Its Tuesday, August 7th. I wish I could hear the radio show online. If people start chatting, I'll at least join the conversation. Good luck with the show.
This is now up. The areas of discussions will range from local food production, design of light rail cars. concepts of sustainable villages, flex-car systems, inner village transportation, socail issues and costs. etc. etc. We are looking forward to all you insights and visions, no matter how partial, or even silly, Dave sellers
Vermont Busiensses for Social Responsibility has created an Energy/Transportation/Environment Action Group to create Legislation to move Renewables - Transportation - and Environmental issues to the forefront in Vermont governance. I would really appreciate this group helping us to formulate a Rail Policy. I would like to invite Rick and David to attend our meeting on the 1st of October to present to our Action Group. The meeting is @ 1:00 p.m. and we will be inviting an array of folks to present from Bus, Air, Bike, Ped, and Auto also...!! We will be developing a comprehensive focus of seamless public transit for the entire state focusing on reduced carbon footprint and ALL modes of public and private transit. Melinda
The possible new town on the line in Vergennes is getting closer to a reality. The owner is totally behind the idea and has 180 acres between the rails and Rte 7. .... As an aside: if the 1000 households reduce their car ownership from two cars to one, the savings is huge for that village. At $5,000 per year per car (the national average is closer to $7,000/car), the savings is $5000x1000 or $5million bucks per year. Three years of that savings put into the village would make it one of the coolest on the planet. and this works for all of them....Dave Sellers
Strategies for Vermont regarding energy, housing and settlement patterns From: David Sellers, Architect and Planner Date: February 28, 2007
The following goals and strategies are interconnected and comprise a potential configuration for Vermont that cannot be achieved in the private development sector without incentives and without overall coordinated vision and direction from the local government supported by the STATE OF VERMONT
1. Reduce the emissions from gas –powered vehicles by reducing the trips/day and rewarding efficient vehicles with reduced license and insurance fees. 2. Add more housing in compact villages 3. Protect open space and prime agriculture lands 4. Reduce sprawl and eventually eliminate the financial reward for creating sprawl 5. Utilize existing rail lines for new pedestrian oriented communities 6. Develop businesses in Vermont for lightweight passenger rail cars running on batteries and alternate non fossil fuels. 7. Preserve and energize existing historic rail –based villages and towns by activating passenger rail intra-city in Vermont from Burlington to White River Jct., from Burlington to Middlebury. From White River North to St. J. and from St. A to St. J. along the Lamoille C. RR right of way 8. To establish and encourage town-based energy production entities using, bio-mass, wind and community exercise facilities.
All the above elements are interconnected and not likely to evolve in the private sector without direction and incentive. The pressure for sprawl-configured development is hidden in piece-meal, seemingly benign development by small-scale local developers responding to demand in the real estate market.
The above concepts have been explored in “SPRAWL FREE VERMONT’ an unpublished work in concert with students in the Norwich School of Architecture in 2003. They have been further explored with the Waitsfield planning commission, the CRG (Citizens for Responsible Growth) in Williston, the Morrisville village Charette and independent studies by Sellers and Company in Warren.
Conclusions are the following: 1. Managing growth in Vermont villages will not be sufficiently effective to deter sprawl given the current tools available to municipalities. 2. Transportation links, especially rail need to be activated with the transportation entity being in the private sector. The entity will serve the connected transportation routes best if the entity has development opportunities at the destination hubs. THIS IS A MAJOR CHANGE. 3. The current configuration of most towns in Vermont (and the US) does not recognize the needs that have emerged since WWII for seniors, recreation, health, common grounds, education at all ages, youth involvement and pedestrian accommodation. Theses needs and conditions comprise a “VILLAGE BILL OF RIGHTS’ 4. Vermont has seen substantial evolutions in many municipalities to remedy and Adjust to the changing times. These need support and power with planning and management tools offered by the State of Vermont. 5. New towns and constructed alterations to existing towns need to be expedited with the same energy the private sector sells real estate to developers. This implies substantial education, proof of concept models and support for exploring this fresh ground with grants, loans and professional guidance.
Passenger rail in Vermont. “What are the essential factors for a successful rail program in the State?” (Subtitle: why rail fails.) œ
Passenger rail essentials: 1. Frequent and dependable service that connects to Montpelier and Burlington 2. Passenger cars that are spaceage, as cool as the best sports car, lots of glass, comfy and equipped with music, phones and carrying room for bikes, groceries, kids and wheel chairs. 3. Non fossil-fueled power 4. Computerized display in car and at stations indicating location of next car, next station, time to arrival, next car. 5. Stations should not be seen as park and ride, but activity centers in the middle of towns. The rail company needs to own 50% of the real estate with in 300 feet of the station and a mandate to develop it for destination activities. 6. There needs to be little league, soccer, skating and other recreation within 500 feet of the station so families and youth can commute to games without needing cars. 7. There needs to be commercial leased space for offices, art space and market space with the station complex. 8. Housing for up to 2000 people must be available or developable within a 3 minute walk to the station
7 comments:
Its Tuesday, August 7th. I wish I could hear the radio show online. If people start chatting, I'll at least join the conversation. Good luck with the show.
This is now up. The areas of discussions will range from local food production, design of light rail cars. concepts of sustainable villages, flex-car systems, inner village transportation, socail issues and costs. etc. etc. We are looking forward to all you insights and visions, no matter how partial, or even silly, Dave sellers
Vermont Busiensses for Social Responsibility has created an Energy/Transportation/Environment Action Group to create Legislation to move Renewables - Transportation - and Environmental issues to the forefront in Vermont governance. I would really appreciate this group helping us to formulate a Rail Policy. I would like to invite Rick and David to attend our meeting on the 1st of October to present to our Action Group. The meeting is @ 1:00 p.m. and we will be inviting an array of folks to present from Bus, Air, Bike, Ped, and Auto also...!! We will be developing a comprehensive focus of seamless public transit for the entire state focusing on reduced carbon footprint and ALL modes of public and private transit.
Melinda
The possible new town on the line in Vergennes is getting closer to a reality. The owner is totally behind the idea and has 180 acres between the rails and Rte 7. .... As an aside: if the 1000 households reduce their car ownership from two cars to one, the savings is huge for that village. At $5,000 per year per car (the national average is closer to $7,000/car), the savings is $5000x1000 or $5million bucks per year. Three years of that savings put into the village would make it one of the coolest on the planet. and this works for all of them....Dave Sellers
Strategies for Vermont regarding energy, housing and settlement patterns
From: David Sellers, Architect and Planner
Date: February 28, 2007
The following goals and strategies are interconnected and comprise a potential configuration for Vermont that cannot be achieved in the private development sector without incentives and without overall coordinated vision and direction from the local government supported by the STATE OF VERMONT
1. Reduce the emissions from gas –powered vehicles by reducing the trips/day and rewarding efficient vehicles with reduced license and insurance fees.
2. Add more housing in compact villages
3. Protect open space and prime agriculture lands
4. Reduce sprawl and eventually eliminate the financial reward for creating sprawl
5. Utilize existing rail lines for new pedestrian oriented communities
6. Develop businesses in Vermont for lightweight passenger rail cars running on batteries and alternate non fossil fuels.
7. Preserve and energize existing historic rail –based villages and towns by activating
passenger rail intra-city in Vermont from Burlington to White River Jct., from Burlington to Middlebury. From White River North to St. J. and from St. A to St. J. along the Lamoille C. RR right of way
8. To establish and encourage town-based energy production entities using, bio-mass,
wind and community exercise facilities.
All the above elements are interconnected and not likely to evolve in the private sector without direction and incentive. The pressure for sprawl-configured development is hidden in piece-meal, seemingly benign development by small-scale local developers responding to demand in the real estate market.
The above concepts have been explored in “SPRAWL FREE VERMONT’ an unpublished work in concert with students in the Norwich School of Architecture in 2003. They have been further explored with the Waitsfield planning commission, the CRG (Citizens for Responsible Growth) in Williston, the Morrisville village Charette and independent studies by Sellers and Company in Warren.
Conclusions are the following:
1. Managing growth in Vermont villages will not be sufficiently effective to deter sprawl given the current tools available to municipalities.
2. Transportation links, especially rail need to be activated with the transportation entity being in the private sector. The entity will serve the connected transportation routes best if the entity has development opportunities at the destination hubs. THIS IS A MAJOR CHANGE.
3. The current configuration of most towns in Vermont (and the US) does not recognize the needs that have emerged since WWII for seniors, recreation, health, common grounds, education at all ages, youth involvement and pedestrian accommodation. Theses needs and conditions comprise a “VILLAGE BILL OF RIGHTS’
4. Vermont has seen substantial evolutions in many municipalities to remedy and
Adjust to the changing times. These need support and power with planning and management tools offered by the State of Vermont.
5. New towns and constructed alterations to existing towns need to be expedited with the same energy the private sector sells real estate to developers. This implies substantial education, proof of concept models and support for exploring this fresh ground with grants, loans and professional guidance.
Passenger rail in Vermont.
“What are the essential factors for a successful rail program in the State?”
(Subtitle: why rail fails.)
œ
Passenger rail essentials:
1. Frequent and dependable service that connects to Montpelier and Burlington
2. Passenger cars that are spaceage, as cool as the best sports car, lots of glass, comfy and equipped with music, phones and carrying room for bikes, groceries, kids and wheel chairs.
3. Non fossil-fueled power
4. Computerized display in car and at stations indicating location of next car, next station, time to arrival, next car.
5. Stations should not be seen as park and ride, but activity centers in the middle of towns. The rail company needs to own 50% of the real estate with in 300 feet of the station and a mandate to develop it for destination activities.
6. There needs to be little league, soccer, skating and other recreation within 500 feet of the station so families and youth can commute to games without needing cars.
7. There needs to be commercial leased space for offices, art space and market space with the station complex.
8. Housing for up to 2000 people must be available or developable within a 3 minute walk to the station
Yestermorrow class this week Jan. 12-18 with 11 students is exploring concepts for sustainable communities on rail lines. Watch for posting.
How did the Yestermorrow class a year ago go with exploring concepts for sustainable communities on rail lines?
Post a Comment