Urban Aquaponics

- I have been hoping for someone in northern Michigan to start a Community Supported Fishery.

- Chef Eric Patterson of the Cooks' House recently wrote about his efforts with the Grand Traverse Band to source local fish.

- Many organizations are hoping to reap the benefits of small scale Urban Farming like in Detroit (See: Urban farming can succeed in Detroit, panelists say)

- U.S. farmed fish are considered safe and sustainable.

So here's an idea for Traverse City, combine all of these ideas and launch an Urban Fish Farming program. Chicago is considering the idea. See the ChiTrib: Urban fish farming: Will it catch on in Chicago?

If you want to try aquaponics in your backyard Home Depot sells this slick kit: Earth Solutions Little Tokyo Aquaponics Container Gardening without a Tank

Academic Papers Of Interest Regarding Sprawl And Regulation

These are by Michael E Lewyn of the Florida Coastal School of Law.

"How Government Regulation Forces Americans Into Their Cars: A Case Study" Widener Law Journal 16.Symposium (2007): 839-852.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lewyn/39

"YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL: LESS SPRAWL AND PROPERTY RIGHTS TOO" Temple Law Review 80 (2007): 1093-1134.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lewyn/41

And if academic papers are your thing, then you may want to read what Bryan Pijanowski and his team have published as part of the Human-Environment Modeling and Analysis lab at Purdue. [disclosure - many years ago Pijanowski was on my thesis committee]

Why Traverse City Needs Infill Development

(including ADU's)

Because getting people to live close together is a much easier than "draining the Bay" to increase wages.

See the NYT Economix Blog: Why Humanity Loves, and Needs, Cities

...wages and productivity rise with density...

The Benefits Of Narrow Tree Lined Streets

Via TriplePundit: Tree-Lined Streets Reduce Car Accidents

Cities, Driving, and Housing Costs

Or like the myth that Apple computers cost more than Windows based computers, the myth that the suburbs are cheaper than the cities is busted.

There has been a recent uptick in articles I have seen about how cities - specifically urban density - is a good thing and sustainable. Because if your city can support a higher density then the residents don't have to drive as much, which reduces traffic and transportation costs, and makes for a generally happier population. Duh...

See:

3P: Study Finds Transportation Costs Make Most of America “Unaffordable”

FastCompany: The Hidden Cost of Living in the Suburbs: Transportation

TH: Each New Highway Built Drains a City's Population by 18%

HowWeDrive: Live Dense or Die

Articles Of Interest For People Who Care About Michigan's Future

MLive is hosting a series of essays under the name Rebooting Michigan and it is an exploration of ideas for balancing Michigan's rich natural features and resources with job creation and sustainability.

I consider it must reading.

And I am not endorsing anyone for governor but in reading these articles I was reminded of candidate Rick Snyder's 10 Point Plan for reinventing Michigan.

Bicyclist Have A Posse

[I'm reposting this from another site of mine]

It is the Federal Department of Transportation.

See FC: Transportation Secretary Announces "Sea-Change" for American Transport: Bikes!

LaHood's announcement... is backed by a set of eight guidelines, which will be sent to state DOT's and communities:

* Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
* Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
* Go beyond minimum design standards.
* Collect data on walking and biking trips.
* Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
* Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
* Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

Which frankly all sounds rather dull, but here's the important thing: LaHood, as Transportation Secretary, is essentially saying, "If you want federal DOT dollars, you better think more seriously about adding bike paths to the projects you propose."