Via sf.streetsblog.org
by Matthew Roth on September 24, 2009

A proposed design for an unaccepted street, from Local Code, courtesy Nicholas de Monchaux

Throughout San Francisco’s history, from the early street grid to the more recent expansion of freeways, slivers of land that don’t fit into the master plans of architects and designers have been cast aside, lumped into a category the Department of Public Works (DPW) refers to as "unaccepted streets." These "paper streets" are mapped but not maintained by any agency. As Chris Carlsson so beautifully chronicled in his Ghost Streets tour, many of these alleys and street stubs are cared for by neighbors and transformed into small gardens or pocket parks.  Many more, however, are forgotten urban scars and latent public space.

Berkeley Professor of Architecture Nicholas de Monchaux estimates that there are 529 acres of unaccepted streets, just over half the land area of Golden Gate Park. In Local Code [PDF], one of six finalists in UCLA’s WPA 2.0 design competition ("Whoever rules the sewers, rules the city"), de Monchaux details his vision for replenishing 1514 of these unaccepted streets by linking contemporary geospatial planning tools with existing public processes through the DPW to implement  "a range of local infrastructural gestures, from soil remediation, to victory gardening, to playgrounds and pastures."  

Local Code borrows from the work of  "anarchitect" Gordon Matta-Clark, who in the early 1970s discovered that New York City auctioned off pieces of unusable land that resulted from surveying anomalies and public-works expansion, so called "gutterspaces," fifteen of which he purchased and developed for Fake Estates, an architectural intervention meant to dissect notions of materiality, property ownership, and prestige.

With Local Code, de Monchaux hopes to accelerate the pace of converting streets into green spaces, particularly in the underserved neighborhoods in the shadows of freeways, where unaccepted streets are abundant.  "If you look at the unaccepted streets, it is like heat map of all the areas with health problems, pollution issues, and neglected spaces," he said.

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Drink in hand, he settled into the numb nothingness of his self-imposed isolation.

(Photo: Daniel Hennessy; Dwell, November 2006)

Via unhappyhipsters.com

Unable to complete another painting, he surrendered to the realization that he was truly…madly…deeply in love—with plywood.

(Photo: Richard Powers; Dwell, March 2009)

Via unhappyhipsters.com

Here’s an excerpt of a website from the Australian government with some good information and advice on energy usage and conservation. Via yourhome.gov.au:

The average household’s energy use is responsible for over seven tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions can be significantly reduced through use of renewable energy, more efficient appliances and energy conservation measures. The Energy Use group of fact sheets shows you how.

Choosing the most appropriate energy source can significantly reduce your energy bills and improve the environmental performance of your home. A choice of energy sources is available to new home buyers, existing owners and tenants.

Conventional electricity from the supply grid currently produces the largest amount of CO2 of any energy source per unit of energy used, except in Tasmania where hydro electric power is the predominant source of electricity. Hydropower is used to a lesser extent in some other states, with fossil fuel power stations providing most of the electricity on the Australian mainland.

Renewable energy sources produce no greenhouse gases in operation and reduce or eliminate the need for additional coal fired power stations and large hydro-electric dams.

Natural gas produces only about one third the greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional electricity.

Minimizing demand for energy through conservation and efficiency is the most cost effective means of reducing operational and environmental costs for all home owners and tenants.

Space heating and cooling and water heating account for nearly 63 per cent of household energy use.

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These are great! Here are a few recent posts from this great satirical Tumblr, Unhappy Hipsters:

Sure she was watering a street tree during a statewide drought. But the gate was made of recycled street signs. Carbon footprint: neutral.

(Photo: Randi Berez; Dwell, Dec/Jan 2006)

via Unhappy Hipsters

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As hundreds of thousands of Haitians huddle in the streets after the stunning devastation of last week’s earthquake, caring people across the world are trying to think of ways to help – and this may just be one of the most creative (and realistic) ideas yet.

Designers from South Carolina’s Clemson University think they have just the solution for weatherproof, insect-resistant, fire-proof and structurally sound homes that can be moved and set up faster than anything else: shipping containers.

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I really like these two sites, which sell either plans or kits for very small structures.

Tumbleweed Houses – www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Modern-Shed – www.modern-shed.com/

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The EPA has on its website a handy way to estimate one’s household emissions. Click the following link to access it:

EPA – Household Emissions Calculator

You can use the following online calculator to get a rough “ballpark” estimate of your personal or family’s greenhouse gas emissions and explore the impact of taking various actions to reduce your emissions. Read the rest of this entry »

Anatomy of Your Home Energy Bill and How to Save from greenerchoices.org>

Home heating and cooling: 45 percent

In most households, heating and cooling account for the biggest single chunk of your energy bill. The good news is there are many ways to cut those costs.

Choose energy-efficient furnaces or air conditioners that are the right size for your home.

Properly insulate your home (especially the attic), including the duct system.

Contact your utility company for a free energy audit. If your utility company doesn’t offer free audits, try the do-it-yourself tool, from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Programmable thermostats, insulated windows, and ceiling fans can also help lower your energy bill. A programmable thermostat, for instance, can cut heating and cooling costs as much as 20 percent when you use it to reduce the temperature 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day when heating (or raise it an equal amount when cooling). Watch how we test programmable thermostats and get recommendations on choosing a thermostat (full report available to subscribers).

Hot water: 11 percent

Overall, water-heater technology hasn’t changed much in recent years. There are, however, Read the rest of this entry »

Say no to the supersized TV, EPA hints
by Candace Lombardi

How big is too big when it comes to TV screen size? How much energy does the U.S. gobble up watching television?

If you ask the Environmental Protection Agency, the answers would be (a) anything over 50 inches and (b) about 4 percent of all household electricity.
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