Let's de-link the stadium from transit.
We are not likely to follow the urban blight/development patterns of Detroit
or Chicago. The larger context of urban growth is radically different than
that of the least 50 years or so. Here are some interesting images and
ideas for candidates and citizens alike....
1. Look to Portland, Oregon for yet another example of sustainable downtown
development. Grist Magazine reports that a 35-block area of Portland Oregon
plans to generate most of its own power, collect most of its rainwater, ands
mitigate most of its own CO2 emissions by 2050.
http://www.grist.org/etc/gristlist/2005/09/02/index.html
2. Look at the image below. Can you find Minneapolis, MN?
http://www.pipeline101.com/Overview/images/ProductsMap.gif
3. Here's another important image to consider to understand what keeps
Minneapolis alive.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0406/feature5/images/mp_full.5.jpg
As an energy landscape, Minneapolis has followed the conventional model. We
suck energy in through a vast hidden network of pipelines and powerlines and
rails and roads. We waste more energy in a day than some countries consume.
Hugo Chavez noted at the UN last week that the way (US) Americans consume
energy offends and angers people around the world. we take energy from the
Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Nigeria, and more -- at great cost to the people of these places and
to the environment.
This energy-intensive paradigm of development is over. We need to make some
very hard decision about "what to keep and what to leave behind" as we
prepare our city to be booted out of the fossil-fuel age by Momma Nature.
An environmental and economic storm is approaching Minneapolis for which we
need to plan.
As a father, I plan my budget as carefully as I can to provide for my family
in the real world. should I take all of my meager earnings and buy booze
and toys while neglecting essential food, shelter, education, and survival
infrastructure for my children? No. while I keep my "fun meter" running
well everyday on a low budget, my first priority is to provide for my
family.
My concern is that our political leadership -- and the powerful corporate
leadership which pays their way and sets creates the political menu of
choices -- is most interested in buying expensive toys designed for a time
and a place which is simply gone forever.
We need to marshall our resources for maximum local self-reliance in terms
of energy and food production which is sustainable over time.
We need to re-establish Minneapolis and the metro region as a sustainable
part of this bioregion. We must steward our financial resources carefully
to do so. This process will only become more urgent and more expensive over
time. Let's start now, and let's prioritize sustainable urban
infrastructure development.
-- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst -- Gary Hoover
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