A Place of Sense

Iconic Structures of Indiana: Hinkle Fieldhouse

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Butler University is located to the north of downtown Indianapolis. Butler University is a great institution and is well known for its basketball team (currently ranked 11th in the nation). The strength of the current team stems from the strong basketball traditions of Indiana and the investment that the citizens have made in this sport. Hinkle Fieldhouse is evidence of this support, which was built with money donated by local businessmen.

The Fieldhouse is a massive building built specifically to showcase basketball

More information can be found at the website hosted by Butler University, or at the Hinkle Fieldhouse Wikipedia entry. The structure is named after Tony Hinkle, a former coach who created the orange basketball and developed the dribbling action of the game.

The building was renamed after former coach Hinkle in 1966

The structure was built in 1928, and is notable as one of the first "fieldhouse" college gymnasiums. Almost factory-like in its simplicity, it has guided basketball arena designs such as Conseco Fieldhouse and it was the basis for the fieldhouse styling of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Structurally, it is composed of a brick masonry facade with steel framing supporting most of the walls and the internal structures. The roof is a barrel vault of trussed steel 3-pin arches.

The exterior has windows in key locations to catch natural light

The end walls are quite tall and require steel girts to brace them against wind

The massive building is oriented roughly east-west, and originally the court was as well. However, a few years after its construction the court was reoriented north-south. This gave more spectactors a "half-court" seat and is generally a better arrangement. This goes to show how early this building was built, as the sport was still developing and gaining in popularity around the nation, whereas Indiana already had built the "basketball cathedral" that was the largest collegiate fieldhouse for many years.

Many features were upgraded in a 1989 renovation

The roof trusses are exposed and are well integrated into the interior design. The spectator seating allows access to many of the trusses, so that people can see the rivets and handiwork involved with the steelwork of that age. Each truss has three pin hinges, so that it can accommodate movement and settlement without inducing large forces in the steel members near the center.

The base of each truss is easily accessible from the spectator seating area

A modern scoreboard is suspended from the trusses that span over the court

The central pin is visible at the midpoint of each truss, providing an ideal hinge

Hinkle fieldhouse is a great piece of history. It has many quirky features that show how the designers were willing to experiment with basketball and how to accommodate the spectators. The structure has changed alongside the game that is now popular around the world.

The spirit of place and legacy comes alive in a structure like this. For Hinkle fieldhouse to remain so popular and useful after so many years is testament to the original investment over 80 years ago. Few structures represent a state as well as Hinkle Fieldhouse represents Indiana.

Action on the court is some of the best in the world

An Engineer's View of the Carbon Tax Proposal

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Very soon, the US political system will be involved in a serious debate regarding the merits of a tax on carbon emissions. The main debate will center on two issues:

Should the US put a price on carbon emissions?
What should that price be, both now and in the future?

Fossil fuels have long powered the Indianapolis economy

The typical tool used in a debate of this type is the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). This type of study weighs all of the costs associated with an action against all of the benefits. Any project with a net benefit is considered worthwhile, but trying to figure out how to distribute costs and benefits is always a difficult political problem, and especially so with something as large and pervasive as a carbon tax.

A fun, graphic explanation of this CBA is found in The Cartoon Guide to the Environment (which is a good source of conceptual information for anyone needing a crash course in environmental economics, the history of environmental regulation, or human interaction with ecology):

As the illustration above points out, there is a large amount of uncertainty involved with assessing the risks and costs of a warming world. However, the atmospheric models that scientists have developed thus far all point in the same direction. Without some sort of comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions, the biosphere will warm by a small but significant amount and this will have deleterious effects on ecological systems around the world.

ASCE, along with other engineering societies, has identified climate change as a key issue and pledged to work to lower the risk and mitigate the consequences.

One of several Indianapolis Power and Light Coal plants (Harding St Generating Station)

The US policy on carbon pricing must consider the context of our political system and the need for action. In the past, the US has managed pollution either by cap and trade markets (see 1990 Acid Rain Program), direct taxes, or by regulations. There is no reason to believe the US cannot establish or manage a carbon pricing scheme successfully in the future.

The debate on question #1, should we do it, is yet to be settled. There are many in this debate who have argued for us to do nothing. A popular argument is one presented in The American Scene "Why I Oppose A Carbon Tax". You can summarize his argument from the first line:

I oppose a carbon tax for a very simple reason: I do not believe its benefits justify its costs.

Another such article was published in the Wall Street Jounal entitled "Time for Inaction on Global Warming". A summary of the article is given in the subtitle:

Congress should consider the costs before passing "cap and trade."

After reading these articles, I think these authors are deliberately confusing question #1 and question #2. The decision to set a price and the level the price is set at are two independent topics. We can set the costs of the pricing scheme at whatever level we want, once the system is in place. There is no reason for anyone to fear a carbon tax, because we will never put in place a system we can't afford.

Clearly, these authors are willing to sell their future for a lower price than a Greenpeace advocate. But what are the values of society in general? We already know that reducing our dependence on fossil fuels will lead to greater energy independence, cleaner air, better transportation systems, and a chance to become producers rather than consumers of the green revolution. Are US citizens willing to throw away rational and effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions, even when the benefits are so great?

Indy's inefficient transportation system is another big source of emissions (Indy MPO)

I believe there are more important things in life than money. The US must have policies that balance our need for economic activity and our need to manage our resources carefully. We should not squander our natural capital in search of greater financial wealth. Community health and ecological integrity deserve priority over personal wealth.

The Covanta incinerator and cogeneration plant (Resource Recovery Facility)

So the choice we all face, but especially those who write public policy and design our built environment, is whether or not we should take action. We know that inaction because of political expediency or high costs will be a shameful legacy for future Americans. We know that the costs of doing nothing will begin to accrue immediately. We know that any environmental costs of global warming will be borne by those most unable to cope with the changes.

I find inaction to be unacceptable. Engineers are ethically bound to prioritize the health, safety, and welfare of the public. In my opinion, a mistake is made when any engineer argues that the costs, while small, justify the destruction of our environment and an impending human crisis. At that point a line has been crossed. That is no longer the argument of a civil engineer, but something else entirely.

Indy Connect Meeting

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

I attended an Indy Connect meeting this Tuesday, February 23rd at Pike High School (Northwest Indy). The Indy Connect is a joint venture between the Indy MPO, CIRTA, and IndyGo. The meetings are the first step towards the creation of a new Long-Range Transportation Plan.

These meetings are a great opportunity to meet and discuss issues with a group of people that determine the future of Indianapolis transportation. I strongly encourage anyone interested in the state of transportation in our city, including pedestrian, biking, rail transit, bus transit, and automobility to attend one of these meetings. The planners need feedback to ensure they are delivering the best plan possible.

The planners are real people and not politicians. There is no need to argue with them or blame them for the traffic jam that happened on the way to work. Their job is to interpret the values of the community and form a comprehensive strategy to meet the region's needs. It is clear that the values of our region are changing. While many continue to argue for more and wider roads, the MPO realizes that there is no strategy that can meet the region's needs that does not involve multiple modes of transportation.

I have some suggestions to help anyone interested in attending on of these meetings to get the most from their experience. First of all, come prepared to discuss. The room is filled with stations representing important issues, such as biking or pedestrian plans, with planners hosting each one. This is everyone's chance to discuss these issues in-depth with the planners. I suggest bringing a list of questions about topics that matter.

Next, come prepared to fill out questionnaires and surveys. Each station has a special survey for people to complete. The typical survey asks people to prioritize their concerns about different issues. At the bottom of each survey is a free response area where people can write down anything they want.

Finally, feel free to disregard the static. Some people love to say "NO!" and these events are no exception. It is unlikely that anyone with this attitude will change their mind, so concentrate instead on how to learn from the planners and how to communicate priorities of the public to them in a civil manner.

Indy Parking Policies Fail its Citizens

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Many people are now familiar with the MDC hearing examiner's recent denial of a variance. Current coverage on IBJ's Property Lines, Huston St Racing (w/photos), and Urban Indy. This variance would have allowed a renovation of an old urban property consistent with its original and proposed use. Basically, the developers wanted to eliminate the requirement for off-street parking.

The neighboring property owners were worried this would force the tenants to park illegally in nearby surface lots. After review of the case and a private meeting with the interested parties, the Hearing Examiner concluded that no compromise was forthcoming and denied the petition for a variance.

I think the Indianapolis planning staff summarized the issue quite well in their analysis, which recommended *approval* of the petition. Here is the planning staff's opinion:

Urban sites should be developed to the highest intensity possible. To require this site to meet the required off-street parking standards, would require the demolition of a portion of the building or acquisition of adjacent sites. A practical difficulty is met by this request since the site is fully developed. Additionally, there are several IndyGo bus routes that travel along Meridian Street and nearby streets that substantially reduce the need for parking. Finally, it is a common and preferred planning method that little or no off-street parking be added to a reuse of an inner city site. If residents require off-street parking, there are three off-street parking sites directly adjacent to the site to the north, northeast and east that could meet that need.

MDC documents are here (p. 85), results from the hearing are here (p. 3).

I think it is time that Indianapolis accepts that off-street parking requirements are the bane of true urban renewal. The minimum parking requirements are a senseless way to devalue our CBD. They are an existential threat to urban life, and therefore the core identity of Indianapolis.

Someone raised an interesting question on the IBJ website: What are the requirements for becoming a hearing examiner in Indianapolis? I suggest we remake the qualifications process, and that it only have 1 component: survive in Indy for one month without a car, and then we'll take you. A human's eye view of the city might do some of these people some good.

One of the commenters on Huston Street Racing offered an apology of the Examiners actions, stating:

He is a thoughtful and even-handed person, and a thorough lawyer. He is not a dolt or hack, as portrayed on the IBJ comments thread. ... It appears to be his belief that someone will part with some parking spaces if offered enough money to do so.

All of this may be true, I won't dispute it. But off-street parking should *never* have become an issue with this property. I am not sure the examiner even read the planner's report, because it pretty clearly laid down the rationale against parking requirements and why they wouldn't apply in this case anyways. Just in case anyone didn't want to read the full report, or even my summary, just read the part in bold above. One sentence is all you need to know.

This situation is yet another lost opportunity for a representative of the City of Indianapolis to address the real infrastructural problems that have ruined the city. Indianapolis I love you, but you're bringing me down.

Infrastructure is Key to Successful City Market

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:00:00 +0000

The City Market Building

The Indianapolis City Market building is a treasure of downtown. The original structure was built in 1886. Unfortunately, the latest incarnation of the City Market has been a financial failure. It did not manage to turn a profit and the city was spending a significant amount on subsidizing higher-than-expected utility costs. (It's confusing to me why the city did not market this property and the business model more effectively - the building is on National Register but doesn't even have a Wikipedia page) The silver lining of this failure is that we now have an opportunity to study the building and see what can be done with it. It is my understanding that the city wants to:

Set up the market as a self-sufficient enterprise; currently the city subsidizes utility costs
Use the structure and property to draw people downtown
Integrate with cultural trail and proposed Market Square Arena replacement

In order to facilitate these changes, the city issued an RFP last year and six proposals were announced in January. See the IBJ article for a full run-down of these options. I thought many of these presented some exciting new ideas for the downtown space. It will be interesting to see if the city chooses one of these as a winner, or just continues to operate the market as-is, or tries to combine ideas into a chimera-like blend of proposals.

A Sign of the Times for City Market

If the city chooses to operate this space as a market or a space for restaurants, they would be wise to read the critiques of the previous business model. American Dirt's thorough diagnosis of the situation (part I and part II) laid bare many of the problems and proposed many of the solutions. I accept his work completely, but I also want to add some of my own thoughts.

My own opinion about the city market proposals is that the city can choose to do any of these proposals, or none, and it will result in failure. There are underlying infrastructural issues that the city has refused to address in the past few decades, and these will act as a significant detractor for people using the property.

The Indianapolis City Market must be supported by a change in the priorities of the city, its policies, and its infrastructure. In particular, the following issues must be addressed:

Make pedestrians the priority of downtown planning
End traffic management policies that have high cost and little benefit
Make design and excellence an integral part of city products
Don't force tall buildings until market rates support them
Update building codes to make downtown areas a haven for pedestrian streetlife
Stop subsidizing free parking

To see how these issues can be addressed in the planning for the City Market renovation, I have made a site plan showing the different areas of the property and its surrounding infrastructure. With the rest of this entry, I have detailed specific actions that can help create a new future for the City Market property.

Aerial View of the East Market St Area

Aerial View of the City Market

Main Building
The original city market building has stood up to the test of time well. The brick materials and arch windows matched nearby buildings, creating a style that set the area apart from the business area or the state capitol area. It was created as a way to host market activities indoors, not dissimilar from its most current incarnation. The best the city had to offer.

City Market Building from courthouse tower in 1888 (HABS)

To be honest, this building was not well suited for its purpose. The building is long and tall. The interior aspect ratios, high windows, poor lighting, double-height cathedral ceiling, and entry vestibules make it seem very similar to sacred architecture. This building would be more effective as a church than a market.

The Cathedral of Independent Commerce

In its current configuration a mezzanine wraps all around the exterior walls and a central area in the middle is used for market vendors. This arrangement allows for most of the square footage to be used as leasable space, but it does not create a special relationship between the viewer and the space. In fact, this space forces a feeling of agoraphobia rather than a feeling of comfort and closeness. Contrast this with Circle Center Mall. It is a similar space, tall and long, but has overcome its spatial arrangement to create areas that encourage exploration, interaction, and commerce.

I think the upcoming work on the City Market will need to address whether this space should really be used as a market or if there is a higher and better use. In any case, this space will need to overcome the problems inherent in its configuration in order to be successful. Honestly, I don't know of many churches that have been converted into street markets.

A view of the enclosed market space

Another issue that will need to be addressed in the renovation is the lack of quality workmanship in the city market. The previous renovations focused more on budget than on excellence. I got a close look at the building a few years ago when I was responsible for designing structural support for the mezzanine expansion. The original structure, including the walls and roof, is beautiful. There is some great handiwork preserved in them. Unfortunately, the members from 1970 and newer look out of place because there was no attention to detail. Exposed bolts, exposed welds, carrier angles, and all sorts of steelwork that should have been higher quality or hidden.

The poor attention to detail creates some aesthetic problems

I have never been happy with the mezzanine. Looking at all of the newer work, in addition to the doors, and the market vendors spaces, all these items just look cheap. The sad thing is they aren't cheap. They probably were very expensive. If the city wants to preserve historic properties, then they need to fully invested in the process. The 1970's were a different time, but any new work should meet the stricter requirements of Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS) at a minimum.

One specific complaint that the city has about the main building is that it is expensive to heat. I think one reason for this is that the city tried to cut corners when the 2007 renovation was done. They reused the old HVAC equipment rather than spending the money to upgrade to newer equipment and systems. As can be seen in the photo below, the work required a new slab so why did they not just put in a radiant heating system at the same time? Combined with a geo-tied heat pump, the city could be saving many tens of thousands of dollars over the design life.

An ideal time to install radiant heating system (Feb 2007)

If the City Market is going to be the "best of Indy" then we need to make sure everything in it is saying the right thing about our city. Design excellence, product excellence, and operational excellence. Now and forever.

Historically insensitive ducting, exposed speaker wires fastened to the steel with zip-ties

The Wings
If my criticisms of the main space include poor spatial arrangement and poor lighting, then my criticisms of the wing spaces are *dreadful* spatial arrangement and *dreadful* lighting. The catacombs below the market building probably have more charm than these spaces.

I have no problem mixing modern and historic architecture, and certainly I.M. Pei's glass pyramid for the Louvre or the Indianapolis Central Library proved that it can be a good idea. But central to this idea of mixing old and new is that the old and the new must both be able to stand on their own as successful works of architecture.

I can't believe they built two of these

Here's a quick rundown on why I hate these wings:

Too much unfiltered light

Traditional buildings have 25% transparency on the southern face
The wings boast 100% transparency; too hot in summer, too cold in winter

No windows on east, west, and north Faces

Nothing to offset the blinding effect from the south
Difficult to accommodate lack of natural light, too many fluorescent make-up lights

Nothing to look at

Is the CCB worthy of that much attention?
Why is there a gravel parking lot across the street?
People watching is only interesting when there are people to watch

If someone proposed to tear down these wings, I would not object. If people want them to stay, as some sort of historic preservation effort, then I would not object to that either. I suppose they do kind of mirror the modern style of the Death Star, er CCB. But don't expect them to contribute to a sort of dynamic, shoppers paradise kind of downtown area. Because these buildings are horrible.

East Plaza
The main concept that I wish to communicate about this area is that pedestrian plazas should not be parking lots. Please Indianapolis, make pedestrians the priority of downtown planning. With our new priority in place, we realize that it was a horrible idea to run vehicular traffic through a plaza. Glad we got that settled.

The conversation pit and skewed parking lanes eliminate pedestrian usage

Now, lets address the other problems with this space. The conversation pit sucks. I appreciate that some mid-century modern visionaries tried to make these work in expensive homes. But to use this in a public space? I can't imagine that random strangers looking for a place to sit for a few minutes would choose a space that:

Forces them to look at other people
Forces other people to look at them
Forces people to gather in a small area rather than spreading out, filling in as others join the area
Prevents any use of the space other than talking in a group
Discourages use by any disabled, elderly, or people with strollers
Conversation Pit? Next to police car parking, an urban highway, and a county court?

This space can be so much better. Turn it into a real plaza, one that has a real chance at attracting pedestrians, and drawing their attention away from each other towards a central or distributed feature (think Columbus Circle). Integrate into the pedestrian plans, make this the eastern pedestrian gateway for the cultural trail towards the Circle.

West Plaza
How many plazas does an area surrounded by parking lots really need? Counting the east and west City Market plazas, and adding the 1/2 block CCB plaza, we have lots of wasted space. This is the equivalent of throwing away tax revenue. I think some of these spaces need to return to profitable use. But lets assume the city wants to keep its own building surrounded by empty plazas, parking lots, and urban highways. How can the west plaza area be rebuilt to take advantage of its location and encourage pedestrian traffic?

Tables, chairs, and benches have been installed to give the impression of streetlife

I think that this area should be rebuilt along market street to provide frontage area for businesses. The area currently used for tables and chairs can be retained (at a new elevation) as patio seating if desired. The new building could incorporate the random arch retained from an earlier demolition. This new building would continue the streetfront shopping experience from the western blocks and provide a space for restaurants, brewery/restaurants, or fast-food eateries. Putting the seating out back but keeping the space open to Delaware St would preserve the opportunity for people-watching. I would always recommend street level dining as an option but traffic would need to be calmed for this to be effective.

Why tear down a building if you can't replace it with something useful?

My final recommendation for the plaza space (and this applies to city market plazas and the CCB plaza) is to remove those ugly brick planters. They are a disaster as far as placemaking is concerned. They contribute nothing to the area and take up useful real estate. They divide rather than integrate. They look cheap. And they are ugly.

North Lot
Hopefully this area will be developed as urban town-homes in the near future. This will bring in new pedestrian traffic. Of course, the city and the developer could always ruin this opportunity by enforcing the rules of the parking requirements. The development codes in US cities must have been developed by some weird urban designers with a fetish for car fenders. Totally not needed in downtown areas. (see The High Cost of Free Parking if interested in reading more)

Alabama St and Market St intersection, now a gravel parking lot

To be honest, I don't know where CBD lines are drawn and what parking requirements are set for this area. Let me be clear about this, though. Any requirement greater than zero (0) cars is a mistake. Just remember, neighbors don't complain about density, they complain about more cars. No additional cars means no remonstrators at the next hearing.

South Lot
The former Market Square Arena stood here, which came and went before I moved to Indianapolis. Finding a developer for this plot of land has been difficult, since at least 2001. The discussions I have seen regarding this project have been worrisome to me. They seem to focus on how tall to make this building, how many car parking spots they can shoehorn onto the project, and how much tax abatement will be gifted to the project.

The replacement for Market Square Arena presents a great opportunity

If we review the original list of priorities above, we can see that these discussions are heading in the wrong way. Indianapolis does not need another empty skyscraper, and we don't need any more parking spots. We probably don't need another tax subsidized construction project, but I think that is dependent on the particular project so I'll hold my tongue for now. I think creating a project that benefits the entire downtown region would be worth some subsidizing, but not a new enclave that just provides a gated community downtown.

If the city is going to subsidize construction and operation for a few years, then the citizens deserve input into what goes in here. I recommend a 3-4 story structure built out to the property lines, with no parking whatsoever aside from on-street parking. All bottom floor streetfront space must be small, leasable spaces. Upper floors can be mega-stores, restaurants, residential, or whatever the market will support.

While we are on the subject of parking, maybe the city of Indianapolis needs to re-evaluate its theory on parking space availability. I have no sympathy for the laments of developers who refuse to build unless they have a dedicated parking facility. You won't find a single urban parking expert who thinks that downtown Indianapolis is lacking parking spaces.

Delaware, Market, and Alabama Streets
Here we come to the main problem with the City Market. Vehicular traffic has been given so many advantages compared with pedestrian traffic in downtown Indianapolis that modern citizens don't even know what we have given up. The streets in cities used to be filled with people instead of cars. A few months back Infrastructurist posted a video of San Francisco in 1905 from a Market Street streetcar, it is a perfect model of what cities can become when vehicles are regulated properly. The video is below:

Many of the proposals for the City Market, and certainly my own thoughts and ideas, suggest that the city address the transportation infrastructure problems surrounding the building site if the overall project is to be successful. The best way to begin the transformation from vehicular oriented to pedestrian oriented is to roll back the traffic management schemes that increase vehicle speed.

Both Delaware and Alabama are one-way streets. This is unnecessary. It allows the cars to speed through the area. This is the most dense neighborhood in the state, so it is beyond my ability to understand why the city wants quicker traffic in this area. Elimination of the one-way street infrastructure will create psychological friction between the travel directions and slow down traffic. A small decrease in vehicular speed leads to a large increase in pedestrian safety.

The one-way streets also limit economic activity from tourists and convenience shopping. Both elements are key to any City Market proposal. By allowing people to drive by the structure from any direction they are maximizing visibility and the chance to make a sale.

Another important infrastructural issue is connectivity. To take advantage of the City Market's location, the city should create a portal or gateway element between the new cultural trail and the circle. It doesn't have to be expensive or voluminous, maybe just LED signs or something visual.

The bike hub proposal is a good idea, in my opinion, and would be a great way to engage a significant portion of citizens who choose a different form of transportation. If the bike hub proposal doesn't win this time around, I would love to see it used for the plaza just south of the CCB. That area is in desperate need of a makeover.

The final infrastructural issue that needs to be addressed is public transit. The new CITI plan has been released and would use Washington Street as a light-rail corridor. This proximity to a heavily traveled corridor would mean many potential customers (without cars or a need to park them). If the city doesn't begin taking this into consideration then a real chance at greatness could be lost.

Conclusions
The city should take this opportunity to think about what the City Market will be used for in 20 years, and while downtown should continue growing eastward the City Market will always remain the most significant historic property in the area. Maybe acting as a gateway or centerpiece of a special district would be a good use, similar to the old Armory in the Pearl District of Portland.

I still believe that any of the proposals for a new use of the City Market building would be a good step forward, as most investments in historic assets tend to pay off in the long run. The City of Indianapolis will be well served by these ideas. However, none of these ideas alone will be sufficient to stave off financial ruin after the initial Wow! factor wears off.

The City must take the initiative to look at the real causes of urban malaise in Central Indiana. The policies governing pedestrian rights, vehicular traffic management, and lack of connectivity are all infrastructural issues that have simple but far and long-reaching consequences. If we get the policies right, the future of our urban core will be shining brightly once again.

New Transportation Plan for Indianapolis

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:30:00 +0000

For anyone interested in seeing the next vision for transportation in Indianapolis, please visit the website at Indy Connect.

This study recommends proven technologies, and proven infrastructure investments. It starts small, with an affordable and effective system that can quickly integrate into the streetscapes of Indianapolis. I approve of this plan, it is a great start to a city-wide transit system.

There are two problems with this proposal that we should seek solutions to in the public input phase:

Limited Coverage Area for Rail
Ability of Special Interests to Influence Outcome

Limited Coverage Area for Rail
The first issue will be present no matter how the system is arranged. No system can provide the convenience of a transit stop 1 block away from each front door.

The main problem here is that there is always a conflict between the need for especially dense clusters, or Transit-Oriented-Development, and the need for tax investments to be spread around equally. In the case of transportation planning, simple is best. The proposed plan lays out a very simple system. This would be most efficient and probably most successful. Any deviations from the simple plan will result in a confusing legacy that will inhibit future use.

Whatever layout is chosen, the proponents of transit must ensure that a comprehensive plan will be developed that will involve the entire city. A certain amount of this has been done in the plan, whereby express bus routes, expanded bus service, and road expansions have been proposed. Unfortunately, this is not yet comprehensive. A truly comprehensive plan must show how every person in the city will benefit from this proposal.

The study authors readily admit that all transportation planning is connected. Let's do more than acknowledge this fact, lets use it to our advantage. The plan can show that with complete streets policies, integrated and interconnected multi-modal transportation systems, walk-to-school subsidies, and similar programs, the transportation system in Indianapolis and the surrounding counties can be improved for at least 95% of the residents over the next 20 years.

Ability of Special Interests to Influence Outcome
This is part I am most concerned about. Many interest groups will be attempting to influence the study results so that their constituents will be served. The system was most likely optimized during the study process, so any changes to the proposed system can have negative consequences for the city as a whole.

My worst fear is that a repeat of the Miami transit system will occur, where special interests blocked a transit line to the airport to maintain the monopoly of taxi service. Since then, Miami has been struggling to maintain service between the most important source of tourists and their destinations with express bus service. Short-sighted compromises to the business community can have horrible consequences.

Indianapolis needs every advantage it can get when competing for big events like the Superbowl, World-cup hosting, and many other smaller events and conventions. The City can not afford to put in a transit system that satisfies the special interest groups while hurting the city's prospects in attracting tourism and conventions.

Conclusions

In the end, I see any investment in the city's alternative (non-highway) transportation system as a great step forward. I imagine that it will facilitate a lot of independent investments, so that when it is fully built the city will see property values directly increased by a large factor compared to its cost. This is equivalent to building equity in the city. We can leave a more valuable city to the future citizens.

And the final reason I approve of this plan is because it is not about spending more, it is about shifting our priorities. We can take a small amount of funding from our single mode of transport (highways) and shift it to 4 or 5 different modes of transport. This would directly reflect the wishes of the population to start investing in multiple modes of transportation, without abandoning our legacy infrastructure in automobiles.

I trust that the study's authors have taken a neutral position and truly evaluated the costs and benefits of the many options. With faith in their efforts (to be verified by a thorough evaluation of their report later), I hope that we put this plan into action as soon as the next stage begins!

Engineering Humor: Calvin's Bridge Test

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Calvin's father always had the best answers. I remember reading this as a kid and really hoping they test bridges this way. Reality continues to ruin my life.

For anyone who love Calvin and Hobbes as much as I do, there is the complete set available from Amazon. It's not just a cartoon, it's a complete philosophy for living.

Innovation in Seismic Bracing Design

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Over the last decade, one new seismic design technology has been rapidly adopted in the US. The Buckling Restrained Braced Frame (BRBF) system is one of those rare innovations that radically improves the ability of structures to resist earthquakes, while at the same time is completely backwards compatible with previous technology. (See MSC articles from Sabelli & Lopez and Robinson for more information)

The ability of this system to resist earthquakes comes from a dramatically simple idea: decouple bending and compression. To show how easy this concept is, let us review how the inventor came up with it. An engineer, Benne Narasimhamurthy Sridhara from Bangalore, wanted to get more strength out of his braces (see my earlier post on braces for more info). He created a simple physical model using a small rod and a plastic pipe. He put the rod inside of the pipe and applied force on each end of the rod. Instead of the rod buckling out of shape and failing, the pipe held it in place. Brilliant!

A typical column buckling under applied load

Because the pipe (or sleeve) is not participating in resisting compression, it is "decoupled" from the rod. This means that the rod is continuously braced and will develop full material capacity. The implications of this small change are huge. It allows engineers to specify braces that:

Will fit easily into existing designs, allowing retrofits and new construction
Will act similarly in tension and compression, eliminating the need for paired braces at every location
Help dissipate destructive seismic energy by steel yielding (like a car's crumple zone)
Remain stiff and strong even after the initial event
Cost much less than comparable technologies

It's a really awesome invention (patent info). The rapid uptake of this technology shows how important it is to the future of seismic resistant buildings. A recent article from India uncovered a little more of the interesting story behind its creation. It makes me wonder what structural engineering inventions will be discovered in the coming years. It goes to show that the simplest solutions are sometimes the best, and they are hiding in plain sight.

This technology can be applied in even more interesting applications as engineers grow familiar with its use. I am anxiously awaiting the first use of this in a bridge application. Congratulations to Mr. Sridhara for figuring out how to do more with less.

Energy Modeling Software

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Energy modeling software has become quite important in the last decade, mostly because of the LEED credits involved with energy usage (and the need to reduce long-term energy use because of costs). Energy use estimations in these cases have tended to be inaccurate, for as of yet unknown reasons. The USGBC is now mandating energy use reporting periods in order to track down the problems, and I have no doubt that eventually the problems will be found.

In the meantime, what are building designers to do? A good idea is to use any results from energy modeling as a guide rather than a gospel.

Energy modeling is still a very useful process. If for nothing else it makes you think long and hard about decisions that were once hidden behind a veil of complexity. Lighting issues matter, HVAC issues matter, renewable energy sources matter. With a little bit of attention and ingenuity, our buildings can start saving money and emissions from the first day of operation.

Software that allows one to calculate the true effects of every project decision is somewhere in the region of non-existent or too expensive. But we have great reason to celebrate, because energy modeling is about to become widely available and much more accurate.

The US Dept. of Energy has been steadily working on their EnergyPlus program for several years. This program is the calculating engine behind most of the software packages today. It incorporates everything that people know about heat transfer and energy usage. The one thing missing is a Graphical User Interface. Previously there was only one option if you needed a GUI - you can purchase a commercial package such as offered by Bentley, Autodesk, or IES.

If you can can't afford this, or are just looking to play around with some fun freeware programs then I strongly suggest everyone investigate the new SketchUp plugin IES-VE Ware. With this setup, you can draw a design in SketchUp and do limited energy analyses with the plugin. It won't be enough to estimate your monthly bill, and certainly nowhere near the sophistication needed to qualify for LEED points, but it's a good start. (see the plugins at SketchUp's own site)

It's only a rumor, but I have heard that ASHRAE believes a new user interface for the EnergyPlus engine will become available within the next year or two. This would usher in a new era of energy modeling of the people, by the people, and for the people! Keep your fingers crossed, we may get lucky.

Andrew Carnegie's Great Legacy

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Steel construction maintains a huge market share in the US. Structural engineers design steel buildings every day, and most never think twice about the man whose name was once synonymous with the material: Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie, the Scottish immigrant as industrial magnate

Carnegie did not invent steel. However, he was the first one that both realized how it would transform the world and with enough capital to do something about it. Steel, even the old-fashioned alloys that most engineers thumb their noses at today, was still such an amazing material that Carnegie became the 2nd wealthiest human ever based on his investment in steel.

Indianapolis' Union Station structure bears his name throughout the building

Andrew Carnegie had a great business sense and knew a good deal when he saw one. But Carnegie realized that money was not all that important. He already knew that giving money to people not prepared to receive it was a bad idea. Instead of leaving a large inheritance or giving it away in a lottery, he wanted to do "real and permanent good" for people.

In fact, responsible management of charitable giving is hard work. For Carnegie, giving money away was more difficult than making it. It took a long time to give away so much money. In the end he set up many institutions to continue the process after his death. He laid out his philanthropic principles in his "Gospel of Wealth" publication.

His institutions sponsor all sorts of work even today, and his educational initiatives are legendary. The thousands of Carnegie libraries and the Carnegie Mellon University (my alma mater) are testament to the enduring power of educational efforts sponsored by his fortune.

Let's imagine that Andrew Carnegie was alive today, with the same intense philanthropic desire to help people. What changes would a modern day Carnegie seek to effect in today's society? What progressive programs could a person with $300 Billion kick-start, how could they usher in a new period of social growth in American Society?

I think Carnegie's most successful charities were ones that engaged the efforts of others and resulted in secondary effects. His libraries brought great literature and books to cities throughout the US. The people who took advantage of these opportunities created the conditions that helped the US prosper in the 20th century.

But his libraries also helped create communities. The physical presence of the library cemented the status of city on many towns. The simple, institutional architecture was a visible reminder that people could build the US into a great nation.

However, the most important effect of his libraries was unseen. It was the fact that cities had to set up a permanent taxing structure to ensure support for the libraries. Without the ability to regulate taxes and set budgets, no library would be awarded. Thus, the populace willingly taxed themselves to help the common good.

So we revisit the question: What would Andrew Carnegie do today?

If we view his legacy in light of civic reform, I have some good ideas. Sponsor or subsidize the creation of some public amenity, institution, or capital improvement project and put some strict requirements on it. Maybe ask cities to bid for different projects, and instead of bidding money they bid in terms of civic reform.

Want a new university or voc-tech school? Then put in place a new zoning code that allows high-density development and mixed use space.

Want to rebuild a blighted urban streetscape? Enact an iron-clad complete streets policy and an urban growth boundary.

Want a regional High-Speed-Rail or local subway system? Maybe the cities could enact TOD requirements on top of other minor reforms.

Want a new dock or freight rail intermodal facility? I think it's time for exclusive wildlife corridors or wildlife overpasses throughout the state.

Of course, when the cities are very thirsty for capital projects, the bidding could get even more intense. How about a health insurance exchange program for the state, or a Robin Hood educational system, or even reform of the inane and discriminatory US drug policies? I digress, but my point should be clear by now.

Carnegie's charitable givings were great for their intended purposes, but the unintended consequence of responsible civic government were probably even greater. A few cities here in the US could use a carrot to lead them to better governance. Maybe the Carnegie Library phase of this nation is over, but it's still a fun fantasy for any urban planner.

Facade Issues in Steel Buildings

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Of special note to anyone who been working with facade connections in steel buildings is two documents from AISC. The first is their "Design Guide 22: Facade Attachments to Steel-Framed Buildings" and the other is a recent article in MSC: "Steel Framing & Building Envelopes".

The Design Guide 22 is free to AISC members (~$60 otherwise) and is probably one of their best. It has a great amount of information about spandrel beams, connections, facade issues, and even backs it up with some FEA work.

The MSC article "Steel Framing & Building Envelopes" by James A. D'Aloisio, PE, SECB, LEED AP should be considered as an addendum to the design guide, specifically dealing with the issues of thermal bridging and building envelope thermal performance. Basically, if an engineer applies the suggestions from DG22 without considering thermal bridging effects, then the R-value of the wall assembly could be halved (!).

D'Aloisio's has published some interesting details he is experimenting with. His recommendation is to always use a thermal break, and he shows a Fiberglass-Reinforced Plastic shim plate to isolate steel lintels and hangers from the exterior environment. As he points out, many LEED NC buildings are not meeting their expected performance levels. The reason may be because of conventional details used by the construction industry.

Green Starts at Home... Or Does It?

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

This past month I saw a lot of New Year's articles that addressed going green as a resolution for the upcoming year. Obviously their heart and mind were in the right place. But I wanted to be a bit cynical in this post.

Any home was once an empty piece of land. That piece of land was a special niche in the local ecology. A foot deep of priceless topsoil. Earthworms tilled the soil, butterflies hatching from cocoons on a nearby shrub. All sorts of life forming an interwoven, dynamic web. When you really think about it, that home wasn't built on an empty piece of land, it was built to replace a grassland or a stand of old hardwood trees.

To build this house, people decided to "improve" the land. They built a shell from the carcasses of trees as a shelter, the inhabitants themselves part of the extinction of half of biodiversity and the spoiling of every watershed on the planet. Mankind's capacity to upset nature is only matched by their capacity to delude themselves into thinking they benefit the planet by their presence.

It might sound like I am saying all human development is bad. In fact, that's exactly what I'm saying. But the environment can tolerate a little bad. Just not bad on the scale we've been doing. Going green is all about less bad.

So let's return to the issue of housing. Can going green at home really make a difference? It depends. Housing is a big piece of the puzzle, but the actual houses and what's inside of them aren't the problem. The problem is the way we organize our neighborhoods and cities. The built environment in the US forces a huge energy investment to accomplish anything.

The "go green at home" idea implies that we can save the world from climate change by buying products that are better for the environment. This makes the assumption that buying different things will give us different results. The truth is that we can't buy our way out of this.

Here is a chart showing the best ways to help the environment versus perception:

I'm no environmental saint. My own efforts in this realm pale in comparison to some of my neighbors and family. In reality we all need to go green at home, but it is not the most productive place to start changing.

The problem is that as a democratic society we are all connected. The choices that people make affect all of us, sometimes in weird ways. When some people stop driving then others are likely to take their place. If people buy a car with a better gas mileage rating then they usually end up driving more miles. On average, its not easy to change social trends in the US through voluntary action.

So without major structural reforms of the built environment I fear that the sacrifices that people make net zero benefits. I applaud all of the efforts that people make, but I believe that going green doesn't begin at home, it begins with good policies. Now, more than ever before, we need to let science guide our policy making decisions rather than whatever it is that people talk about in media. Get active politically if you want to get active in the environment. Do your research, find and support groups and politicians that build their platform on the issues that matter to the environment. It doesn't even cost anything.

A Tragedy in Haiti

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

On January 12, a 7.0 seismic event centered close to Haiti's capital, Port Au Prince, caused massive devastation. The collapsed structures and untreated injuries may cause up to 200,000 deaths.

The past few days have been a nightmare for people on the ground. The EQ knocked out much of the country's fragile infrastructure. Haiti was a nation that was already in need of major assistance, having experienced 4 full-scale hurricanes last year and decades of political instability. A 7.0 EQ is absolutely a major event, and coming so close on the heels of last years problems is just horrible.

To put it in perspective, California's Northridge EQ in 1994 was one of the USA's worst disasters causing $20B worth of damage and it only registered a 6.7 magnitude. Haiti's EQ caused strong lateral movements, and judging from the USGS map the accelerations were almost as strong as gravity. This is the structural equivalent of taking a building and turning it on its side, again and again.

Very few buildings can survive this type of movement undamaged. Haiti was even worse off because of their building materials. Many of the buildings were built from unreinforced, hand-mixed concrete blends. The images on TV show the results well enough, the TV crews probably don't even need to look very hard to find examples.

As a structural engineer, it is always difficult to see the problems caused by improper construction and to know that many of the problems could have been avoided. Of course once an earthquake hits, engineers are powerless.

Using a list of simple rules engineers can easily design buildings that, for the most part, will preserve life safety. Designers of critical structures such as police buildings, hospitals, and bridges know in advance that they must make sure the structure will be operational in even the worst of events. The hospitals, bridges, and government buildings in Haiti appear to be worse off than other buildings, even.

So why do events like this happen? Engineers understand earthquakes, but that is only one step in the chain of safe construction. Simply stated, it is a political failure. Building codes are rolled back by politicians, with the excuse that they are too expensive. Contractors pay bribes to inspectors to pass suspect materials and shoddy workmanship. Engineers are asked to turn a blind eye in the name of patriotism. The problem with this "build quickly" theory is that the buildings remain and the legacy of poor construction becomes a ticking time bomb.

I am not trying to lay this problem at the feet of Haitians. I doubt many of them knew they were sitting on a fault line. They probably didn't understand that reinforcing is required in columns for earthquake resistance. The engineering community needs to make a greater effort to encourage seismic resistant buildings in developing nations.

The engineer's sole weapon against natural disasters is good design. If engineers aren't proactive in the political realm or if engineers cede their responsibilities, then they will fail in their duty to protect the public welfare.

Anyone interesting in helping the efforts in Haiti should donate to the American Red Cross disaster relief foundation. Engineers wanting to donate specific skills should go to the ASCE Disaster Assistance page.

Happy (belated) New Year!

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a good holiday season. I spent the past few weeks with family and friends, relaxing and recharging my batteries. It was also great to be back in a warmer climate watching a blizzard move through the US.

My mom and stepfather have successfully set up a vineyard winery, with products now available locally in central Texas. So congratulations to them for their hard work! We celebrated the holidays with their organically farmed, sustainably managed, zero-mile wine.

New Year's Day is also a chance to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. 2009 was a redeeming year for APOS, over 100 posts published and I was very proud of a few. Here's a list of my favorites from 2009:

If I missed anyone else's favorite, they are all listed in the Archives!

Looking to the future, I anticipate another year full of personal and professional growth. I have found the website to be a great hobby. I love bringing together my interests in the community with my interests in engineering. Blogging = awesomeness defined. I'm even going to kick it up a notch, as my wife bought me a new camera. 10MP of photographic power in a pocket-friendly plastic form.

Closed for the Holidays

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

If anyone wants to know why I have been writing less the past month, it is because the economy has begun recovery in my area and work is coming in strong and steady. I also participated in the Greening of the IMU project (writeup to come soon) and I have been involved with the latest efforts from the ASCE/EWRI Rain Garden project (writeup also to come soon).

IMU is pursuing LEED EB (image courtesy of Indiana Univ.)

Green Infrastructure for everyone!

I will be away from the computer most of the holidays, so wanted to wish everyone a good break and I will be writing again in about two weeks.

In the meantime, I will leave everyone with some fun websites to visit:
(Gen)erative scapes
Prepare to have your mind blown

Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air
Absolutely the best white paper/book/opinion ever produced on cutting through to the essential quandaries of providing sustainable energy for an entire country. If you do anything related to sustainability this winter, please start by reading this in its entirety. (Download full PDF here)

Building Green, Being Green
A structural engineer describing sustainable design from her own experiences

Bad British Architecture
Name says it all

Design Intelligence
Blog from the DI publishers

Reclaimagination
An inactive blog, but one from a civil engineer with great photos of a senior design project at CMU (created about 5 years after my own class' project at CMU, a writeup on this topic also coming soon)

Green Building Law Blog
"Pre-Consumer, Non-Recycled Content Regarding Green Building and the Law" - I've said it before and I'll say it again: The LEED certification process has torn down the walls that separate professionals and it has already changed the world. This blog about green building from a lawyer's perspective is evidence of the LEED legacy that will be remembered for many years to come.

Engineering Humour: Movies for Architects

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Movies for Architects, by Blair Fink

Dirty Rotten Spandrels
Stucco on You
Girder, My Sweet
The Bad News Barriers
Take the LEED
Battman
The Gable Guy
Flashingdance
Requiem for a Beam
Gone With the Windows
You Got Surveyed

Fear of Litigation No Excuse for Poor Policy

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

A recent Supreme Court decision has important implications for civic management. In the case regarding the promotion of fire fighters in New Haven CT (Ricci v. DeStefano) the city's council refused to promote fire fighters to management positions after testing results revealed that certain minority groups tested poorly and were not eligible for advancement.

This case is strongly associated with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII in particular), which has always been a contentious issue. Much of what I am discussing here is the court's opinion, not necessarily my own, so please don't bash this post if you don't agree with the Supreme Court's ruling. This post is only concerned with the beneficial aspects of the Supreme Court clarifying an incredibly complex issue, one that will allow it to come to decisions quicker and with more authority.

In the case of the New Haven firefighters, the Supreme Court found in favor of the firefighters, ruling that the city had imposed disparate-treatment based on prohibited actions. Basically, even though the city extensively studied the test and the test-takers it could find no reason to throw out the results. Because it still threw out the results, its decision was based solely on racial considerations.

This case is important because no good option existed for the city. Any decision they made would have been greeted with anger, lawsuits, and unhappiness. It is not unlike most decisions facing civic governance throughout the US. Cities must make decisions to operate, and this court ruling helps cities decide how to decide.

Based on the arguments made in court by the city, it became clear that the city's main motivation was to avoid liability under Title VII. There was no other basis for their decision. The court found this argument unacceptable. Decisions must be based on evidence, not fear of litigation.

Complicated issues must be decided by cities all the time. If no actions are taken, then the city becomes paralyzed. This has occurred in many cities already. The city officials and employees are so afraid of running afoul of legislation that they cease making decisions at all. This ruling has clarified the issue at hand - how to come to a decision when either path presents a prima facie liability. It is an easy solution: gather evidence and base the decison on that evidence.

Cities still have to make hard decisions. They still have to deal with the consequences of their decisions. But they can no longer hide behind their fear of litigation, because that in itself is a horrible option.

Metastable Equilibrium

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

One of the key concepts in engineering theory is metastable equilibrium. Systems are designed to resist forces, but a large shock can cause catastrophe.

The classic example of this is a marble resting on the dish. The marble can move in any direction but will come back to rest in the middle of the dish - unless it is pushed hard. Then it is given enough energy to seek a new equilibrium position. Maybe the new equilibrium position is inside a larger dish. Maybe it's on the floor, rolling straight towards a heating vent.

The principle at work here is minimization of potential energy. Every object at every scale seeks to minimize its energy level. It explains the throwing off of photons from excited electrons in a neon light, it explains the shape of water condensate, it governs the flow of hot gas up a chimney, and, unfortunately, it means that our buildings fall down in high winds.

You can never prevent minimization of potential energy because you can't stop entropy. However, you can slow it down. You can trick systems into finding a local minima, just like the marble was tricked into the middle of the saucer. This is called metastability. The system is not at its preferred state, but a further investment of energy is needed to push it over the edge. Until that energy is provided the system will remain in its metastable state.

This concept is not only useful in structural engineering, it is broadly applicable. For instance, we can use the principles to discuss why sustainability is important. If we look at the ecological system here in the Midwest, we see that everywhere people are constantly altering small aspects of our environment. None of these actions by itself cause much damage. But if we consider the sum total of all of the actions, we realize that a destabilizing force is being applied.

An ecological system is merely metastable. Most people believe that humans can act as responsible stewards of the environment (e.g. recent tuna conservation debate). The current theories of resource management assume that we can study natural systems and determine where the tipping points are. As long as we don't push nature over the edge then we can optimize our utility of it.

The problem is that balancing nature on the edge means only a small shock will lead to disaster. History is full of civilizations who have learned too late that nature should not be pushed too far. A recent study pointed out that the Nazca civilization may have been decimated by a combination of over-harvesting Huarango trees before a severe El-Nino event. The old forests are now deserts, having suffered a complete ecological collapse in CE500. The people kept pushing that marble towards the edge, never expecting the strong shock that forced it over.

We are now playing the same game on a global scale. We don't have to think too hard to find the next shock to the system. Climate change is expected to be capped at a 2degC change, but could go higher if politicians don't find a way forward in Copenhagen (current rate is 6degC - BBC). This rapid climate change could force our ecological systems over the edge and hurtling out of control.

Not only will these changes devastate our natural resources, especially for those areas fenced in by human development, it will cause our carefully cultivated croplands major problems. Imagine trying to curb world hunger and disease when global crop capacity decreases by 30%.

As an engineer, I am familiar with the effects of upsetting metastability. Our industry is always studying disasters and trying to learn from them. Of course, the disasters leave human tragedy in their wake. Society buries its dead. Survivors return to the scene of the tragedy and face a pile of debris that was once the source of their community. Amid all the calls to rebuild, everyone begins to doubt if what was lost could ever be replaced. We must remember that certain things can never be replaced.

Placemaking in Irvington

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

During the Spirit and Place Festival this year, Health by Design sponsored a presentation by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) at the Indiana State Museum. UrbanIndy wrote an entry about the event, pointing out how the event fostered participation and collaboration.

Placemaking (@wikipedia) is about building plazas, city squares, and all kinds of pedestrian infrastructure that supports active streetlife. Placemaking is a great way for people to get involved in their community, because placemaking requires no special skills. Everyone knows what kind of spaces they enjoy, and there are no technical challenges such as fire safety or structural safety concerns that require specialized knowledge.

I don't want to minimize the difficulty of good design, because landscape architects, civil engineers, traffic engineers, and architects must be involved for a successful project. But in general, the public can and should be active in setting goals and design objectives.

I decided to apply what I learned from PPS to my own experiences with my neighborhood. PPS strongly advocates for public involvement in placemaking, encouraging residents to communicate what they know about their places. It is up to the public to speak up about what works, what doesn't work, and what they want their places to be like.

During the presentation, Ethan Kent (working for the Great Cities Initiative) asked all the participants to think about their local places. In particular, they ask people to use the power of ten to organize their ideas. So for my evaluation of Irvington (see earlier posts), I have come up with 10 ideas each category: 10 places that work, 10 places that fail, and the 10 best opportunities for change.

10 Irvington Places that Work:
These places are the reasons that people enjoy living in the neighborhood. They succeed on a basic level and inspire the residents to use the public space as a shared resource, building a community.

Pennsy Trail
This rail-to-trail linear park is brand new, but is a great addition to the area. (See earlier posts for more information)

South Audubon Circle
This park in the middle of a traffic circle is one of the neighborhood's most loved places. (See earlier traffic circle post for more information)

Washington St. Commercial Corridor
This stretch of East Washington Street is a functional and exciting commercial area, with a theater, local coffeeshop and Starbucks, library, old lodge building, several restaurants, and locally owned shops.

Michigan/New York Bike Lanes
The bike lanes make commuting on two wheels to downtown possible. (See earlier post) The intersection with Pleasant Run Trail and Ellenberger park makes for an interesting crossroads.

Historic Houses
Some of the best historic homes in Indianapolis can be found in the neighborhood. They are scattered throughout, rewarding exploration of the area. (See earlier post) Many of the homes create a sense of history and community, turning the narrow streets and sidewalks into comfortable neighborhood places.

Street Festivals
Twice a year, Irvington closes down a few blocks of E Wash St and has a party in the street. Thousands of people, local merchants, funnel cakes, kids, dogs, and a fish fry replace the internal combustion engines. (See Halloween post for more photos)

Ellenberger Park
This place is at the nexus of pleasant run creek park and the bike lanes heading downtown.

It has a great blend of functions and greenery, making it a cherished place within the community. Ellenberger park is a great example of something unexpected that fits in. Just like Central Park in NYC, a good stretch of green can make a great place when supported by the community.

Audubon Court Apartments
Recently renovated and opened to residents, this old apartment building has a unique style and wonderful street presence along Washington Street. The front porches and interesting features make this a place rather than just an address.

Bona Thompson Library
This structure from the old Butler University campus hosts many events and serves as a communal place nestled in the quiet residential streets. It is where the residents learn about local history, hold forums for discussion, vote, and keep treasures.

Irvington Branch Library
This building represents the city's commitment to the area. The library is one of the best and most useful buildings in the area, and it creates a place on its grounds that is used for all sorts of local gatherings and outdoor meetings. It's also a good location to sit and watch people walking through the neighborhood.

10 Irvington Places that Fail:
This section features a list of places that fail to provide for the interconnected needs of humanity. Some of them were designed for specific clients and serve their owners well, but a key element is missing. Public spaces must responsibly accommodate many different users. These spaces have been designed, but the designers failed to put the buildings in the context of the neighborhood.

Old Pennsylvania Railroad Commercial Area
The loss of railroad commuters made businesses move to E Wash St during the early 20th century. Some of the old buildings are still here, but there was no effort to preserve the original storefront area and newer buildings make it look like a suburban development. (See earlier post)

Indy East Motel
In its final years of operation, this motel became a state-sponsored halfway home of sexual offenders, instigating a powerful reaction from local residents. The neighborhood fought a long battle to close this motel, knowing that a closed business would be more welcome than a haven for crime. The empty property is the legacy of a property owner who cared more for money than the welfare of his community. (see story on Indy.com)

Commercial Corridor east of Arlington
Just another photo showing the banal, repressive, and dangerous streetscape found in most communities in the US. Complete Streets anyone?

Dilapidated Apartment Buildings
When rents are low, the apartment buildings suffer from disinvestment and the residents are forced to live in substandard housing. There are several apartment buildings along E Wash St that have neglected the opportunity to create spaces, in contrast to the Audubon Court mentioned above.

Parking Lot for Plasma Center
This one place inspires more hostile feelings amongst residents than anywhere else in the area besides the old Indy East Motel. The original buildings were demolished (aside from one blighted corner building). The new building does not address the street, but the parking lot instead. Combined with the suburb-style pharmacy across the street, it feels out of place. I have no problem with the business, but the space it created is just plain weird.

Washington Street as Urban Highway
Too many lanes, no accommodation of bicyclists, and no reason for being oversize. This road is way overdesigned for traffic. Seriously, how would any area ever accommodate street life with a high speed highway splitting it in two? The accelerating cars speeding down Wash St prevent any street conversations or even talking on the phone while enjoying a snack at Starbucks.

How many East-West highways are necessary on the East-side of Indy? We have I-70, Michigan/NY (1-way streets), E Wash St (US-40), and Brookville/English. WTF? Further east of Irvington they even added lanes to US40, now with 7 lanes of traffic and no median, crosswalks, or consistent signal spacings. The photo below was taken at 5PM, I don't see why we needed this expansion in any case. If you ever needed evidence of no intelligent life on the planet, this would be it.

Excess Greenscaping, Parking Lots, and Low-Profile Buildings
The low price of real-estate during the second half of the 20th century invited sprawling architecture and parking lots in place of the historic and more energy efficient multiple story buildings located on the street front. It also meant that the local roads stopped feeling like contained places that comfort and support pedestrian life.

Asphalt Road Conditions
Another problem with the streets-as-places model in the neighborhood is the patchwork asphalt roads. On one hand it does slow traffic, but on the other hand it makes it appear that the neighborhood does not care for its own infrastructure. The city-dictated maintenance schedule is to blame, so locals have to live with a public eyesore on their doorstep for many years.

Sidewalks with Utility Poles
Why does this happen in the US?

Bell Telephone Building
The destruction of this beautiful building's facade went beyond a mere loss of historic character. The loss of windows meant that the street lost its status as a watched and cared for place.

10 Best Opportunities for Change in Irvington:
This section is a compilation of my ideas for the neighborhood. They are not official, and I have never submitted them for consideration in any capacity. But the whole point of the exercise is brainstorming, so I hope they get people thinking about ways to improve Irvington, or even inspire people to think about their own local places.

The United States deserves better places, and starting locally is the best way to make that happen. Look around you and start thinking about placemaking and the opportunity we have to recreate our public spaces.

Washington Street Corridor Streetscape
This is a project that will be completed within 2 years. Placemaking is the main purpose, so it should be a great project for the neighborhood.

Extension of Pennsy Trail in Each Direction
Another planned project, but with unknown completion time. This one is important because it will add another reason to be in Irvington and also link many of the favorite places together.

Convert Bonna Street into Linear Market
Currently, Bonna Street is a narrow, non-continuous street paved with a combination of bricks, asphalt, and concrete. The adjoining green space is the future location of the Pennsy Trail extending to Ritter, but is being used as nothing more than a parking area right now.

I propose restoring the brick pavers, extending the Pennsy Trail, and using the street for temporary markets and festivals. This would encourage commercial activity to return to this area, adding additional storefronts to the Historic Irvington area.

New Plaza outside Irvington Branch Library
While the Irvington Branch Library is great as it currently stands, the front sidewalk area is not wide enough to support the impromptu community meetings. In fact, there is no outdoor plaza anywhere on E Wash St corridor that would help groups meet and greet. I have seen lots of activities like bike-rides, rain-barrel workshops, political rallies, and similar events in Irvington. Providing an open location, freely available to anyone that would accommodate 20-50 people would add a key place for the community.

Connecting all Schools Together with Bike/Walk Lanes
The many public, private, and charter schools within the neighborhood can be converted into special places by reducing the need for parking lots and drop-off areas.

Harvested Rainwater Sprinkler Park
Community swimming pools are expensive. They also require a lot of built infrastructure. And then there is the concern that pools may be a waste of potable water. In response to these concerns, I propose adding a Sprinkler Park at Brown's Corner Park.

The concept is to make it an educational center that explains where recreational water comes from and how the pumps receive power. If no sun is shining and no rain has been falling, then the sprinkler park would not run. This would teach users that water and power are renewable resources, and it's not just a matter of flipping a switch or turning a faucet.

Because the sprinkler park would have no standing water, it would not require lifeguards or attendants of any kind. The sprinklers would only operate during certain hours, and be freely available. No chain-link fences required.

Greenscaping and Bio-retention area for Irvington Square Mall
This parking lot has *way* too much paving and parking spaces. I have never seen the lots filled, which creates the impression of failed businesses. In reality, it's just too much parking capacity. I propose adding some green elements that tie into the trail. Adding some storefronts along E Wash St would be a great idea too, but I don't know if the property owners want to add even more square footage to this sprawling commercial area.

Brick Paving along Historic Streets
Brick street paving is a great way to restore historic authenticity to neighborhoods. It also slows down traffic significantly and forces through-traffic to other areas. Pavers also turn impermeable surfaces into permeable ones, reducing stormwater quantity and recharging aquifers. Irvington has more brick streets than any other neighborhood in Indianapolis, but we can always improve the situation by adding more.

My favorite neighborhood with brick streets (aside from Irvington) is German Village in Columbus, Ohio. (see photo) Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, PA is another great example. (see photo)

Transit Center and Landbanking
Indianapolis is moving towards a regional transit system. It may be 20 years off, but Irvington should start planning for a neighborhood transit center now. It is likely that the B&O lines will be used to run a rail system or a streetcar along E Wash St will be used. (See MPO RTS Study Map here) Either way, the neighborhood should begin thinking about how to accommodate mass transit and for a regional transit system.

In the meantime, a local transit center can be established near the main commercial corridor. Some people think they are just expensive bus stops, but they are much more than that. They are not a waste of money, they are a visible commitment to public transit in the city. Such buildings would be the best possible marketing tool for IndyGo - a stable and sure place for passengers to gather with clearly posted schedules. One great recent example is the Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit (see Arch Tracker page).

The neighborhood must be ready to propose a viable solution that will fit into the larger transit system plan. That will guarantee the neighborhood an important position on the transit line and allow Irvington to help develop the solution.

24hr Communal Television Plaza for Public Viewing
This is probably my most radical proposal. Instead of prohibiting gatherings and preventing loiterers, I would try to encourage it. Set up a plaza for free public use, one with a large television (or several televisions). Instead of people watching 5 hours of television at home every day (Nielsen average for US viewers), people could watch their shows or sports events in a communal setting. This has been very successful for large events like the Olympics or World Cup Soccer, so why not apply the lesson to public spaces year-round?

Public safety is often a concern in these places, but statistics prove that these places are safer than less traveled ones. People are generally civil and obey regulations when other people are around. The spaces that need additional regulations and monitoring are the places that nobody visits. We must not be afraid to let people come together freely, because that is the essence of community.

A Disaster: TAMU Bonfire Collapse

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

This past November 12 was the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Texas A&M University's annual bonfire. A few weeks before their rivalry game with University of Texas, the large stack of logs fell apart while student workers were constructing it. The tragedy claimed the lives of 12 students and injured 27 others.

I grew up in College Station, TX, home of TAMU. I once lived very close to the site, and as a kid I would climb on top of my roof to watch the bonfire. That was a long time ago, of course.

At the time of the collapse, November 1999, I was a sophomore attending university in Pennsylvania. I first heard of the collapse when my advisor pulled me into his office and began asking questions about what happened. I assumed it was nothing more than a shifting of the foundation, as had happened before, requiring a rebuild. In fact, it was a true disaster that would test the very foundations of tradition in my hometown.

The event was a surreal experience for me, as I'm sure it was for many in my hometown. I remember seeing friends from high school being interviewed on television, and wondering how the town I viewed as the safest place in the world could ever be the site of such tragedy.

I was never involved in the bonfire, and I never knew much about its construction. As I learned more about it over the next few years, I was amazed at the recklessness of the university administration. The public, especially those in my hometown, assumed that the bonfire was a safe event because it was blessed by the public officials in charge of it. We had no idea that the students would be allowed to be placed in such danger on a routine basis.

This disaster, as is typically the case, was not a failure of engineering knowledge but a failure of organizational ineptitude. The administration had consistently turned a blind-eye to the bonfire construction process. It was a significant structure that should have been designed, verified, built according to law, and inspected on a regular schedule.

Instead, it was merely sketched out in advance, put up and pounded together with little respect for engineering principles, and tied together with ineffective materials by students who spent a whole semester skipping classes, drinking alcohol, and engaging in institutionalized hazing. TAMU's administration (and many local politicians) allowed this to go on because they were once part of this tradition, and felt the bonfire tradition was something too important to interfere with.

The tragedy was not that the bonfire fell (that was inevitable - it was going to happen at some point), it was that the TAMU administration did so little to protect their student body from an engineering disaster. I'm no fan of in loco parentis in modern colleges, but this was absolute negligence.

The University erected a permanent memorial at the site of the collapse. TAMU did undertake a full investigation and thus far have refused to continue the practice. I'm sure it is not easy for them to consistently deny the requests of alumni who want to start the tradition back up, but I do know that the memorial is clearly visible from the administration building and they need only look out their window to remember why it was cancelled.

I don't think any activity that has proven to be so dangerous should be reinstated. There is nothing that will ever convince me that student's lives should be put at risk. In the end, this disaster probably showed a lot of colleges and universities around the world that they need to take a closer look at their sanctioned events.

There are many ways in which students can show honor to past traditions, engage in creative challenges, and help foster a sense of community. But any activities resembling the Aggie Bonfire, a large structure capable of causing great harm, must be carefully managed by those in responsible charge.

2009 Irvington Halloween Festival

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Halloween in Irvington is celebrated with a flourish. The old town's namesake, Washington Irving, is honored in several ways along with other traditional authors of the American Romantic period that Irvington embodies. Poems by Poe, stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and ghost stories from the neighborhood's past all play a big role in the Halloween Festival.

My favorite part is the Saturday Festival, during which time they close E Wash St and let the crowds overtake it. It's a wonderful reminder that streets can be a great communal place.

This year was one of the best because of the great weather and the calendar - the Saturday of the festival was the 31st this year! I enjoyed the event and definitely found some interesting things. We bought some art, had some of the fish fry, and ended up with a giant paella cookset.

In general, it was great fun and the costumes we saw were amazing. We didn't stay for the whole event, but I would have loved to have seen the kids and the pets parading down main street.

Several live bands were playing

Death ponders a new form of transit

St. George and the Dragon

Witch, of the canine variety

My favorite costumes (pregnant cheerleader, Bender, and mad scientist)

Advice for Young Engineers Looking for Work

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

It's a tough economy out there. Graduate engineers are in a better position than most people when looking for a job, but getting that first job is a hard task for anyone right now. But, even with all of the problems facing young engineers right now, they still have some options if they can't find their ideal position.

There are a few employers of graduate engineers that are always hiring, including:

Work for a related industry or employer
Graduate School
Military Service
Development and charitable organizations
Go live at home and help the family

Other Work
The first option makes an explicit assumption that not everyone will get their #1 choice for a job. This is not really a problem, though. There are still plenty of jobs available in the market, but some graduates will have to expand their concept of engineering.

Many firms that do not receive national press, have poor presence on the internet, and do not recruit at schools actually do very important engineering work. They are more difficult to find, but they can provide a new graduate with their important first job.

Another strategy is to apply for jobs in a related industry or employer. There are many companies that make products, components, or sell services directly to engineering firms. These companies prefer hiring engineers because they understand clients better. Just remember, becoming an engineer is a long process and engineering experience can come in many different forms in the first few years of employment.

Graduate School
Personally, I graduated during a recessionary period after the Dot.Com market fiasco. This was also a time when fewer entry positions were open. I was totally unprepared for this event and didn't even know what part of the country I wanted to live in after graduation, and I certainly didn't know where to apply for jobs.

Eventually I decided that graduate school was a good option for me. This decision must me made early in the final year of school, or else it is unlikely that all of the paperwork and testing can be completed on time. Graduate fellowship positions are extremely competitive when the job market is at a low, but sometimes it is worth the additional debt to continue classes anyways. The tuition costs can be paid off later with a stronger resume and a better job.

Military Service
Military service is also an option. I know several friends and classmates who chose to join the military after graduation instead of looking for a job. It's a hard decision for anyone to make because of the risks and consequences, but engineers can be a valuable asset in the military.

Experience in the military is a great way for graduate engineers to differentiate themselves when applying for a job. Here in the US, most employers are cognizant that honorably discharged soldiers make some of the best employees and get great training from Uncle Sam. On the other hand, military service is incredibly hard even during times of peace, so the decision should not be made lightly.

Development Organizations
Another option beyond military service is finding a position with peacemaking and development organizations. The Peace Corp, Americorp, Teach America, and similar programs can provide a great way to give back to the global community with engineering skills. These programs also carry risk and consequences, so they must be carefully considered before any decision is made.

Moving Back Home
One final option for many graduates is to return home and live with their family. This is a very common action in times of economic hardship. Single family homes typically have an elastic capacity to absorb grown children, pets, married couples and their children. All of the empty apartments, rental houses, and foreclosed homes are good evidence of this happening. The last time this happened on such a large scale was the Great Depression, which forced many families back together.

Moving back home was also part of my strategy for graduate school. I was fortunate enough to grow up down the road from a state engineering school that accepted me for grad school. Not everyone will fit into that circumstance, but many people have families, relatives, or close family friends near engineering colleges.

Most people are often more than willing to have a long-term guest in their house to help out friends and family. The lower costs can make a big difference, as my stipend would have put me well below the poverty line but my free rent gave me the opportunity to eat things other than Ramen.

The Big Picture
Whatever choices graduate engineers make, there are a few key points to remember. The first is that most graduates should find jobs that will support their application to become a Professional Engineer (PE). This means that the job should be managed by an already licensed PE or should be academic in nature. The NCEES licensure page has additional information. Graduate engineers should *never* assume that their job is applicable unless specifically noted.

Also, the first few years after graduation are a time of continuing education. Indeed, this is true for the entire career of most engineers. Engineers must make every attempt to continue learning, studying, and asking questions. As noted in the beginning, not every engineer will find their #1 job waiting for them upon graduation. This is not the time to despair and abandon one's goals. Instead, work hard to develop into the type of engineer that will qualify for one's ideal job.

Whatever the future may bring, graduate engineers must take the initiative to learn from coworkers, stay active in the community, join professional groups, read books, play softball and sports whenever possible, and maybe even tackle some collaborative design challenges with other engineers and architects.

Conspiracy Theories in the Realm of Structural Engineering

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

As a structural engineer, I get a lot of questions regarding the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. People want to know if there is any validity to the claims of demolition by explosives. As with anything in life, there are no certainties, but I find the claims of conspiracy to be very unlikely. Consult the NIST website on WTC collapse (and final report here) if you want to see the official accepted course of events based on thousands of hours of research and analysis by disinterested scientists and engineers. For other opinions, consult Structure Magazine's archives and search for WTC articles (like WTC 7 and WTC 5).

Just as with the moon landing conspiracy and the Obama is an alien conspiracy theory, providing evidence to debunk the myths does nothing to dispel the rumors. People believe what they want to believe, despite having the ability to reason for themselves. Thus, I don't think any logical argument or presentation of evidence will change anyone's minds, so I am not going to present one here. For a good, logical refute of the arguments, see Rolling Stone's "The Low Post."

However, I do want to discuss the ethical implications of these beliefs among the structural engineering and architectural community. If someone has not yet decided what happened on any of these occasions, just be aware that spreading conspiracy theories will have a negative impact on one's career. Basically people will think they are crazy or stupid, neither of which are positive characteristics for an engineer.

An important ethical implication that must also be considered is that the many engineers that have been closely involved with the original design and investigations are essentially being accused of mass murder. Or covering up for mass murderers. These engineers have absolutely nothing other than the highest respect for human life, throwing them into the same category as history's greatest villains will not win any points.

In fact, a recent debacle at the White House showed that indicating support for these ideas can create professional problems many years down the road. The Green Jobs adviser for the Obama Administration was forced out because of support for 9/11 conspiracy theory. This is a good lesson for all of us to learn. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

UPDATE: IND International Airport

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Structure Magazine just published their steel focus issue, which features an article on the new IND airport terminal building. The article was written by the structural engineers and adds to the information I presented in my own post on the IND airport.

"Gateway to the Circle City"

Also, I took some newer photos of the terminal and wanted to post them along with some closeups of the tensile membrane structures. So without further ado here are the terminal and concourse photos:

A view of the concourse from the parking structure

Terminal A from the South

The bridge link between the concourse and ground transportation center

View of the canopy structure and departing flight dropoff

As mentioned above, I also got some photos of the membrane structures for those of us who love that kind of thing. These were designed and built by Geiger Engineers.

Central canopy over parking corridor

Underside of the canopy

Canopy framing details

Vehicle ramp corkscrew canopy

Corkscrew transition and central hub behind

Edge connection details

My contribution to the Airport was the PARCS building (where they eat your money) - my firm did the building and foundation structural design, Geiger did the canopy design

Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) Building

BRIC Construction

graeme.sharpe@aplaceofsense.com (Graeme) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

The fast growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) need complex infrastructure solutions and they need them fast. There is a great opportunity for engineers who know how to meet those needs. Considering that these countries are the next dominant world powers based on current global development trends, we had better begin brushing up on our Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin/Cantonese, and Hindi.

A lot of engineers in the US feel threatened by overseas competition. I don't. I feel that our ethical obligations to "build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others" mean that we shouldn't put up unfair barriers to outside competition. I encourage honest competition, if we can lower prices and maintain safe structures then everyone benefits. Competition for important jobs always inspires creativity.

Let's not try to hold back our engineering friends from the BRIC countries, I say we welcome them and start working together to solve humanity's great problems. But seriously, I expect great things to come out of these countries in the next few decades. Russia and Brazil are scheduled to host upcoming Olympic games, China just hosted one itself, and India has been widely acknowledged as one of the new world powers.

These countries are still working through some difficult issues like guarantees of democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights issues, but their own ascension to the world geopolitical stage is not unlike the US or similar countries. It took the US many many years before we met our goals of a society based on equal rights (still an ongoing process). It's important to look at where these countries will be in 30 years, not necessarily where they are right now.

A caveat remains, however. As the people living there acquire more wealth and seek the luxuries that the US and Europe currently enjoy, then the efforts at preventing climate change could be thrown into disarray. It is important that we get this right, because the BRIC countries represent 40% of the human population! The way to do this correctly is for the US and developed countries to start making serious policies regarding climate change. The time is right for developed countries to save the world, and it is our responsibility because we have been the cause of most of its problems through our centuries of industrial experimentation.

BRIC presents us an opportunity to start a meaningful dialogue about the future of the human condition. It is not just an opportunity to open their markets and sell them gasoline cars, it is an opportunity to raise the quality of life of every person on the planet in a meaningful, and sustainable, way. We have the capability to meet the needs of all people while still preserving a viable future for our later generations.

The BRIC economies have shown off the human ability for innovation. From the bus transit system of Curitiba, Brazil to the speeding bullet trains of China, these countries have no fear of modernizing their transportation systems. Of course, the traditional neighborhoods in these countries are some of the most efficient and low-impact styles of living, so we need to encourage BRIC to retain them. Let's not export our worst product - suburban sprawl. What we need are ways of accommodating the wants and desires of the middle class with the realities of a world under threat of climate change.

In this sense, the Western countries can continue to develop green designs that will deliver safety under environmental hazards, comfortable climate controls, and continued transit solutions. Working together, BRIC and the US/Europe can accomplish more than working alone. In support of these goals, I am including translation tools for this website. I may speak only one language, but I think if we listen carefully we find ways to understand each other.

(UM LUGAR DO SENTIDO) Portuguese

(भावना की जगह) Hindi

(MECTO SENSE) Russian

(地方的感觉) Chinese