Post by 2cents on Mar 13, 2007 20:10:00 GMT -8
The San Gabriel Valley has gone through many changes the last couple hundred years. It used to be home to local Indian tribes, then it was developed into agriculture and farms, and then developed into suburbs. And the Valley is still going through changes. I think that we are way past the stage of affordable housing on large lots. We cannot go back to those times.
How these changes are made and what type of changes that are made are controversial. In trying to determine the best direction for the Valley, it is important to consider what the future holds. Life is not static, it is in a constant state of change. Just because we grew up with the valley being a certain way does not mean that the valley must remain the same. Even if we wanted it to stay the same, it will not. Things usually get better or worse.
We are coming to the end of cheap oil. Cheap energy will not be as readily available as many of us have always assumed that it would be. Many countries are hitting what is called ‘peak oil’. In fact, some feel that Saudi Arabia has already hit the peak. There current production is down 9 percent this year. They have made excuses this year to justify the decrease but there is only so long that people will believe it. Some feel that the media will finally start to pick this up next year. With the costs of transportation and goods increasing, it is important to design our cities so that people will need to travel less by making them more pedestrian friendly. Have more people work near where they live. Develop more mass transit options. This is one of the reasons why we are seeing more multi-use developments. We should look into the possibility of redeveloping areas that have already been developed into places that will work with the energy issues that we will be forced to deal with in the near future. Building farther and farther out is not a good thing environmentally or efficient energy wise. And building more and more in the desert will result in more energy wasted and make energy costs rise even more. It is better to build up than out, while protecting green spaces and increasing space for community gardens. Our transportation infrastructure needs to be improved to handle more people and make it run more smoothly. This will be expensive but it is necessary to improve the quality of life in the valley while trying to be a more energy efficient society.
I understand that some people would like things to stay the same. But it really is not realistic and it is really dangerous to ignore the changes that are going on. It would be better for us to plan now to deal with the issues that we know are coming rather than wishing that we could live in the past.
The studies show that the population of California will continue to increase. We can't just say....not in my backyard. If we just ignore it, we will just end up with bigger transportation problems and quality of life issues. We have to be realistic in how we grow and where we grow. And it is important that our infrastructure is ready for these changes.
How these changes are made and what type of changes that are made are controversial. In trying to determine the best direction for the Valley, it is important to consider what the future holds. Life is not static, it is in a constant state of change. Just because we grew up with the valley being a certain way does not mean that the valley must remain the same. Even if we wanted it to stay the same, it will not. Things usually get better or worse.
We are coming to the end of cheap oil. Cheap energy will not be as readily available as many of us have always assumed that it would be. Many countries are hitting what is called ‘peak oil’. In fact, some feel that Saudi Arabia has already hit the peak. There current production is down 9 percent this year. They have made excuses this year to justify the decrease but there is only so long that people will believe it. Some feel that the media will finally start to pick this up next year. With the costs of transportation and goods increasing, it is important to design our cities so that people will need to travel less by making them more pedestrian friendly. Have more people work near where they live. Develop more mass transit options. This is one of the reasons why we are seeing more multi-use developments. We should look into the possibility of redeveloping areas that have already been developed into places that will work with the energy issues that we will be forced to deal with in the near future. Building farther and farther out is not a good thing environmentally or efficient energy wise. And building more and more in the desert will result in more energy wasted and make energy costs rise even more. It is better to build up than out, while protecting green spaces and increasing space for community gardens. Our transportation infrastructure needs to be improved to handle more people and make it run more smoothly. This will be expensive but it is necessary to improve the quality of life in the valley while trying to be a more energy efficient society.
I understand that some people would like things to stay the same. But it really is not realistic and it is really dangerous to ignore the changes that are going on. It would be better for us to plan now to deal with the issues that we know are coming rather than wishing that we could live in the past.
The studies show that the population of California will continue to increase. We can't just say....not in my backyard. If we just ignore it, we will just end up with bigger transportation problems and quality of life issues. We have to be realistic in how we grow and where we grow. And it is important that our infrastructure is ready for these changes.
