bicycle theft. A goal metropolitan areas have been trying to achieve in a variety of fashions.

My opinion is based highly on anecdotal evidence, common observations. I would argue that such observations are more relevant than the social engineering so prevalent in government and the professional community. Built on an understanding of why the majority of people are not riding bicycles rather than deciding how people should live in spite of themselves.


Part of a response from Shea Schachameyer of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin;

...as a bicycle advocate and a regular bike commuter I discourage people from riding on the sidewalk as statistically it's more dangerous to bike on the sidewalk than in the roadway. Yet, as a bicycle advocate I am all too familiar with people's fears of riding with traffic. .....
Bicyclist education and motorist education are both essential in creating safer conditions for bicyclists. The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin as well as most other bike advocacy organizations offer adult bike education classes to give people the skills and confidence to safely bike in traffic and on trails.