CityKin

Stupid O'Toole Quote

2009-07-15T17:56:00.000-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/07/15/15climatewire-a-son-of-portland-ore-tries-to-puncture-the-52412.html
Randall O'Toole is given a fair write-up in the NY Times since he was called by Congress to testify on transit funding. But he cannot avoid sticking his foot in his mouth when he speculates that the smart growth movement is just a reaction of the upper classes against the working class moving into the suburbs. What kind of crack is this guy smoking?

...Smart-growth advocates see another flaw in O'Toole's argument. They say he focuses narrowly on transit's carbon footprint but never considers how transit can reshape communities.

... vast research shows that if transit serves a dense area where people can meet many of their daily needs by biking and walking, the whole "transportation system" shrinks its carbon footprint. ....

Other cities see something in the hype. According to the American Public Transportation Association, light-rail systems or extensions have been proposed in 37 cities, among them Phoenix, Atlanta and Jacksonville, Fla.

O'Toole, of course, sees another force behind the movement -- class warfare.

"I think a lot of the anti-suburban sprawl crowd is made up of middle-class people who resent the fact that working class people have adopted their lifestyles," he said. "Many of them have moved into their neighborhoods, and they don't want to see those kind of people in their neighborhoods, because they have different lifestyles. Maybe they drink more, maybe they're noisier. I don't know."

But it it not just about shrinking carbon footprint either, it is about building places that people want to be. Building places for people, not for cars.

Hydrogen Rail Reality

2009-07-15T17:30:00.001-04:00

A Statesville, NC paper reports on a paradigm shift. It will be interesting to see if hydro technology will really proceed like this scientist believes it will:

.... the biggest railroad in the USA, (just) presented to the world the first full-scale hydrail locomotive.

... the total supplanting of petroleum rail power by hydrogen is a matter of two or three decades at most ....

... rail and maritime applications were by far the easiest ways to move people and goods using energy delivered via hydrogen. ...named the new technology "hydrail."

...In 2008, because of our hydrail initiative, Proterra LLC wrote to the Town of Mooresville, Iredell County and the State proposing to build hydrail streetcars here, employing 200 to 500 people.

This summer, UNC and Mooresville focused the Fifth International Hydrail Conference on replacing overhead wire systems with wireless fuel cell streetcars (hydrolleys) as the new standard for urban rail, saving $5–to–6 million per mile of track construction. Charlotte is now studying that technology as one option for their proposed Beatties Ford to Eastland streetcar.

New LA Streetcar Website

2009-07-15T12:01:00.000-04:00

A Downtown LA advocate just announced a new LA Streetcar website. Just knowing there is a LA downtown that people are advocates of is interesting to me. They hope to have the system up and running by 2014:

Building Museum Video of Columbia Heights

2009-07-15T10:52:00.001-04:00

In the third installment of Great Green Places Washington, D.C.'s Office of Planning's Harriet Tregoning takes us on a tour of Washington, D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood to explore how transit and mixed-use facilities help make for greener neighborhoods.

Totes Isotoner Outlet

2009-07-15T07:12:00.000-04:00

I heard about a new outlet store, and rushed out to see it. It is quite fancy:

And so are the prices:

View From Broadway and Liberty Roof

2009-07-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

View south and west:

Northwest:

North, looking at Mt Auburn:

Rock Throwing

2009-07-14T00:21:00.007-04:00

Happy Bastille Day.

I don't have a long time to formulate thoughts about the recent rock throwing incident, so I'll keep it brief.

Below is a police photo of a rock thrown at a car on Columbia Parkway:

1. My dad had his windshield smashed with a rock while driving on Columbia Parkway over 5 years ago. It did not make the news and the police did not find the rock thrower.
2. I threw snowballs at cars as a teen. I could have caused an accident and killed someone. I was stupid, but at the time it seemed like a lot of fun.
3. I do not understand the extreme hatred shown towards the rock throwers in the comments section of the Enquirer. What they did was bad, real bad, but calling for long prison terms or physical punishment is crazy.
4. The police had to let one of the kids go because they did not have enough evidence to indite him. Did the police really hold a press conference in front of the kids house? That doesn't sound right.

Jerome's Memorial

2009-07-13T12:56:00.002-04:00

Site of a July 4th weekend shooting:

Green and Republic:

This is just a block south of Findlay Market. I walked this way to the Market Sunday, and my son was asking why there were so many empty buildings up here and why the owners don't fix them up. I told him there was a shooting here, but he wasn't so interested in the memorial.

Thanks Mainstream Media... for this.

2009-07-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so if I'm going to complain, I better step up and applaud. The Enquirer just ran a piece called Streetcar film comes full circle on an upcoming showing of a 1996 documentary on Streetcars that is critical of GM's role in their demise. Enquirer reporter Lauren Bishop interviewed Jim Klein, a Wright State University professor and documentary filmmaker who helped produce the film.

In the answer to the first question he said:

What I discovered in making the film is the type of transit you have impacts the type of city you have. A city that has more opportunity for its citizens to travel around with each other and for neighborhoods to be places where business takes place rather than the car-oriented, mall-oriented type of society, I think is a lot healthier and has a lot more long-term potential.

Go to the Enquirer story for more details, it is worth the read. You can see the movie at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center this Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00 pm.

Grafitti Van

2009-07-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

Style at Parade

2009-07-12T10:06:00.000-04:00

Northside:

Electrical Testing Method

2009-07-11T07:34:00.001-04:00

From The Electrician's Handbook, 1928:

Electricians often test circuits for the presence of voltage by touching the conductors with the fingers. This method is safe where voltage does not exceed 250 and is often very convenient for locating a blown-out fuse or for ascertaining whether or not a circuit is alive. Some men can endure the electric shock that results without discomfort whereas others cannot. Therefore, the method is not feasible in some cases. Which are the outside wires and which is the neutral wire of a 110-220 volt, 3-wire system can be determined in this way by noting the intensity of the shock that results by touching different pairs of wires with the fingers. Use the method with caution wan be certain that the voltage of the circuit does not exceed 250 before touching the conductors

The presence of low voltages can be determined by "tasting". The method is feasible only where the pressure is but a few volts and hence is usde only in bell and signal work. Where the voltage is very low, the bared ends of the conductors are held a short distance apart on the tongue. if voltage is present a peculiar mildly burning sensation results which sill never be forgotten after one has experienced it. The "taste" is due to the electrolytic decomposition of the liquids on the tongue...

It's Lovely I'll Take It

2009-07-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

A collection of poorly chosen photos from real estate listings here.

Movies at Washington Park

2009-07-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

REMINDER, Hollywood comes to Washington Park tonight. I'll be there. The movie starts at 9:30 and whereas the park usually closes at 10. It should be interesting:

This is Kinda Like Our Pool

2009-07-10T07:09:00.001-04:00

Yeah right. Famous continuous camera scene from the 1964 movie "I am Cuba" that travels from rooftop to pool. The music is not original:

Contrast Cowboy

2009-07-09T21:05:00.000-04:00

At Northside Parade Festival. The Contrast Cowboy, from Happen Inc.:

2 FUNCKY

2009-07-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

Seen in Northside:

Old Aquaintance

2009-07-08T19:44:00.005-04:00

"Hey Mike!"
"Mike! Mike... wait up.."
"Can you help a brother out?"

He looks like his face has been punched in. He's real thin, face crooked.

"You don't remember me do you?"

"No, I do. You're.. "

"Its Tee, man. We used to do all that stuff with buddy. Remember?"

He had been a very handsome young man. A charmer, and smart.
"Sure, yeah. How you doing?"

"We'll you know. I need help man, I'm kinda off the path."

"I don't have much on me. I don't want to help you drink."

"Well, you know how it is."

I reach in my pocket and pull out a bill.
"That's all I got on me, sorry."

"Pray for me, man, pray for me."

Pez-a-Mania Next Week

2009-07-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

The world's largest gathering of PEZ collectors will reconvene again in Cleveland next week. Not my thing, but kinda interesting in an Ohio centric way.

Ruins of 2nd Guided Age

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

NYT slideshow of partially built projects that may never get finished:

In a similar vein, an article in WSJ:

...Small houses on small lots—or condos and townhouses—require more dense zoning than is currently on the books in suburbia. Unless an area is already blighted and abandoned, the "threat" of higher density inevitably resurrects "not in my backyard" fears of more noise, traffic and overcrowded schools, which often results in considerable citizen pushback and bad publicity for the builder. That is, of course, why sprawl happened in the first place—builders almost always find it less of a hassle to build on undeveloped land than to create so-called "infill" housing.

... several big suburban builders, including K. Hovnanian, KB Homes and Toll Brothers, have started divisions for building urban housing, while other companies have started to convert failed suburban shopping malls, office parks, car dealerships and even golf courses into denser mixed-used buildings....

Russ Alley

2009-07-06T14:42:00.003-04:00

I think I know OTR pretty well. But everyday I notice new things. Sunday, while walking down Republic Street, between Green and Liberty, I noticed this gated alley. I am generally negative on privatized public space, but was pleasantly surprised by this short section of alleyway. Places where 2 alleys intersect in the middle of block are usually pretty unsafe places anyway.

I think all the buildings that surround this alley are part of a project called St. Anthony Village, which is a "renter equity program" consisting of 28 apartments. From what I have seen, it is a peaceful part of the neighborhood.

Here is Russ Alley on an auditor's map. It runs e/w below the yellow highlighted building and a few other buildings. The gated section runs from Republic Street to Goose Alley:

1635 Republic, gate on alley:

The eastern end of the alley, here unfenced to the left of this red building, runs out to Vine Street:

What City is This

2009-07-06T07:46:00.000-04:00

Clue, it is in the US:

O'dell Owens on OTR Crime

2009-07-05T12:47:00.001-04:00

I missed this nugget the other day from our Coroner:

Hamilton County Coroner O'dell Owens isn't buying a survey that named Over-the-Rhine the “most dangerous neighborhood” in America.

Dr. Owens said in a press conference on Wednesday that Cincinnati is a good city that suffers from “poor self esteem.”
...
"At our worst we had 89 homicides. Philly had 440, Detroit has one a day, Indianapolis had eight in one day. Toledo had multiples in one day. We've never had eight homicides in one day in Cincinnati," said Owens.

Owens said there is a problem with crime but people shouldn't let fear keep them out of the area.

Channel 9 follow up story yesterday.

Dunking Booth

2009-07-04T16:38:00.001-04:00

The kids loved the Northside 4th of July parade, especially the dunking booth:

Happy 4th

2009-07-02T11:07:00.007-04:00

Some Patriotic images for your weekend: