Density And Economy

It has been known for many years that dense urbanism creates more economic prosperity and wealth. The thinking was more people -> more ideas -> more businesses -> more employees -> more shoppers -> more people -> etc.

A recent study in London demonstrates concretely that a mode diverse social network correlates to greater wealth for an area. See SciAm: Diverse Personal Networks Linked to Strong Local Economy

What this tells me is that if a city wants to innovate, prosper, and thrive then it needs to encourage in-fill development and dense downtowns.

Carmel, IN is doing this. A suburb. Instead of building an industrial park or designating a "green zone"; it built trails, multi-use buildings and condominiums in the core, and replaced traffic lights with roundabouts.

If a suburb in Indiana can make these changes then surely Traverse City can.

See Urbanophile: Next American Suburb: Carmel, Indiana

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...

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

The Cook's House Tries A Guerrilla Garden

[7/2/2009 Update. The garden is allowed: Calling all gardeners!!!]

And gets smacked down for no good reason.

But this is the underlying issue in Traverse City. Residents who want things to stay the way they have been for the last 50 years versus residents who want to bring back the old ideas that worked (e.g., city gardens and chickens, granny flats) and new ideas that will work.

Read the account at Chef Eric's blog 'from behind the stove': Terroist [sic] Gardeners Unite!!!

...so we thought it would be nice to put in a community garden. I tried calling the city a couple times to get the OK but after giving them ample time to call me back, a month or so, I decided to take action on my own and began to build. We put together two 5 foot by 10 foot raised beds and got some good planting dirt donated. It was not more than 30 minutes after the dirt was unloaded that the police showed up. The police!! Apparently someone in our building, someone who's life is so pathetic, so lonely and without meaning, called the police because they wanted to make sure we have all the proper governmental OKs.

...So to that miserable bastard who called the police, f%$k off. We're planting our garden, and we are going to make our part of Traverse City a much nicer place to be, even with you being here. The only thing we'll have to change is to plant more so we can cover up your self righteousness.

Traverse City Chickens

(5/18/2009 Update - Article in the Washington Post: Hot Chicks: Legal or Not, Chickens Are the Chic New Backyard Addition)

Article in the Record Eagle: Residents want to raise chickens in TC

The Record Eagle then followed up with an uninformed editorial that was too cute by half: Raising chickens or feathers?

Here are their arguments and my responses:

City officials will review the legality of chicken ranching before they turn to the planning commission for review. But expect to see feathers fly if anyone in a position of authority takes Dante's plan seriously.

Elizabeth Whelan, president of Boardman Neighborhood Association, hopes the chicken ranch plan never hatches, and predicts "a lot of potential problems that we don't need" if it flies.

What problems city chickens may cause are not listed or discussed and thus this comes across as people just being afraid of change.


Other residents worry about noise, smell and wayward feathers

An ordinance that only allowed hens would address the noise issue. People who worry about the smell have no idea what they are talking about. Plus, the new city master plan would address this issue because all uses must be confined to the business - so if there were smells noticeable off-site then this would be in violation of zoning.

However, the smell from the wastewater treatment plant is worse and is noticeable on days when the wind is from the east or south.


Ann Arbor is among the cities across the U.S. that allow residents to keep a few fowl, as long as wannabe hen-housers follow the rules. But expect much clucking if a similar ordinance is pitched here. Rightly so, in our book.

And is it any wonder that Ann Arbor makes so many "best city" lists?
Examples:
-Ann Arbor chosen top Michigan city for small start-up companies
-The 100 best places to raise a family
-CNNMoney.com Best Places To Live

Another interesting coincidence is how many of these "best cities" are also places that allow the freedom of backyard poultry.

Some ideas perfectly dovetail with a community's mood and attitude. And Traverse City shouldn't be so rigid that it can't or won't accept alternative notions. But raising chickens, ducks, etc. raises too many unnecessary questions and concerns -- what happens if someone's dog kills a neighbor's chickens? What if a freedom-seeking fowl dashes into the street and a harried motorist swerves to miss the bird? What if the sky really does fall?

What happens now if a dog kills a neighbors cat; if a dog runs into the road? Seriously - this is your anti-chicken argument?

And isn't Traverse City proper known as a progressive community with a love for local foods? What is more local than fresh eggs from your backyard?

Really, there's no good reason to prohibit people from keeping hens in their backyards. It is not as if people are trying to revive the idea of riding their horse around town.

Unfortunately, it seems the only chickens in Traverse City are the Record Eagle and the same old tired neighborhood curmudgeons.

Get the facts, cities from urban Brooklyn to rural Kansas are embracing the idea of urban farming. For more information see:

Newsweek: The New Coop de Ville: The craze for urban poultry farming.
USA Today: Chickens given roosts in urban backyards
LoHud.com: Backyard chickens find new popularity in suburbia
Christian Science Monitor: Whole lotta clucking going on in cities

How To Get More Out Of Alleys

Traverse City's core neighborhoods all have alleys with houses near the sidewalks and garages in the back lane. This rear space could be used for much more. If not an ADU then how about an office.Something like this at TH: Back Lane Intensification by Pyatt Studio

The Walk And Toast

Found via BoingBoing - Won’t You Be My Drinking Buddy Neighbor?