Week+8

** 27th October 2011 **
 * Week 8 **

** RETROFITTING SUBURBS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT **

** 1. ** ** What is the difference in carbon footprint of the average urban dweller as compared to suburban dweller? **

** 2. ** ** Describe the changing demographic in suburbia, and why having a house is no longer sustainable because of this changing demographic. **

** 3. ** ** Based on this TED talk by Ellen Dunham Jones, list 5 reasons to retrofit suburbia: ** 1. Building areas of greenery and plant life to promote carbon sequestration and natural purification of water ways. 2. The development of community and encourage a sense of investment in one's own neighbourhood. 3. Build concentrations of people around clusters of stores, office buildings are residences in order to reduce the sheer number of commuters and carbon emissions through commuting. 4. To prevent the spreading of developments throughout land that needs to be cultivated and maintained such as marshes, fields, and forests. 5. To reduce the migration of people towards the city and the hollowing out of the suburbs.

** 4. ** ** What is transit-oriented/pedestrian-friendly development? ** ** Was it successful in Portland, Oregon? ** ** Do you think it could be a model for other cities in the world? Why or why not? ** This is development that is centred around the pedestrian more than the automobile. It focuses on eco-friendly commuting and transit options that have lesser or zero emissions. It also promotes walking, biking and travelling by trains and transit systems. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Portland, Oregon has invested a lot of money in providing accessible transport systems such as cable cars, streetcars and specific designated biking areas. It reduced overall commuting time, miles per person travelled as well as carbon emissions. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">It could just as easily be implemented in other cities, with the right infrastructure and the right attitude towards city development and spending of funds. The focus must be on accessibility and quality of life rather than mobility and profit.

<span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** 5. ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** List some potential benefits and drawbacks to transit-oriented development. ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Benefits <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. It saves on carbon emissions and carbon footprint. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. It reduces travel time and increases productivity. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. It increases circulation of people throughout a city/ living area.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Drawbacks <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Infrastructure would need to be changed drastically.

<span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** 6. ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** What role did community members play in shaping the development in Portland **** from the 1970s until today? ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Use specific examples from the video to support your **** answer. ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. They supported the idea of community and cultural hotspots that they could congregate and cultivate in terms of greenery as well such as parks, town squares, bike paths, etc. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 9pt;">2. The citizens began to move into the downtown area creating a concentration that required less commuting and a circulation within the city. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 9pt;">3. They set up businesses that helped build a more self-sustaining community and well-rounded city that did not need to go far for their needs.

<span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** 7. ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Why did Charlie Hales think that the streetcar would be more appealing to **** developers than another form of public transportation? ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** What are some factors that **** developers must consider before building in a neighborhood? ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** What risks and **** rewards exist for developers who invest in a new neighborhood? ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The presence of the streetcar in any area as well as the connectivity that it brings would increase the property value of surrounding buildings and residences. Hales thought that with a permanent transport facility that connects developments, the city would need to be built around it and as such being a part of this system would only make a developments more accessible and desirable. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Some factors to take into considerations are resources and water ways that are nearby, and their maintenance, as well as the toxicity of the surrounding area, accessibility to major transport networks, and the maintenance of concentrations around central hubs. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The initial price of working with empty/ new neighbourhoods is considerably cheaper. Also the price would increase as the area becomes more and more occupied. It would also be risky since there is a chance that it would remain uninhabited and stagnant.

<span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** 8. ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** For your major assignment, and your personal experience, could any of these urban planning, and sustainable transit planning principles, be applied to your commute within Oakville and Mississauga? ** <span style="color: #0090ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Think of your commute as a whole systems process, analyse each step of your commute, and apply your new understanding of sustainable transport city. (2 paragraphs) **