May 6, 2008
Go Home Already: Taking a Bath
>> Check out this NYT op-ed from 1996 decrying the high price of gasoline ($1.23!) and insight into the reasons behind why we're so screwed. [Greater, Greater Washington]
>> Polls in Herndon and other Northern Virginia towns and cities close at 7 p.m. for elections to determine offices like mayors, council and school board members. [WaPo]
>> The D.C. Council bill that would limit the decibel level of amplified speech in the District has passed its first reading after being amended by Council member Kwame Brown to put the limits at 80 decibels downtown and 70 decibels in residential areas. [City Desk]
>> "Happy National Teacher Day, Fired D.C. Principals!" [Free Ride]
>> The University of Richmond was placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon while police searched for a man who reportedly was seen carrying a gun. [AP/NBC4]
Photo by Mr. T in DC
|
The NYT op-ed is to the point. The American ideal of a detached house set in a small patch of green lawn with an automobile parked nearby which can ferry the family to the grocery three miles away, the soccer game five miles away, the doctor ten miles away, etc. is really a great luxury. The urban designer is partly to blame for not offering better options where everybody sacrifices a portion of their under-utilized space (how many people really use their lawn knowing that they can be seen by neighbors and passersby?) to create more parks, stores and offices within walking distance of our residences.