Planning & Transportation

The end of suburbia

I wish!

Internationalist Books and Community Center will be showing "The End of Suburbia" on Wednesday August 17 at 7pm at the store. This film explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary.

The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia ?"

Learn more about transit

Guest post by Patrick McDonough

As we approach the fall elections, various candidates for public office in Orange County have mentioned improving or reducing Chapel Hill Transit service as an issue they would like to discuss in the campaign. In January 2002, Chapel Hill Transit went fare-free. Despite characterizations to the contrary by some, the numbers indicate that the policy has been quite a success. Since Fare-Free began, the number of passengers per hour using the system has gone up, and the cost of carrying each individual passenger has gone down. In short, the towns and UNC are getting more units of mobility for each dollar spent.

For candidates (and citizens!) who have mentioned transit and transportation issues as something they would like to address, I recommend some of the following links:

Let them eat cake

In today's Chapel Hill News, Fearrington Village Resident Lola Spritzer wants to have her cake and eat it too. She moved out into the country not because she couldn't afford living in town, but because she "loved the rural-like atmosphere of Chatham County." And yet now she "can't accept" the inconvenience of having to drive 30-minutes to get what she needs.

We moved to this area 10 years ago because we loved the rural-like atmosphere of Chatham County. But growth is inevitable. So it is with a great sense of loss that I accept the upcoming housing developments, the increase in population and the denuded two-lane country road that was once U.S. 15-501.

What I don't accept is the long-distance driving we face week after week. Wal-Mart, if the rumor becomes a fact, would be just down the road. So considering the high cost of fuel and the wear and tear on the car, I'll swallow my reservations, ignore the barbs from my friends and enjoy the convenience
- My View, Chapel Hill News, 7/20/05

Wal-Mart at the gates

Starpoint The closest you can get to Chapel Hill and Carrboro while still being in Chatham County is Starpoint. The intersection of Smith Level Road and 15-501 is at the county line. Starpoint is also the proposed location of a new Wal-Mart.

Elected officials in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have already asked Chatham County to allow them to conduct a courtesy review. This would allow them to formally have input, although it is not binding. According to the News & Observer "This is the first I've heard about that," Morgan said when asked about Chapel Hill's plans to request a review. "I didn't know they did that type of stuff."

Which is exactly why we should be very worried.

Isn't that convenient?

In its effort to develop four neighborhood conservation districts at once, the Town of Chapel Hill is looking for some outside assistance. They didn't have to look very far. Recently retired Chapel Hill Planning Director Roger Waldon has been hired as a consultant on the project.

It's true the Town needs outside assistance to be able to do 4 NCDs at once. And clearly Roger understands the NCD rules - he helped create them. But I don't buy the logic that having worked on the previous Northside NCD qualifies one to work on future efforts. The Northside NCD process was not managed very well. Although a lot of people worked very hard on it, and some good regulations resulted, the process generally lacked clear vision and leadership. I would hate to see it repeated.

Also, this budget switcheroo is kind of weird:

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