Yesterday, our apartment living room temperature read 93.2 degrees. We have been living without A/C this summer and I’m really curious how long we can go without purchasing one. So far we have been coping with the heat by drawing the shades during the day, using fans to bring in colder air during the night, staying hydrated, taking cold dips in the bathtub, and shedding clothing. Admittedly, the first week was pretty miserable, but this past week I feel like our bodies have grown used to the temperature and naturally adjusted.
Prompted from this article on Salon.com, I picked up the book , “Losing Our Cool“. I’m looking forward to reading it in my 80+ degree apartment.
This bioswale and curb bumpout is located at the southeast corner of Cermak Ave and Princeton Ave in Chicago’s Chinatown.
It makes use of existing curb and drain without completely reconstructing the existing curb profile. The bioswale traps water and filters it from the street, overflow then goes to the sewer. The addition of this bioswale also narrows the road on Cermak Ave, slowing traffic and shortening the distance that pedestrians need to cross the street.
One of the neighborhoods I am focusing on is South Chicago. This neighborhoods history is embedded in the story of Chicago’s steel mills. A better synopsis about the neighborhood can be read, here.
I enjoy doing outreach and field work because it allows me to explore neighborhoods I have never visited. South Chicago is one of those neighborhoods that has left a really positive impression on me. The local chamber of commerce and development corporation are running some very progressive programs in the area. The main commercial corridor is walkable and pedestrian friendly. The Metra Electric line brings you straight from downtown on a very frequent schedule and the fare is only $2.50, which is the same as a CTA fare. It is a short walk to Calumet Fisheries. I really dig this neighborhood and look forward to spending more time there.
South Chicago is trying to catch the momentum of the sustainability movement, and the neighborhood’s efforts are visible and sincere. The local development corporation, Claretian Associates , is creating affordable housing units that are highly efficient in their design and even include expensive features like solar panels. Their executive director was recently honored by Chicago Magazine for their 2010 Green Awards. They have an article and video linked on their website, I would highly recommend looking at it.
While driving around looking for some examples of these new units, we stumbled upon this corner and saw these wind turbines. I’ve tried to find out information about who owns them and when they were install but I haven’t found any information yet. If you have information regarding this wind turbine installation, please contact me.
A large part of my job is going out to speak with older adults about pedestrian safety. One of the neighborhoods I’m focusing on this summer is Chicago’s Chinatown area. This photo is from a presentation I gave at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Chicago’s Golden Diners Lunch Program.
The presentation covers situations that older adults should be aware of and tips on how to take control of their own safety. Also, we discuss problem areas in the neighborhood and the best ways to resolve pedestrian safety issues.
Giving the presentations to senior groups is one of my favorite aspects of my job.
I work with some pretty talented people. This video was created by my co-worker at CDOT.
Sign up for Bike the Drive! Enjoy the lakefront on a completely car free Lake Shore Drive.
Em and I made Zydeco Pickled Snap Beans this weekend. This recipe is from the book, “The Joy of Pickling” by Linda Ziedrich.
The recipe consisted of fresh green beans, chopped garlic, mustard seed, dill, and chili peppers. This was placed in the jar, then the pickling solution of vinegar and salt water was boiled and poured into the jars. It smelled like pickles when we sealed up the jars so hopefully after sitting for a month, they will taste like pickles. We ended up with 6 pint jars of pickled green beans. I still have 6 more empty jars and I’m itching to pickle.
Excellent Video showing an overview of what makes a green job.
I have been tossing around the idea of developing a Northwest Suburban Bike plan that would help link the developed village downtown districts along the Metra Northwest line. I’m still a few years off of my masters project, but I’ve decided to start gathering information and build a foundation for my future project.
The ultimate goal is Chicago to Barrington, safely and efficiently. Along with providing an overall framework so villages can make bicycle infrastructure choices so that they link up with other villages efforts. Spend the money in the right place and encourage suburban connectivity.
Northwest Municipal Conference Bike plan
Southwest Suburban Mayors and Managers Bicycle Plan
Guide of Municipal Bike Planning from League of Illinois Bicyclists
People are up in arms over the proposed CTA fare increases. I think we to think about what we getting upset about. Here are a few bullet points to ponder.
- Not without its problems, mass transit in Chicago is still really convenient compared to a majority of areas in the United States. Visiting a friend in Sacramento, I found that the normal frequency for buses was on average 20 -30 mins. Visiting my parents in the suburbs from where I live in the city, costs me under 10 bucks and is very reliable.
- For the most part you can get anywhere in the city for under 5 bucks. Even with the fare increases, the mass transit in Chicago is a viable cost effective way to get around.
- Create fare increases that target one time users or tourists. Many people say that fare increases will create an undue burden on those who rely on it to get to work. If this is the case, don’t increase the fares on multi-day pass.
- Habitual users won’t be affected.
- More people who were originally cash users will now purchase multi-day passes.
- Multiday passes makes it easier for users to budget their money. Instead of paying per use, they know they have their transportation covered for the month on the 1st or whenever they buy it.
- CTA can leverage the up front money of a multiday pass to their advantage.
- Nothing is free, reduced fares for seniors, but no free rides. Let’s get ride of this well-intentioned but clearly unfeasible program
- In the same spirit of the last bullet point, a system costs money to run, in a tough economy running this system is even more difficult. Either we buck up and pay the fare increase or we lose service. I honestly do no believe we are being gouged by CTA, I believe we have been spoiled by an undervalued system for so many years and now we balk when its falling apart or they need fare increases to keep running.
From the few years I have spent in Chicago, I can say I have seen improvement and initiative out of the CTA. Rider information has become more accessible and transparent. The buses are now all tracked which helps with trip planning and more effective use of the system. Stations are being upgraded, lines have been improved. I would complain about fare increases if I didn’t see any of these changes.
The bottom line is the CTA is doing the best they can with limited resources, I will gladly give them an extra 50 cents to ensure continued improvement efforts.
I was listening to the radio a few days ago to a news story about a Federal Judge ruling on a decision to allow a pipeline through a Native American Reservation. A group of Sioux tribes were trying to stop a TransCanada gas pipe line from going through their land. The Federal Judge ruled against the tribes allow construction of the pipeline to continue. A brief mention of the story can be found here from the Grand Forks Herald.
This sparked my interest in how widespread comprehensive land use planning is used among Native American Tribes on their reservation. Why?
Well, I’m not a land use lawyer, I’m a planning student, but in a Land Use Law course I took, we learned about the case of Arlington Heights, IL vs MHDC. The case said that Arlington Heights violated the Fair Housing Act because it would not allow an affordable housing unit to be built. Arlington Hts defended that that specific type of use was not allowed in that location because the zoning code which has been in place long before the act did not allow it. The MHDC cried exclusionary zoning, Arlington Height said that discrimination wasn’t the intent of their zoning code. The lower courts agreed with the affordable housing developer, but when sent to the Supreme Court, the ruling ended in favor for Arlington Hts.
This gave me the idea that Native American tribes could use comprehensive planning as a way to protect future land use on the reservation from Federal incursion or use. I don’t know how land use law effects Native American reservations, but the case of Arlington Hts leads me to believe that a solid comprehensive plan can defend even federal acts for influencing land use decisions.