ess [t d in le ee e l. t is fl 0 ·' s r1 m is malls are being replaced with mixed-use areas of apartments, shops, and offices in Boca Raton, Florida, San Diego and Mountain View, California. Source: No Sweat News. l Paying Developers to Build Downtown Housing Saves Money It may be cost-effective for cities to actually pay developers to build near their city centers rather than pay for the expensive infrastructure development of sprawling suburbs, with the resulting pollution increases from these cardependent areas. At least that is what a Melbourne, Australia study suggests. The city of Melbourne is selling downtown city land at low prices and giving property tax breaks to developers in an effort to create a more compact city. The city will save US$95 million over 20 years for every 8,000 households created downtown instead of in the suburbs. Jackson, Wyoming is trying to save $1.2 million while creating 200 car parking spaces for seasonal tourists. They are trying to do this by encouraging local employees to ride or walk to work. Businesses keep track of who rides or walks to work each day. Incentives for using alternatives include prizes and awards. For more info, contact Tim Young, Pathways Task Force, PO Box 1173, Jackson Hole, Wyoming 83001, (301) 733-2149. Source: Auto-free Ottawa. A useful guide for keeping huge super stores from locating on the outskirts of your city is titled, How Superstore Sprawl Can Harm Communities. It will show you how to organize to preserve local businesses. Order from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Also get a free copy of Redevelopment for Livable Communities, a guide that tells real-life success stores of reducing suburban sprawl. It is available from the Washington State Energy Office, 925 Plum St, SE, Bldg#4, Olympia, WA 985043165 or phone them at (360) 956-2132 or 956-2068. The higher densities created by urban infill encourages residents to rely more often on walking, biking or using the bus. The Seattle City Council hopes their new zoning changes to allow "granny flats" or accessory units to be built on formerly single family housing zoning will help. Also newly allowed are "cottage housing" developments or small, detached houses sharing a central courtyard in R1 zones (low-density residential). Location-Efficient Mortgages The Center for Neighborhood Technology is working with the federal agency that manages housing mortgages, Fannie Mae, to create a mortgage plan for households which do not own a second car. Instead of lenders figuring in cars as assets when you apply for a mortgage, the savings from not owning a second car would increase your buying power. This will encourage less car-dependent development and help those who have chosen to not use cars. You can subscribe to CNT's 6 issues/year newsletter, Place Matters for only $30. Write to CNT, 2125 West North Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60647 or call (312) 278-4800, ext 113. Also see the 25 page booklet called Clunker Mortgages & Transportation Redlining: How the Mortgage Banking Industry Unknowingly Drains Cities & Spreads Sprawl available from Hare Planning, 1246 Monroe St, NE, Washington, DC 20017, (202) 269-9334. World Bank's Transport Sanity The World Bank recently loaned $3 million to Lima, Peru for 10 miles of paved bike paths and for a project that allows people to buy bikes in regular, affordable installments. The Bank has also established an office of "Environmentally Sustainable Development!" For a copy of Making Development Sustainable: The World Bank & the Environment, Fiscal 1994, RAIN Summer 1996 Volume XV, Number 1 Page 21
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