  6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 586 Registered: 11-2006 |
Sam Assefa spoke at the University of Detroit Mercy today on the Greening of Chicago program, which promotes environmentally friendly architecture and planning for city owned buildings, with the goal of saving money for taxpayers, as well as the fact that people would like to live in the nicest and cleanest cities. Mass development in downtown, energy savings in city buildings, a decrease in crime, better ethnic diversity in neighborhoods. The cities greening groups including members of city council met with Assefa before the lecture. The lecture was really great, but some problems with implementations of plans in Detroit would be lack of mass transit, lack of representations for city areas such as wards, preexisting economic infrastructure. So that leads me to ask how do you think we as a city can speed up our own greening or even should we try to do so? (Message edited by 6nois on November 28, 2007) | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 744 Registered: 11-2006 |
The administration should take the first step, as was done in Chicago. Make City Hall Green. Green roof would be a start and a great symbol there. Offer tax credits to other building owners who create the green roof as well. | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 588 Registered: 11-2006 |
The most interesting thing was that that is the type of step we should be taking. The moral seemed to be do small things like planting trees, improving the water system to prevent leaks, and do them well. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 745 Registered: 11-2006 |
thats right. I went to the recent Bill Clinton speech at Orchestra Hall and thats how he felt. He is working with 41 cities, including chicago, to become green. the biggest things were also the most sensible. Installing the green roof and using the proper light bulbs. BOTH are proven to not only help the environment but actually save EVERY consumer $$$$$ | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 289 Registered: 07-2007 |
There's lots of ways the city can be more environmentally friendly. But first the city has to make a commitment to do so, make plans to do so and then implement them and make it clear that it has support from the Mayor and Council. It may require more of an upfront investment but it will pay off in the long run. | ||
Nainrouge Member Username: Nainrouge Post Number: 424 Registered: 05-2006 |
Anyone working on tree planting in Detroit? You might be eligible for an award: The Home Depot Foundation (http://www.homedepotfoundation .org/) in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors ( http://www.usmayors.org/ ), has announced the opening of the application period for the Third Annual Awards of Excellence for Community Trees. The program is designed to recognize the outstanding, innovative work of public/private partnerships engaged in enhancing and strengthening communities through the use of trees. The Home Depot Foundation recognizes that cities across the U.S., in partnership with local 501(c)(3) nonprofits, are achieving outstanding results in urban forestry both on a project basis and programmatic level. Awards will be given for the overall excellence of the initiative based on the work completed prior to July 31, 2007 (ongoing projects/programs will be evaluated on the work completed). Based on first-round applications, a group of finalists will be selected. Within each category two grant awards will be made --$75,000 to the winning project and $25,000 to the runner-up. Outstanding Achievement Awards of $2,500 each will also be given in each category. While both the city and the nonprofit partner will be recognized, the grant will be awarded to the nonprofit partner to be used at its discretion for charitable purposes designed to further the goal of promoting healthy communities through tree planting and the management of the urban forest. Further information and application procedures are available at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Web site. | ||
Kingofdetroit Member Username: Kingofdetroit Post Number: 20 Registered: 10-2006 |
The last thing Detroit needs is to worry about how "green" it is. It NEEDS to fix it's street lights have it's residents get jobs and pay taxes so they can have normal city services first. Like a responding police force. No? | ||
Kingofdetroit Member Username: Kingofdetroit Post Number: 21 Registered: 10-2006 |
Oh but there's no jobs... Why is that...? Because there's no business... Why is that...? Because they don't want any part of Detroit... Why is that...? Because the citizens that make up Detroit are unappealing to business because they're poor and uneducated. Why is that...? I dunno. You tell me. | ||
Nainrouge Member Username: Nainrouge Post Number: 429 Registered: 05-2006 |
Maybe Detroit is an unappealing place to live because of litter strewn vacant lots that would look a heck of a lot better if they were filled with trees? Wouldn't hurt and you gotta start somewhere. Greening might not be the first thing that Detroit needs, but it is definitely not the last. The last thing Detroit needs is more people who are long on criticism and short on suggestions for making things better. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 294 Registered: 07-2007 |
'The last thing Detroit needs is to worry about how "green" it is.' What world are you living in that these are mutually exclusive things? If Ford's Rouge facility can incorporate a green roof, then there's no excuse for not starting to incorporate green principles into how Detroit does business. Crain's had a good article on Blue Cross's new parking garage with a green roof. | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 597 Registered: 11-2006 |
The idea that green saves money, by say repairing leaking water pipes then one could assume that doing so the money that is lost from leaking water, and energy use could be used for other things. Example making the CAY Building an energy star building the city has saved millions. That money then can be used for something else. No? It just seems to be that green could be a part of how we do things. Detroit doesn't need to be 30 years behind everywhere else. I think the current amount of green activity is great but we need more. | ||
Jackndabox Member Username: Jackndabox Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2007 |
Why would anyone go hear bill clinton speak??? | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 604 Registered: 11-2006 |
The same reason why someone here would make a stupid comment like that. | ||
Jackndabox Member Username: Jackndabox Post Number: 5 Registered: 12-2007 |
Who cares what chicago does??? The only stupid comments are from people who think planting a few trees will solve any of Detroit's problems. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 214 Registered: 02-2004 |
I think we need to live a life that is more environmentally friendly. Increasing density is one way. Another way would be to NOT support buying products from countries who have poor environmental standards, i.e. China. I think these two things alone would help dramatically more than putting grass on a parking structure, which by the way, stores automobiles. | ||
Playswellwithotters Member Username: Playswellwithotters Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2007 |
I was there at the lecture at UDM. They weren't planting a few trees. They took up a program to plant a MILLION trees. From the way the lecture went, it sounded like it all started from the top. The mayor there is dedicated to making his city a better place to live. He rides his bike to work. That is practicing what you preach. Helping the city starts with doing the little things right first. He also mentioned in his lecture that they start many small programs as experiments to see what can work and what doesn't work. Sometimes things fail, but that's where they learn. What this all comes down to is a matter of WHY NOT? What else is going on that can possibly be helping the city? Bringing a bit of "Las Vegas" to Detroit with that god awful new hotel they just built. Give me a break. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 276 Registered: 10-2006 |
people such as king amuse me, their narrow minded enough to believe there is a step by step manual for solving the cities problems when in actuality there are a series of things that all need to be dealt with and none of them are dependent on the other to get a start, but they all need to happen. We need a greener city and we need more police, while one is more important we can't ignore the other. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 279 Registered: 10-2006 |
No one has said that trees would fix everything, but its just another thing that can make this city better than what it is right now. You can't just snap you fingers and have grade A schools, and zero crime. You can't blame everything on CAY, it's a much bigger issue than that with many many intricacies. The city of Detroit began to decline in the mid to late 50's, thats 40 years of decline and we've had barely 10 of progress. It takes time and we should look at every option that would make people attracted to living here. Jack I believe you need to read a few of the studies on what it takes to get a city back on track and what our city is doing now to get there. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 25 Registered: 11-2007 |
I agree with mdoyle that trees are just one improvement--but a nice improvement. I also agree that you can't blame everything on CAY--but one reason why we have only had ten years of progress is that we had twenty years of CAY first. Even the most imaginative, competent mayor couldn't have prevented the decline, but I believe it could have been shallower and perhaps briefer. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 280 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yes, not to mention that different projects are taken on by different arms of city gov't and various federal and state grants are earmarked for specific projects. It is not as if we can take people that deal with parks and city beautification and tell them they need to work on education budgets. Nor can we used grants or moneys allocated for beautification projects and use those elsewhere either. Everyone has their own tasks in city, state and federal gov't. | ||
Playswellwithotters Member Username: Playswellwithotters Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2007 |
When all is said and done, 50 years from today, Detroit will be the same, if not worse, as it is now. Plain and simple. Sad to say, but I believe it is true. Not to say that we can't at least try. Plus like I said before, if things can be turned around, its going to be slow, and if we can do anything the right way, we might as well start with the little things. | ||
Playswellwithotters Member Username: Playswellwithotters Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2007 |
p.s. i think we should all start thinking before posting naive comments. -trees wont fix everything -more police wont fix everything -government is slow, corrupt, hard to persuade -its nearly impossible to get anything positive going here...the media loves to focus on the bad -its not going to happen over night -there are many sides of every story and situation -most problems are related in some way -WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT LANDED DETROIT IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE P.s.s. Does anyone else find it ironic and sad that Detroit's identity (The Motor City) has now landed it in hole. All the focus on the car has left it with no mass transportation. The companies that helped make Detroit what it is are leaving and/or in trouble because the National Government refuses to help. I read an article that discussed how, during World War II, Detroit helped the nation win the war. And now, when Detroit needs the nation, the nation has turned its back. Sad. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 404 Registered: 08-2006 |
quote: Playswellwithotters, are you Jackindabox in disguise? Thanks for being such a positive thinker! I know with people like you around, Detroit will REALLY have a chance to improve! THANKS!! Of course it isn't possible to get anything positive going on here with PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I don't know if you've looked around lately, but there have been vast improvements in the CDB, Midtown and beyond. Wake up and smell the coffee, Detroit is on the rebound but it's being slowed down by negative nancy's like YOU. PS- It's PPS you pessimist. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 405 Registered: 08-2006 |
quote: Oh, and PPS- This question has already been answered thousands of times, why waste time pondering it when you can focus your energy on the future and positive improvements. No sense in "Dwelling on the Past" when you have a bright future to look forward to. (Message edited by gsgeorge on December 09, 2007) | ||
Playswellwithotters Member Username: Playswellwithotters Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2007 |
And we will REALLY REALLY get a lot done with you critiquing my posts. hahaha. I'm just trying to be realistic...trust me, I would love nothing better than for people to say, "Oh you're from Detroit? I'd love to go there one day". But they don't. They don't get to see how beautiful the waterfront is or how fun downtown can be. All they get is articles of shitty studies that read "Detroit is new Murder City". | ||
6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 606 Registered: 11-2006 |
That may be the case but maybe to change that we need to try something new. Greening the city is something new and has positive beyond what we are trying to attempt. On top of that this should be a huge way for the city and county to save money for other things like public safety. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 34 Registered: 11-2007 |
There is nothing realistic about saying what things "will" be like in fifty years. That is just something that is unknowable. If you ever get a chance, take a look at Herman Kahn's (leading futurist of the time) "The Year 2000", written in 1967, and see how much he got right. That is only one example of many--the future is always surprising. At this point, I don't know what things will be like in ten years. And I spend a lot of time trying to figure things like that out. |
