Please find some information and a link about the new website, WorldChanging Seattle below. This fantastic site which originated from the very popular WorldChanging site, is based in place at Seattle which reminds me of many other sustainable-city related sites, namely SustainableMelbourne.com and SustainableRotterdam.com. Read on to learn more!

http://www.worldchanging.com/seattle/

Who is Worldchanging?
Worldchanging is a solutions-based online magazine that works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it’s here. We only need to put the pieces together. Informed by that premise, we do our best to bring you the most important and innovative new tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future.

Why Seattle?
Worldchanging is part of a global conversation, but we’re also based in a place. Our headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, and we decided that our hometown was the best possible starting point for trying to bridge the global and local conversations. For many reasons, Seattle is an ideal basecamp for our conversation about how to create a sustainable city. We believe that its wealth of natural resources give Seattle policymakers a unique challenge when it comes to smart management. Seattle’s exploding population (if current rates continue, Washington state may double its population in less than 50 years) presents new challenges: Can we engineer a compact, efficient, appealing urban environment that will attract people into the city and help curb destructive sprawl? Can we create an infrastructure for moving people and goods that puts the needs of pedestrians and public transportation above those of personal vehicles? Can we take Seattle into the future?

Please find an abstract below from a post listed on the blogsite: “A Town Square: Conversations about where we live“. I thought it would be interesting to SustainableCitiesNet.com readers.

URL: http://heckeranddecker.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/the-next-city-2/
The Next City?
June 13, 2008 by aandh

This past weekend the New York Times Magazine was devoted to architecture and urban design, and the issue was entitled “The Next City.” I was crestfallen to see that the title of our project here had been scooped up. I was certain that we had been rendered obsolete - surely the NYT would get great journalists to talk about all of the issues facing the next city, and they would do so in a provocative and insightful way. They would spend time, and column inches, talking about making cities, even new and exploding cities in the developing world, sustainable and green and fit for their burgeoning populations. I was really bummed.

Until I read the magazine. At first I was puzzled, and then, as I began to reflect on what I had read, I started to get angry. Really angry.

Read More >

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #63, 10 June 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Noise Pollution
“Drivers hooted their way through Mumbai’s first no-honking day, ignoring efforts to cut the ear-splitting cacophony of life in India’s most bustling city. …The city of 18 million suffers from severe noise pollution, with not even designated ‘no honking zones’ - such as for hospitals and educational institutions - spared by impatient drivers. …Doctors say noise pollution stemming from cars, motorcycles, trucks and air traffic takes a toll on health, pushing up stress levels. Last year, the World Health Organisation said long-term exposure to traffic noise could be linked to heart disease.”

Ref: SMH, 8/4/08, URL

Quiet Ultra-Light Rail
“I live in close proximity to the line that runs between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town [in the UK] and during the week am plagued with the noise made by the rail carriage that generally uses that line. However, Sundays are a totally different situation. Your ‘People Mover’ slips virtually silently up and down the line and almost goes unnoticed. Apart from
the benefits to ourselves and other residents of reduced noise, I would imagine that there is also a significant reduction in the amount of fumes and other gases that pollute the environment.”
Ref: Parry People Mover Website 24/8/06, URL

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #63, 10 June 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Fading Cars
“With car buying down by close to 33-percent since 1990, Japan is claimed to be in the grips of kuruma banare, which, for Japanese carmakers, is the polar opposite of hakuna matata. ‘It’s being labelled the ‘demotorisation’ process, and it involves large numbers of people in Japan’s urban centres not buying cars.

“Surveys have revealed a variety of reasons, from the cost of purchase and ownership, to vehicles simply not being status symbols anymore, to cars being passé – as in ‘so 20th century’. The greatest worry [for car makers] is that young folks are simply not into cars, preferring cell phones and gadgets to Cubes and keis. Losing their audience before the love affair has even begun is no doubt causing JDM manufacturers to lose sleep. And the even worse news is that the trend is expected to continue, with another 1.2-percent drop in sales predicted this year. Japanese carmakers are fighting the perception that cars aren’t cool or worth the price by expanding their marketing and sales efforts in an attempt to form emotional bonds in other ways. It is certain, however, that they aren’t the only ones interested in the outcome: Japan’s kuruma banare is expected to befall Europe as well.”
Ref: Jonathon Ramsey, Autoblog, 23/5/08, URL

26/05/08
“General Motors Corp. announced it was closing four truck and sports utility vehicle plants and launching a new series of environmentally friendly vehicles in the face of high fuel prices. The automaker said it was also considering selling its hulking Hummer brand as consumer demand for gasoline guzzling vehicles dried up in its home market. ‘These moves are all in response to the rapid rise in oil prices and the resulting changes in the US, changes that we believe are more structural than cyclical’, said Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive officer.”
Ref: Mira Oberman, The Australian 4/6/08, URL

And Also …

“The first two oil shocks banished oil from power generation. How fitting if the third finished the job and began to free transport from oil’s century-long monopoly.”
Ref: Economist.com 29/05/08, URL

Please find below some information about the “Australia 2020 Summit: Final Report” which was recently posted on Australian Policy Online . There is also a link to the full article below.

Australia 2020 Summit: Final Report, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Posted: 02-06-2008

“This report is intended to provide a record of the Australia 2020 Summit and recommendations on each of the discussion areas for consideration by the Australian government. It is based on ideas put forward by participants during the summit discussion sessions, outcomes from preliminary summit events and ideas generated from public submissions received prior to the summit.

The report includes an introductory section and ten chapters which can be viewed and/or downloaded separately.
> Read full text”

Holly Pearson has recently published an article about the highlights from the 7th EcoCity World Summit on WorldChanging.com and its well worth a read! Find an abstract of her post below followed by a link to the full text.

ABSTRACT:
Highlights from the 7th EcoCity World Summit
HOLLY PEARSON
APRIL 28, 2008 9:48 AM
“In order to transform our cities, we need to move from ego-culture to eco-culture.”
— Rusong Wang, President, Ecological Society of China

The EcoCity World Summit wrapped up on Saturday afternoon in San Francisco. An incredible assemblage of the world’s brightest minds that are working to build greener cities and towns gathered for three and a half days of presentations, discussions, city tours, arts & culture, and celebration. As an urban planner for whom the sustainable cities movement is not only a passion but also a raison d’etre, professionally speaking, I found the conference to be nothing short of mind-blowing.

A vast amount of information and ideas was exchanged, and after letting it all sink in for a day or so I’ve summarized what I thought were some of the most interesting concepts and initiatives presented at EcoCity.

The Big Picture for Saving the Planet: Sustainable Cities
Amazingly, somehow I have worked as a city planner in Oakland, California for almost a year without knowing that right here in my own neighborhood is one of the leading green city advocates in the country, if not the world: Richard Register. Dubbed “EcoCity Master” by his conference co-organizer, Rusong Wang of China, Register is the President of non-profit EcoCity Builders.

Looking critically at the environmental movement, Register asserts that humanity is “winning the battle but losing the war.” Despite lots of successes – stronger environmental legislation, recycling programs in most metropolitan areas in the U.S., and the like – ecological degradation continues and is, in fact, worsening. That’s because, says Register, we’re not paying attention to the big things. And the big things, first and foremost, have to do with the design and functioning of our cities. Urban population is on the rise the world over, and cities are by far the greatest sources of natural resource consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other pollutants. For this reason, a sustainable global future cannot be achieved without re-thinking and redesigning cities to reduce their ecological impact.

To read the full article visit: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007996.html

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #57, 29 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Living Streets (in the UK)
􀂾 “The Mayor of London has announced that London boroughs can now introduce borough wide 20mph (32kph) limits, without costly enforcement measures. Portsmouth is moving to a city-wide 20mph limit, and Hull’s widespread 20mph areas are getting dramatic results.”
Ref: http://www.livingstreets.org.uk

􀂾 “Walking Works is an exciting new campaign designed by Living Streets to inspire you to walk more as part of your daily commute. Walking … is a free and highly effective way of getting around our congested cities. And . . . . it can be fun! No two days will be the same.”
Ref: http://www.walkingworks.org.uk/

􀂾 “Local shops and services are vital to the creation of more walkable neighbourhoods. Without access to shops and services within walking distance, people are more likely to drive to out of town shopping centres.”
Ref: 11/12/07 www.livingstreets.org.uk/news_and_info/news.php?id=842

Research - Launch of Policy Research Report by the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab has just released its first policy research report and it’s all about food!

The report, “Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need to know?” discusses the environmental challenges relating to the food system, examining:
- how the production and consumption of food impacts on the environment; and
- the risks and vulnerabilities of the food system to environmental change and social responses (such as policy aiming to reduce environmental impacts)

The report considers: direct impacts of climate change; energy, greenhouse emissions and responses to these; resource constraints such as water, land, oil and agricultural inputs and depleted stocks (eg. fish); biodiversity (ecological and agricultural); waste; and health and nutrition.

The report also discusses strategies and innovations that are being employed to manage environmental risks and reduce impacts (including low-input production methods, changing distribution systems such as farmers’ markets, and consumer food choices). It considers the extent of their potential contribution and identifies opportunities for further investigation or support.

The report finds that there are significant and urgent challenges to the security and sustainability of the food system. It also identifies many opportunities for technological and social innovation to reduce exposure to environmental risks and resource constraints.

The full report, and a summary document (containing just the main points and recommendations), can be downloaded from www.ecoinnovationlab.com/pages/library.php.

The article below, “AIA Selects 10 Cities for Sustainability Program“, by Nicholas Tamarin in Interior Design describes how the American Institute of Architects has selected 10 cities from around the USA to participate in the Sustainable Design Assessment Team, a community assistance program through which architects and local stakeholders map out a plan for sustainability. See an abstract below. For the full story visit http://www.interiordesign.net/id_newsarticle/CA6551811.html.

AIA Selects 10 Cities for Sustainability Program
by Nicholas Tamarin
Interior Design · April 15, 2008
“Cities receiving technical assistance under the program include: Detroit; Tampa; New Orleans; Fort Worth; Windsor, California; Morristown, New Jersey; Parma, Ohio; Fellsmere, Florida; Kauai, Hawaii; and Leon Valley, Texas. The SDAT review panel chose the communities based on applications outlining the economic, environmental, and social challenges facing their regions. Detroit, for example, is hoping to address water conservation, land use, affordable housing, and urban decline, while Tampa is working on revitalizing its urban core, a multi-modal transit system, and affordable housing. Other issues facing the various municipalities range from historic preservation and outdated zoning codes to building community parks and pedestrian-friendly corridors.

“The SDAT program is in its third year and continues to help communities address neighborhood revitalization, transportation infrastructure challenges, as well as offer sound strategies to improve air and water quality, and local economic development,” says David Downey, managing director of the AIA Center for Communities by Design.”"

For the full story visit http://www.interiordesign.net/id_newsarticle/CA6551811.html.

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #56, 22 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Sustainable Advice on Cities
“A leading international city planner is calling for the 2020 summit to consider radical changes to the way Australians live, work and move around their cities. Prominent Danish urban designer Professor Jan Gehl says Australia’s obsession with cars comes at the expense of the liveability of its big cities and the health of its citizens. … But he says it is not too late to change. ‘Originally, we made the cities for people but then, in the past 50 years, gradually we’ve forgotten more and more about that and now many of them have been made more and more for cars’, he said. ‘I remember a big sign in Perth saying, “Your car is welcome to the city”, but we always whispered, “You’re not” … Australian cities - the suburbs and right down to the city centres - have been very, very influenced by traffic engineer thinking, absolutely too much compared to other places in the world.’ … ‘When we started recently in Sydney, we found that in certain streets, half the walking time was spent waiting to cross the street … We are suggesting that it should become much more easy to walk in the cities and that cars generally are parked at a longer distance from where you work or where your shopping opportunities are. Everybody would like a lively city, an attractive city, a safe city, a sustainable city and a city which invites more healthy lifestyles. By being sweet to the pedestrians and sweet to the bicyclists, you can actually accomplish quite a bit of all these goals’… Professor Gehl says Australian cities will undergo a ‘very marked change’ over the next 10 to 15 years because of concerns about petrol prices, climate change, obesity and its cost to the health system.”
Ref ABC News Online 18/4/08
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/17/2219693.htm