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Six kids, to be exact. The Vancouver Courier profiles the Spino family—2 parents and 6 kids who live in a 3-bedroom condo in downtown Vancouver. It’s an interesting read, as well as a good reminder that, for some families, downtown living makes a lot of sense. Says the pater familias: “I don’t see the need for having rooms in houses that you don’t use. I don’t see why you have...

Note: This is part of a series, highlighting Initiative933 in Washington. I-933 requires taxpayers to compensate propertyowners for “losses” resulting from planning. Simply complying with I-933 would be extremely expensive. That’s because I-933 demands massive paperwork burdens and bureaucratic shuffling for even the smallest zoning change. The best estimates show that administration alone would likely cost somwhere in the $1 to $2 billion range each year. (And this figure does not include the cost of paying...

Straight talk from the Georgia Straight: the greater Vancouver regional government has admitted that there’s no way it can meet the Kyoto protocol’s goal of reducing climate warming emissions to 6 percent below 1990’s level by 2012. In fact, it will probably take all the political will the region can muster to cap emissions at 10 percent above 1990’s levels by the time the Kyoto deadline rolls around. This is...

It’s a quiet day for sustainability news here in the Northwest, which meant a long hunt for the Tidepool editor this morning. Today’s top story at Tidepool illustrates a new trend for funding parks in California. The solution could apply to other places in our region dealing with population growth and sprawl. In a related article, the Portland-area Metro Council has chosen six tracts of land they would purchase if...

It’s a good day for sustainability news—which means tough choices for your Tidepool editor this morning. Hanford takes center stage. Last night, 60 minutes featured an investigative report on the hair-raising financial and environmental problems of the nuclear waste site in Washington state. Additionally, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer offers an excellent package of stories exploring the issue. Both are worth a look. Another great piece from the Seattle Times examines the...

In today’s edition of TIDEPOOL: Today’s top story highlights some good news from Montana: Logging companies and environmental organizations announce a compromise land-use plan for 3.3 million acres of national forest. And an article that will interest British Columbians: Native Vancouver Islander Patrick Moore has risen to new heights. Moore, a founder of Greenpeace and, more recently, the scourge of many forest activists, is now partnering with ex-EPA head Christine...

Another week, another anti-city screed from Seattle Weekly‘s Knute Berger. There’s lots to pick apart in this week’s column by “Mossback,” but I’ll restrain myself. According to Berger, increasing density won’t address sprawl on the urban fringe because: Big growth in downtown Seattle won’t be a sponge for regional growth. In fact, it will likely drive additional growth in the region—just look at the San Francisco Bay Area, which has...

  Editor’s note: This post was contributed by Todd Litman, author of “Parking Management Best Practices,” and founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. For more information see his free summary report (pdf), Parking Management: Strategies, Evaluation and Planning. A great example of the maxim “no free lunch” is the common struggle over parking. Motorists often assume that parking should be abundant and free at nearly every...

A year ago, Seattle Mayor Gregg Nickels assembled a “Green Ribbon Commission” to advise him on how to keep his trend-setting Kyoto pledge. Last week, the commission released its report. The global significance and political symbolism of the event have drawn much well-earned comment. The report itself has not. How is it? Superb. I’m in love. It’s well researched, innovative, and (mostly) courageous. (Full disclosure: the commission is also full...

Solid article in the Seattle Times today on the rising building height limits in downtown Seattle.  It even includes a brief historical note on the 1989 voter-approved height cap following the construction of the super-tall and hideous Columbia Tower. Seattle’s thinking on downtown density has changed quite a bit since then. Instead of constricting development, most are enthusiastic about new development in the city’s core—development that is revivifying once-dormant neighborhoods....