tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post8739934783473057174..comments2023-10-11T06:16:49.567-04:00Comments on Urban Champion: A Prescription for Meaningful ChangeBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02922231021287645853noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post-22618283479104799642009-02-01T11:45:00.000-05:002009-02-01T11:45:00.000-05:00I've made that train trip: it is pretty nice and c...I've made that train trip: it is pretty nice and convenient--depending where your hotel is (assuming you're staying overnight). The Royal York, right above the station, really reminds you of the integration the railroad companies were able to provide. But the hotel's not cheap.<BR/><BR/>The border crossing takes a while: that's the problem with the trip--particularly on the way back. The US agents board the trains with Drug Dogs, too. It feels very much like your crossing to the former Eastern Europe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post-64260882971805599842009-01-30T22:30:00.000-05:002009-01-30T22:30:00.000-05:00Nice work on this blog, Urban Champ. I've been fo...Nice work on this blog, Urban Champ. I've been following your blog for a while now, though I seldom comment for whatever reason.... Keep up the good work!<BR/><BR/>Kunstler is also one of my favorite authors/social critics.Puanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14035931715458898560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post-35899720218876538382009-01-28T16:38:00.000-05:002009-01-28T16:38:00.000-05:00RC,It is high time I did a case study on Toronto. ...RC,<BR/><BR/>It is high time I did a case study on Toronto. This will be the 16th time I've been there. The train ride will certainly be long (5h 39m), but my wife and I are actually looking forward to that. I think a lot of the delay will come at the border. I've gone to Syracuse on the train in less time than it takes to drive.<BR/><BR/>Greg R,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the thoughtful comments! <BR/><BR/>I know exactly what you mean with the 'one-note' line. I can't tell you how many times I've read "We aren't going to run Walmart, Disney World, and the Interstate Highway System on any combination of French Fry Oil, Wind, Solar..." but I realize that any interview Kunstler gives may end up being read by someone for whom this is their first exposure to his core argument.<BR/><BR/>You would think the urbanist would be in favor of a big change mantra, but the change we need is a wholesale overturn of hidden things like zoning codes so that traditional development is no longer illegal. I think the Obama administration is certainly capable of understanding this, but right now it is drowned out by the incessant whining of the filthy rich no longer able to pull their swindle on the mortgage industry. So we create this abstraction called "jobs" doing what we know how to do which is lay down more pavement. There are other elements under the overaching banner of 'change' that will have localized positive effect such as the renewed emphasis on service. Community building is something that will become important again very shortly in order to create sustainable domestic economy.<BR/><BR/>I don't think upgrading current rail curtails the possibility of future high-speed systems. But if I'm spending the mega bucks for this sort of thing I want to be 100% sure there is a long-term need for something advanced as opposed to people simply wanting it to replace the increasingly miserbale ordeal of air travel or singular motoring. Putting a dollar to its best use doesn't necessarily mean shooting for the moon (in fact Kunstler had a good quote about 'assholes at NASA still talking about space travel when we still need to teach 10 million people how to garden.').<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the kind words about the blog!Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02922231021287645853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post-84022297621251986802009-01-28T13:36:00.000-05:002009-01-28T13:36:00.000-05:00Hi there,Kuntsler does have some good points regar...Hi there,<BR/><BR/>Kuntsler does have some good points regarding this stuff, though he tends to become kind of one-note in his weekly updates... Which in a messaging sense is useful but not as much for those interested in the nuances. Taking a step back, though, I think there is an interesting dynamivc in the juxtaposition of Kuntsler (Transformative Change is GOING to happen TO us) and the currently en-vogue spirit of progress ("we need to MAKE transformative change,")I see the stimulus as some sort of an initial (if in ways misguided) stab at the latter. <BR/><BR/>What I'm interested in is how people interested a renaissance of the town center (and all that comes with that) can hitch our wagon in a meaningful way to this "change" thing we're hearing so much about. shouldn't we be embracing the idea of "big change"? Isn't that what we want?(forgetting for a moment about the policy details, which we don't like re: Highways vs. Transit). <BR/>To that end, you raise an interesting point re: HSR vs. incremental investment in rail we have now - does attention to one do a disservice to the other? I think the policy answer is no. I'm unsure about the "movement messaging" answer, but I believe people like us need to be thinking about questions like this - how does the urbanist movement take advantage of this broader cultural moment? Kunstler's perspective is a starting place, and he shines a unique spotlight on some core truths, but I think we need to think beyond what's wrong and seek out the ways in which we can effectively articulate a vision for our future. And fast.<BR/><BR/>To be more concise, I salute you for asking these questions, and encourage you top keep digging for the answers, or at least the more refined questions. <BR/><BR/>BTW, I'm a former WNYer doing affordable housing and smart growth advocacy in inner burbs of the Bay Area. Obstacles I face here in my work have gotten me thinking a great deal about possibilities back home, and to that end I've been appreciating your posts! Keep it up!GRRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05250728009666958242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3546356820331261420.post-82018538615583853412009-01-28T12:54:00.000-05:002009-01-28T12:54:00.000-05:00I'll second the Kunstlercast recommendation. The ...I'll second the Kunstlercast recommendation. The one you recommended on children in the suburbs was good. I've only just started listening to the others, but what I've heard so far makes sense.<BR/><BR/>Also, I'll be interested in hearing about your Toronto train trip. I'm always looking for a better way to get to TO.Rottenchesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05419735121148289074noreply@blogger.com