Links to Know

The New Economics Foundation—economics as if people matter.

http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/

http://neftriplecrunch.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/a-guide-to-real-progress/

Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Redefining Progress— an Interview with UBC's Professor William Rees, Summer, 2008.

http://www.cfisquarterly.ubc.ca/page322.htm

Finding Solutions that Don't Grow the Problem

Creating Defensible Space.

Before his death in 2004, Oscar Newman put online for all to use this 1996 account of his experiences recapturing defensible space. The year of his first book was 1972. How time flies.

http://www.defensiblespace.com/book.htm

Infill Townhouse Design Guidelines, City of Toronto, very interesting

http://www.toronto.ca/planning/urbdesign/guidelines.htm

Seattle, not the smartest place for "urban containment"

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_seismic_scenario_seattle.pdf

http://www.emd.wa.gov/about/documents/haz_FinalRWSReport.pdf

Effects of Urban Development on Floods, U.S.Geological Survey Fact Sheet 076-03

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs07603/

Disaster Management or Sustainable Infrastructure?

Seattle's 2006 storm —a cautionary tale about the need for reframing.

http://www.stormh2o.com/july-august-2007/adaption-climate-change.aspx

The Community Preservation Act of Massachusetts

Boston voters opted out of this bottom-up approach to "smart growth" commencing with Build-out Analysis (optional buy-in can be a pitfall). Nevertheless, when the focus is on growing citizens the entire nation benefits.

http://commpres.env.state.ma.us/index.asp

Build-out Analysis

Overzoning metropolitan cities, i.e., Seattle, not just exurbia, produces unintended consequences. Washington's Growth Management Act takes a top down approach and requires comparison of buildable lands with projected growth every five years. Alas, our Buildable Lands Reports are far from teachable moments. Compare:

http://www.pzcenter.msu.edu/buildout.php

http://your.kingcounty.gov/budget/buildland/bldlnd07.htm