Design vs. Develop

Check out my LibraryThing profile and you can see all of the nerdy computer science books I own. The service is free for the first 200 books. You can add unlimited books for $10/year or $25/lifetime. It took me all of about 10 minutes to enter in mine. I can see this guy making a boatload not only on subscriptions, but the possible Amazon affiliate comissions.

Bird’s eye views of the US from 1900. Thanks to Brandon for the much appreciated tip!

From Business Week:

And Cranberry township in Pennsylvania changed its zoning regulations in late 2004 to encourage a mix of commercial, retail, and residential use. Simon Property Group is now preparing to develop a township there covering 80 acres.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cranberry Township, it’s a rapidly growing suburb north of Pittsburgh, despite the fact that the metropolitan area as a whole has been losing residents. It will be interesting to how these policies will shape the momentum of the area.

In this Washington Post article about failing infrastructure in inner suburbs, we read the following:

Older suburbs are also reshaping their political identity, according to another report, from the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, also to be released today. They are giving a growing share of their votes to Democrats, the report says, and politically have more in common with neighboring big cities than with suburbs farther out.

The article does not really expand on what cities and inner suburbs “politically have more in common” with each other. The only thing you can really assume is that left-leaning city dwellers have been priced out and now live in the inner ‘burbs. What I don’t see is how they can necessairly claim that this is a “new opportunity” for the Democrats.

And of course, Arlington gets another suburb-redevelopment poster-child shoutout.

Someone today was picking my brains about programming, as she bemoaned her lack of computer skills. She then declared that if PHP couldn’t be grasped, she would be left behind to live with the Amish. I told her this wouldn’t be a bad idea, as she could do gift store marketing for them. Amish-style marketing involves these three principles:

1) Copious amounts of freshly made fudge.
2) Replaced and extraneous vowels: Old –> Olde, Town –> Towne, Time –> Thyme, The –> Thee.
3) Playing dumb whenever someone mentions the Internet, cable TV, or indoor plumbing.

From Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency:

Richard continued, “What I mean is that if you really want to understand something, the best way is to try and explain it to someone else. That forces you to sort it out in your own mind.

And the more slow and dim-witted your pupil, the more you have to break things down into more and more simple ideas. And that’s really the essence of programming. By the time you’ve sorted out a complicated idea into little steps that even a stupid machine can deal with, you’ve certainly learned something about it yourself. The teacher usually learns more than the pupil. Isn’t that true?”

Time for a new category, based roughly on my current neighborhood (and Arlington in general).

While waiting for the bus earlier this week, I noticed a new neon sign across the street proclaiming “Espresso and Cappuccino.” Although I live within walking distance, I decided to drive there because the weather was crappy. A “Now Open” banner spanned above the entrance.

I parked the car and looked into the storefront. It couldn’t have been more than 12′ wide, squished between a 7-11 and an Egyptian restaurant. Narrow tables and hard, short chairs lined the left side while the counter was on the right. Lighting was rather pronounced. The owners took a passing glance at me. I hopped back into my car with my book and drove back home.

Their store has the warmth and character of a Hair Cuttery. Just didn’t seem like a place where you could relax. Then again, for all I know, they may have strong ties with local residents who will become faithful customers. I hope they reconsider their ambiance, as those looking for a caffine fix can get a cheaper one at the neighboring convenience store. I would move the counter to the back, the door to the right or left, and then the chairs to the opposite site, adding a couch for readers (such as myself). That way, you wouldn’t feel as though someone were watching your every movement from three feet away.

Cherrydale could probably keep a good coffee shop in business, but I don’t know about this one.

by Eric O. Jacobsen

Can an argument be made for Christians to get involved in urban development? According to the author of this excellent book, the answer is an emphatic “yes.” Jacobsen starts with an illustration of the church he pastors in Missoula, Montana.

His growing congregation considers moving from their small, but centrally located sanctuary to a larger building. This would be located on a rapidly growing road lined with large surface parking lots and nationally-familiar suburban stores. However, they decide to remain in their existing location for many reasons: accessibility for students and seniors without cars, quickly accessible to local businesses where residents congregate, and proximity to people in need. Although a new suburban location would make it possible for a larger number of people to attend worship services, it would be secluded from the very community they strive to serve.

From here, Jacobsen traces the history of urbanism from the Garden of Eden through the establishment of Jerusalem. He reveals rampant suburbanization as an attempt to escape our civic duties to each other. According to him, we’ve taken our American ideals of individualism, independence, and freedom to an extreme where we become increasingly disconnected and disinterested in the plight of others. However, he does not condemn individuals who live in suburbs, as he later shows that federal policy has vastly contributed to the destruction of city neighborhoods and expansion of sparse housing tracts.

Although he does point out their limited interaction with local communities, Jacobsen doesn’t waste a lot of time complaining about businessmen who build big box stores. Instead, he highlights the false utopian promises of single-use zoning. He also shows how zoning is used to separate people according to income levels, making it difficult for Christians to minister to the poor amongst daily activities. Additionally, more time in cars and in privacy means fewer opportunities to interact with those who need the Gospel.

Jacobsen also touches upon architectural beauty and quality, the local economy, and the benefits of a critical mass of people, among other topics. In each of these areas, unrestrained capitalism and independence is shown as not always producing the best results. Yet he does not dismiss the benefits and reality of the market.

This book is a quick, enjoyable read at 166 pages before the appendices. Politically, it is quite neutral and readable by a wide audience. The non-preachy, unpretentious style makes this an excellent and unique book for an introduction to New Urbanism, as well as a thesis for why Christians should take charge of this issue.

From Home from Nowhere:

Kentlands lies embedded in one of the worst suburban crudscapes in America, like a Faberge egg in a county landfill.

This so-called technology corridor between Rockville and Gaithersburg along I-270, one Radiant City office park after another, pod-upon-pod of income targeted houseburgers, strip after numbing strip of chain stores, fry pits, and multiplexes. It’s like Southern California, only arguably worse…

I went to visit my hometown newspaper’s website today. Lo, and behold… they’re using Joomla! They’re also doing a podcast, although not using my podcasting component. Maybe I need to ramp up on the modifications to get that thing in tip-top shape…