Posted Wed, Apr 25, 7:58 p.m.

Wendell Berry says it almost as well as the authors of this piece: http://irjci.blogspot.com/2012/04/wendell-berry-in-national-lecture-calls.html

Posted Thu, Apr 19, 1:51 p.m.

What exactly does "pro-density" mean? I have said for years that the most environmentally friendly city is probably NYC. It's dense, it's got great mass transit, and it even had character and soul at one point in time (although SoHo looks suspiciously like U Village these days without the parking). ...

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 1:52 p.m.

Hey, did anyone look at the developer's web site for their mixed use and retail buildings? Is it me or do they all look the same, I kid you not. The rounded entry etc. Take a look at them: http://www.mdgllc.net/projects_mixeduse.htm Yep, those sure add character! Good job, Roger. I think ...

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 9:25 a.m.

Agree. Sense of place. Neighborhood familiarity are all good things in a city. It's not all about development and density. The city should provide a soul. I can drive through downtown Bellevue, now, and while it has density, it has no soul. The new tower that replaced the wonderful "log ...

Posted Tue, Apr 10, 2:08 p.m.

Couple of thoughts: I lived in a suburb of NYC and commuted into the city via Metro North. I lived several miles from the train station. The town where the station was located owned parking lots on both sides of the tracks and rented space based on residency and seniority. ...

Posted Thu, Mar 1, 2:08 p.m.

This article begs for folks to read "Uncommon Ground" edited by William Cronon with essays by folks like former UW environmental historian, Richard White. I would also recommend anything written by Donald Worster, Patty Limmerick and "The Idea of Wilderness" by Max Oelschlaeger. Isn't wilderness a human contrivance? These wilderness ...

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 2:08 p.m.

I think the density = developer idea of building more and more is "if you build it they will come." Indeed, it could be that the next "bubble" is in high density housing (it's all you hear now), such that prices will continue to fall and rental rates, while increasing, ...

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 8:54 a.m.

Economists tend to think people act with rationality, such as single family dwellers seek to limit supply so that their home values remain stable or increase. I suggest owners of many single family homes rarely think about density issues with money in mind, but rather, trying to "defend" their sense ...

Posted Sat, Aug 27, 7:36 a.m.

@ Matt re: population issues. Wow! You went from Herman Daly to "forced sterilization or euthanasia?" How about we just begin a discussion in America about the effects of population growth and the environment. Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, Wilderness Society, NRDC, etc all have had and some still do ...

Posted Fri, Aug 26, 1:39 p.m.

Sorry Matt. Been there, done that. Lived in NYC and wouldn't ever want to have that same experience. It's why I moved home. Looks like if Mr. Valdez and his "change the zoning code" committee are the loudest voices in this discussion (I don't have time to sit down at ...

Posted Thu, Aug 25, 6:26 p.m.

Oh, and one more thing about density. For many years one of the unique things about Seattle is that there actually was a middle class, made up of blue collar Boeing machinists and Boeing part supplier-workers. And they bought houses, so that they could have a little bit of "luxury" ...

Posted Thu, Aug 25, 4:04 p.m.

@Matt: Condos and apartments use concrete, electricity (to also make the concrete...much less concrete is one of the great contributors to GHG), water, timber, and land. The high density folks seem to think this is an either/or argument (remember, there are no polarities). The current zoning, albeit rather obtuse to ...

Posted Thu, Aug 25, 1:35 p.m.

@Matt: That so-called invisible ceiling is assuming a lot of things. That people all want to live in high density, that their jobs are located within Seattle (hmmm, the bulk of Microsoft and Boeing jobs are located where?), that Seattle has a transit system that is nimble and moves people ...

Posted Wed, Aug 24, 3 p.m.

I would like to know how many affordable, not market rate, but affordable (for the lower income percentile in this city), high rise condos would be built along the Gold Coast of Shilshole and Sunset Hill if Mr. Valdez and his developers could get their upzones? Anyone want to wager? ...