Could Greeley Colorado Go Green?

It ain't easy being green. A lot of the community around me is more red than green. More like a boiled Kermit than a green one. Thus far, I don't hear a lot of serious talk about changing things from the top down in Greeley. For that matter I don't hear it on the street yet either. It takes a community to start a conversation. It takes leadership to create one.

Engaging in some behind the scenes research I thought I'd post these topics below on concepts to think about that fall under sustainable community design. In fact the topics, if you follow the link, are being sourced by a sustainable communities conference coming up in Southern Carolina in a few weeks. It would be nice to see Greeley Council members video attend this conference if that is possible. There are a lot of key points for job development and community planning. In particular I thought it was interesting the amount of companies advertising their sustainable green products on this web site. From Office Furniture to Flooring to HP Workstations.

Years ago I worked on a feasibility study for the timber industry to construct a sustainable harvest management standard for the industry. It is nice to see the progressive use of new materials in the sector. Still I like real wood and I tend to look for local craftspeople who use recycled wood in their projects. That is for home use of course. A lot of these companies are looking for large industrial grade uses like HP.

CALL FOR PAPERS: 48th International Making Cities Livable Conference- 8/3/2009 5:25:00 PM - Building Design & Construction

Paper topics include:

Healthy cities
Health and the built environment. Urban planning for physical and social health. Place-based strategies for healthy living.
Child-friendly communities
Walkable, bikable streets. Making nature and community accessible for children. Neighborhood design for children’s independent mobility.
Nature in the urban environment
Designing and restoring nature classrooms, natural playgrounds, gardens, parks, wild and incidental nature. Restoring biodiversity.
Rebuilding place-based community
Facilitating community through land use and urban design.
Public places for social life and civic engagement
Designing and reviving town squares for community social life. Civic plazas to support civic engagement. Beauty and amenity to generate well-being.
Mixed-use urban fabric
New neighborhoods with mixed-use fabric. Urban regeneration through mixed-use infill and restoration. New designs for human scale multifamily mixed-use.
Community participation
Children and youth participate in public art, neighborhood improvement, restoring nature. Social consequences: building skills and self confidence, cross-generational networks, etc.
Urban villages and towns
Designing complete towns. Transforming suburban malls into mixed-use town centers. Creating transit oriented urban villages.
Traditional architecture and town planning
New traditional urban fabric. Historical models. Regional architecture and identity. Can we learn from Europe?

Green buildings, green neighborhoods
Sustainable land-use planning and urban design. Sustainable community development. Green buildings and health.
Innovative teaching models
Teaching public health and planning. Human aspects of architecture & urban design.