Weekly Links: the long story of building codes, fires, wood-based construction, Texas Doughnuts, superblocks, and the other oddities that created the uniform look of apartment buildings. And, a denial of a rezoning request has led to a landfill fire in South Fulton that’s been burning for 5 months.
Weekly Links: Savannah doesn’t need a report detailing the effects of climate change; residents already see those effects on a routine basis. Also, Atlanta may allow residents to propose and vote on community projects. And, Minneapolis just upped the ante on zoning reform.
Weekly Links: This week, facing pressure, MARTA adds more light rail for the Beltline while cutting funding for Emory rail. Also, this month is on pace to be the hottest September on record in Atlanta. Plus, Georgia finally got its very own model solar zoning ordinance!
Atlanta is not the only one with legal problems this week. A federal court ruled that the EPA must produce the evidence it’s using to support the claim that humans do not contribute to climate change and the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the public must have a meaningful opportunity to voice their thoughts on rezoning matters.
This week, Paul Newman discusses why New York City’s zoning changes in the 1980’s will create more shadows and ruin neighborhoods, our new tool that puts Atlanta’s weather into a historical context, and the US Supreme Court strikes a major blow to employees and consumers.
This week, California attempts to usurp zoning control from cities to increase affordable housing, rivers used to catch on fire in pre-EPA America, Melbourne’s trees get email addresses, and what does the term ‘Orwellian’ actually mean?
This is an important question since structures built under the auspices of an old zoning code that are now excluded from the current zoning code are at odds with the updated vision for the community. This may not be a big deal when, say, a house is constructed a year after an area is rezoned for commercial use. However, it becomes increasingly problematic when that house is now a power plant and the one year has increased to ten. This ability to develop based on a 10 year old zoning code creates uncertainty for potential residents and developers who may find the nonconforming development to be an undesirable neighbor.
Abundance of asphalt and concrete increases air temperatures, which can exacerbate the effects of heat waves and generally cause unpleasant conditions. This is known as the urban heat island effect and it can be true for both sprawled suburbs and dense cities. Savannah’s beautiful green spaces offer a prime example of how the benefits of dense development can be achieved while mitigating or eliminating the urban heat island effect.
Can We Drop the Media Narrative of Cities Being in Decline?
People Should Just Give Up on North America
A Notorious Asylum’s Haunting Encounter With a Strange Trespassing Law
Georgia’s Conservation Measures Prove Pivotal in the Water Wars
It’s Likely Earth’s Six Warmest Years on Record Are the Last Six Years
Remembering the Time Andrew Jackson Decided to Ignore the Supreme Court In the Name of Georgia’s Right to Cherokee Land
You Don’t Own That Parking Spot in Front of Your House
A Notorious Asylum’s Haunting Encounter With a Strange Trespassing Law
The Fictional Alcohol Law That’s Destroying Lives
Georgia’s Conservation Measures Prove Pivotal in the Water Wars
