Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond)
Category
Government
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11.18.09Focusing on a single goal will not mean success for Project DeRenneA summary presentation for the recent Project DeRenne charrette is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at 131 W. DeRenne Ave. The location, a former NAPA auto parts store, is fitting. The nearby intersection of DeRenne Avenue and Montgomery Street is—as one of the charrette facilitators from Kimley-Horne called it—one of the most caustic in Savannah. It certainly is scary to move through on a bicycle. This past Sunday a letter to the editor of the Savannah Morning News ponders some important questions: Participants in the planning process as well as the affected commercial and residential neighborhoods need to ...
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11.02.09Charrette particpants asked to describe DeRenne Avenue now and in the futureAs cars and trucks droned by outside, citizens streamed into a former auto parts store at the corner of DeRenne Avenue and Montgomery Street. The purpose of the gathering tonight was the launch of a week-long design charrette focused on the DeRenne Avenue corridor, arguably one of the most important yet troubled streets in the city. Factor in its use by commuters from outlying areas and its importance and troubles become regional in scope and severity. Facilitators from Kimley-Horn and Associates described the work they had done in Phase One of the project and outlined the goals for Phase Two and, ...
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10.28.09Changing a road that divides the city into an amenity that unites itWhen a street is designed to maximize the speed of motor vehicles, the results are as predictable as they are ugly. Yet we may not comprehend how desolate the built environment becomes when it is given over exclusively to cars. Cars and trucks become a distraction, drawing our attention away from the ways that they degrade the spaces, public and private, at the edge of the roadway. But when we strip away the cars, we can see how much damage they have done. Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. The photos above were taken on a rainy Sunday morning in January 2008. I ...
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10.11.09Protecting public places from poachersRegular viewers of Georgia Public Television's "Georgia Outdoors" program have likely noticed a graphic that appears near the end of each episode. It urges viewers to turn in poachers. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources describes a poacher as, "a thief who steals wildlife that belongs to you and all other Georgians." Now let's take these poachers and transplant them from our state's waterways and forests into our city. Instead of stealing wildlife, the urban poacher takes public space "that belongs to you and all other Savannahians." While these poachers are not technically "stealing" sidewalks and bike lanes by using them ...
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09.06.09Stage is set for a livable streets renaissance in SavannahAmong those who want to make Savannah a more sustainable community, this past week may be remembered as a particularly important one. It marked a growing awareness of the economic, environmental, social, public safety and public health benefits to be derived from encouraging Savannah's residents and visitors to move around the city on foot or by bicycle. Throughout the week there was evidence that local support for livable streets is gaining momentum, as residents and government officials came together to learn about how to make Savannah's streets more livable. Monday: A walking tour of downtown Savannah was led by staff from ...
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08.24.09Solving parking, transportation problems requires “out-of-the-car thinking”In his City Talk column in Sunday's Savannah Morning News, Bill Dawers reports a common refrain from his readers: They'd come downtown more often if there was only more parking. I have news for these folks: There's never going to be enough parking to satisfy them. Never. Unless we are willing to destroy the very thing that makes Savannah a destination that's worth the drive. We've spent half a century and mountains of money trying to undo Gen. Oglethorpe's masterful city plan and it make more convenient for cars. In the process we've come very close to turning the Historic District into a ...
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08.12.09Can herbs at the curbs ease Savannah’s tree lawn troubles?A recent story on National Public Radio, Not All Communities Welcome Urban Gardening, covered the controversy caused when a Wisconsin family decided to plant vegetables in the strip of soil between the sidewalk and the street. In the strange dialect spoken by inhabitants of Wisconsin, this piece of real estate is called a parkway. Around these parts, they are called tree lawns and they've been in the news recently, too. Last month the city announced that tree lawn upkeep would become the responsibility of residents. According to this Savannah Morning News story, city crews were pulled off tree lawn detail because ...
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07.13.09As jaywalking saga continues, public safety and public health questions remain unansweredReaders of Bill Dawers' City Talk column in yesterday's Savannah Morning News might presume that he wrote about two completely different issues under two separate headings. I'd argue the topics are more closely related than is immediately apparent. First, Dawers' accurately describes the recently reduced jaywalking fines for what they are: a distraction from the main issue. Yes, the original fines were exorbitant, but the idea that the crackdown is an effective public safety measure remains unchallenged by almost everyone in the local media (except Dawers) and even by citizens who organized a Facebook group and a petition drive. Will an enforcement ...
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06.23.09Police use car vs. pedestrian crash to counter critics, warn walkersI really didn't want to write about this again, but it looks like the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is casting a June 19 car vs. pedestrian crash as vindication of its unpopular crackdown on jaywalking, which was launched last month. With a headline that's unusually snarky for a police department communication, "Still Think We're Being too Strict?", the press release reports the injury of a pedestrian who "was not in a crosswalk at the time of the incident" and promises, "once released from the hospital, the pedestrian will be cited for jaywalking. I have no problem with traffic crashes being ...
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06.19.09Bike and bus beat car in Dump the Pump commuting challengeWe have a winner! Savannah Bicycle Campaign board member Frank McIntosh reached City Hall a couple minutes before Sean Brandon, Savannah's director of parking and mobility, who traveled via Chatham Area Transit bus. Jordan Griffin of the City's film and tourism office arrived last by car. McIntosh is an experienced cyclist, having logged tens of thousands of miles on his trusty Novara mountain bike. It is decades old and has even been stolen and recovered at least once. McIntosh proved you don't need an expensive ride to get to work on time. At a finish line press conference, Alderman Tony Thomas underscored what many ...
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Transportation, land use, local farming and green building are all potential topics for Sustainable Savannah. The goal is to aggregate content about local events and projects, so there will be a central place to review everything that’s happening. The site is aimed at encouraging collaboration and information sharing between groups and individuals currently engaged in sustainability efforts. The site can also provide a snapshot of Savannah for green-minded people who are considering visiting or moving to the area.
