Here’s a positive use of vacant land: a developer has created two community gardens on his downtown Vancouver property that is not yet, but will later be, under construction.  That’s much better, of course, than just leaving desiccated land to sit for years, but I do wonder how upset the gardeners will be when the [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on January 6th, 2009 | No Comments »

You can actually SEE it happen on this amazing map put together by the people at FlowingData.  It’s definitely worth a look.  And in case you’re curious, after watching that video, how many stores are in our area (that is, between Mt. Pleasant and Goose Creek/Moncks Corner), it’s 11.
I came across this while looking for [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on January 6th, 2009 | No Comments »

The NY Times published yet another insightful and clear-voiced editorial promoting mass transit in the next administration: A Pitch for Mass Transit. Also take a look at This Old House, an opinion piece by David Brooks about the potential for Obama’s infrastructure plan to encourage urbanist and sustainable growth, instead of just going along with [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on January 6th, 2009 | No Comments »

While there are, of course, far more than 5 TNDs (traditional neighborhood developments) in the Southeastern U.S. that are innovative and interesting enough to keep a close eye on, these are the five that have most attracted my notice:
1.  Davidson, NC.  Ok, this isn’t actually a TND – it’s a whole entire town, which is [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability, Videos & Photos on December 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

The Trust for Public Land, which has done wonderful work all over the Charleston region, recently published a coffee table book detailing the planning history of Park Circle from the original vision in the early 20th century, to today.  Check out their blog post, and buy the book here!

Filed under: I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Sounds like fun even if you have no idea what it means, right?  Well, I discovered carrotmobbing randomly on the CoolTown Studios blog, and it turns out that it’s an extremely innovative method of helping businesses to become more sustainable or socially responsible.

See for yourself with this video and post, and then head over to [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Crowdsourcing,  in which a group of people perform a task (often for free) usually undertaken by a single professional, seems to be the next big thing in placemaking.  CoolTown Studios is an informative, lively blog devoted to crowdsourcing for creatives – not only artists, writer, filmmakers, etc., but  cultural creatives: the people who, through education, [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on December 29th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

You know what this means – the exhaust smells like coffee.  Plus  we have yet another source of environmentally friendly fuel for our insatiable energy-guzzling lifestyles.  Check out this article from the NY Times about a group of scientists who’ve come up with a way to make biodiesel from used coffee grounds.  I wonder if [...]

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on December 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

The Post and Courier reported on Thursday, Dec. 18 that the Johns Island toll road is unlikely, although they’re still considering a road that would span part of the island.  Also, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, the P&C had an article about the 526 expansion – fortunately, they’re still weighing alternatives to the mega-highway idea that [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on December 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

Ryan Bowen is biking across the country, from LA to DC on a journey called “Biking for Obama.”  He’s got a great blog, complete with a photo gallery documenting his trip.  Ryan will arrive in DC on Jan. 20 for this most monumental inauguration: in my humble opinion, it’s the most historic since George Washington’s.
It’s [...]

Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability on December 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »