During the past couple ofyears numerous communities have i~itiated neigh~orhood projects involving the use of alternative technologies. A handful ofgroups like Farallones Institute have integrated several of these concepts into one dwelling. However, up to now few communities have made a coordinated effort to integrate these technologies into an entire ~etghborhood._ The Whiteaker community in Eugene, Oregon, ts in the planning s~ages of such a comprehensive approach. Alternative strategies are presently being outlined in the area of energy, food, housing, recycling and health. A profile of 1f1H]JE WHITEAKER JE~IRilMIElN1f URBAN INTEGRATED John Jennings Rumors have been trickling around that something is going on in Eugene, Oregon, in the area of neighborhood-scale selfreliance. Well, to clear up the rumors, something is happening. The Whiteaker neighborhood has received a $146,843 grant from the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) . . Labelled as the Urban Integrated Community Demonstration project (UICD), the grant is providing the Whiteaker Community Council (WCC) with the ability to bring in consultants ai:id staff, both from within and outside the neighborhood to plan a set of projects and programs that apply appropriate technology and alternative strategies to housing, energy, food, recycling and health in an attempt to enable neighborhood residents to become more self-reliant. The grant was targeted specifically for planning and not necessarily implementation. The project began in July of this year and is scheduled to be completed in February 1980. Since the grant was the first of its kind in the nation (Boston was a close second), many eyes are focu,sed on it hoping to perhaps apply it to other communities. This article discusses briefly where the five components of the project are ari.d where they intend to be down the road. It's too early in the development phase to predict successes or failures but no :_one denies that the implications could be significant to the neighborhood self-reliance movement. Page 14 RAIN November 1979 The Pacific Northwest has long benefited from the availability of cheap hydro power. However, with increasing pppulation and the corresponding increase in electrical consumption, the Northwest has witnessed the rise of more expensive energy production, namely nuclear power. Energy costs are rapidly increasing and low-income people are the most seriously hit. Most low-income people are renters and thus dependent on landlords to provide weatherization for their homes. The Energy component of the UICD grant is planning for the most efficient use of energy within the neighborhood, and the maximum feasible production of energy from renewable sources. .To accomplish this four projects have been developed:
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