tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post3309996373560836962..comments2023-11-05T04:34:10.303-05:00Comments on The Naked City: An urbanist's gift-book listUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-73182857188014320302010-12-03T15:20:51.023-05:002010-12-03T15:20:51.023-05:00Kelo v. New London was not a win for smart growth ...Kelo v. New London was not a win for smart growth it was a win for private developers.<br /><br />Smart growth involves efficient use of city infrastructure while guiding private development to make use of that infrastructure through zoning regulation.<br /><br />What happened in New London was not zoning regulation it was eminent domain bought and paid for by private developers.Display Namehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03174184676822635473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-90883652258257725852010-12-03T15:15:35.422-05:002010-12-03T15:15:35.422-05:00And let me chime in, Cato, that I too have deep re...And let me chime in, Cato, that I too have deep reservations about that Kelo ruling. As the smart growther just said, Jane Jacobs would probably loathe those massive, would-be "economic development" schemes. Last I heard, the New London development for which all that land was taken hasn't gotten off the ground. Nuff said.<br /><br />Also, Cato, you misremember what I wrote. Although the fact that you even remember it inaccurately all gives you pretty good creds. On April March 20, 2004, I had an op-ed column about the threat to Charlotte's economic future if if affluent, educated people decide to leave CMS. I wrote: "The city's business and political elite tout corporate support for public schools. But where are they sending their kids?"<br /><br />And here are the proposals I wrote about:<br />"Here are my ideas for some initiatives. Good minds can surely devise other, better ones:<br /><br />"If you're a CEO, make sure staff moving here gets facts, not nasty whispers, about CMS. Create and give to newcomers a list of public school parents at your company who can offer guidance in choosing a good public school.<br /><br />"Business leaders, make clear to your deputies that sending kids to public school wins your approval. Some folks think such arm-twisting isn't seemly. They may be right. But arms are twisted anyway for causes such as United Way or the Arts & Science Council. Why not on behalf of CMS?<br /><br />"The Charlotte Chamber must take the issue seriously. Form a committee. Why not concoct a five-year campaign to raise the percentage of Chamber members with kids in public school?"<br /><br />Nothing about requirements, only about incentives.Mary Newsomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12202416766614180007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-56290718059669884622010-12-03T14:57:39.358-05:002010-12-03T14:57:39.358-05:00Well, this smart growth advocate dislikes Kelo. I...Well, this smart growth advocate dislikes Kelo. I think Jane Jacobs would have the same criticism of large-scale projects following New Urbanism principles. And that is, organic infill is always more sustainable than any master-planned development, especially large urban renewal schemes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-53989043974256259852010-12-03T13:56:19.758-05:002010-12-03T13:56:19.758-05:00Whether she realizes it or not, Mary has a bit of ...Whether she realizes it or not, Mary has a bit of a love/hate relationship with Moses. On the one hand, she deplores the kinds of design he brought. But she pines for the days when Charlotte had local leaders like Hugh McColl with strong visions for the city and, like Moses, were willing to use their power to bring them about. <br /><br />If I recall, she once wrote that the major employers in town should require relocating executives (this was during the salad days when "relocation" meant high earners moving to, and not from, Charlotte) to send their kids to CMS as a condition of employment. (If my memory is faulty, my apologies.)<br /><br />This pervades the smart-growthy industry. On the surface, it aspires to a kind of "small is beautiful" ethic: urban Jeffersonianism with lots of small "d" democracy. But scratch below and you find no problem with technocractic micromanagement and petty coercions.<br /><br />If you doubt this, ask one of them their opinion of the Supreme Court's decision in <i>Kelo v. New London</i>, in which the Court allowed a town to demolish a perfectly fine, if unglamorous, neighborhood because it cut a deal to have a trendy development put in its place. <br /><br />The opinion has been roundly criticized across the political spectrum: from property-rights libertarians to advocates for the inner-city poor. But I've yet to find a smart-growth advocate condemning it. (Again, I'll be happy to stand corrected if I'm wrong).Catonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-50102232829842497312010-12-03T07:04:20.617-05:002010-12-03T07:04:20.617-05:00Urban planning enthusiasts should take a lesson fr...Urban planning enthusiasts should take a lesson from Robert Moses. His ideas were once considered cutting-edge, the inevitable future of the city, the sensible thing to for for 20th century living...and look at all the unintended consequences. Anytime you invest much power in 'experts' with 'smart ideas' so they can get big things done, you live with the results of a decision by the few instead of the choices of millions.<br /><br />Right now 'smart growth' advocates wish they had the power of Moses to reshape cities in their minds' image. Isn't that rolling the dice again?cytomitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12492708357112318017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-77969071616579647262010-12-02T15:35:00.543-05:002010-12-02T15:35:00.543-05:00thanks for the list my boyfriend will definitely e...thanks for the list my boyfriend will definitely enjoy one of them!!! Lets get that light rail moving in CharlotteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com