Letters: A Letter to Commissioner Rory Reid

Commissioner Reid:

Thank you for your service on the County Commission. I am not in your district but I am grateful for your efforts to improve the valley as a whole.

After hearing you speak on State of Nevada last night I wanted to share with you some excellent questions I’ve read regarding success as a community in terms of environmental and social sustainability.

These selected questions, bulleted below, come from architect Dan Williams’ focus on community measures in the AIA’s Roundtable on Sustainable Design III: Measures of Sustainability.

• How much energy is used to provide your water needs?
• What natural amenities have you created in the acquisition, distribution, cleaning, or disposal of water?

We need to act more aggressively to maintain our water security in the future. The county and the commission addresses this issue, but I would like to see additional effort brought to bear in minimizing the impact of new development. Providing additional water service and treating additional waste should occur when a clear and substantial benefit to the community is present. Density could minimize these impacts. I’d also like to see better integration between county services when cost savings and mutual benefit can be realized.

• To what extent is the community protected from natural disasters and/or designed to mitigate damage from disasters?
• What post-disaster planning has been done, and how well does a rebuilding plan take advantage of opportunities for greater sustainability?

We need plans for major disruptions: natural, industrial, economic, as well as for terrorism. On this anniversary of September 11^th, we must remember the towers falling; remember the feeling in the pits of our stomachs, and the feeling of what’s next. We have also seen cities like New Orleans emptied by hurricanes and Detroit emptied by a narrow scope of investment. Please consider diversifying our economy and decentralizing our infrastructure in an effort to make the systems we rely on for our daily life more robust and survivable.

Nevadans choose to be self-reliant and independent. Help us maintain this choice in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sincerely,

Paul Cline, AIA

CC:     David Berns
          makingprojects.blogspot.com

Paul Cline, AIA is an architect and builder in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a member of the Young Architects Forum Advisory Committee and writes on issues of community, sustainability, and innovation in design and construction.

Letters: A Letter to Brian Greenspun, Editor of the Las Vegas Sun

Dear Brian Greenspun,

The word sustainable has gained legs in the last few years. It's no longer on the fringe. Television networks attempt to showcase their sustainable credentials with green content and green logos. And the construction industry is poised to reach a tipping point in building energy efficient, sustainable buildings.

What should we think of when we hear 'sustainability'?

Behaviors that work for generations. Imagine all of us behaving like we do now for several generations and try to understand the results of our actions on our descendants. In a sustainable future, the quality of life for our children and grandchildren improves, and a sustainable practice is one that can be utilized every day, week, and year to get us there.

Many policies crucial to our quality of life are not sustainable. Oil production is peaking as the demand for energy skyrockets. Education is in decline while fewer jobs are being created. Political candidates spend more and more money to get the attention of fewer and fewer voters.

At all levels of government we ignore our duty to the future.

We must consistently make more sustainable decisions and look farther than the next election. For a moment, look at the issues you believe in through the lens of sustainability. Of course, we will bring our politics to sustainability and we can expect to disagree about things, but when we evaluate our own solutions if they cannot be sustained let's keep looking for better answers.

All the best,

Paul Cline, AIA

Paul Cline, AIA is an architect and builder in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a member of the Young Architects Forum Advisory Committee and writes on issues of community, sustainability, and innovation in design and construction.

Letters: A Letter to Mrs. Mary Beth Scow, President of the Clark County School District's Board of Trustees.

Mrs. Scow,
Thank you for your service on the school board. As a graduate of CCSD schools I have a lot of respect and thanks for the board's work.

I wanted to write you a quick email to express something that crosses my mind occasionally.

I am disappointed by the lack of planning and poor use of resources when I find a county school adjacent to a county park. I realize that schools must be a safe place for students but there must be a better solution.

When the district is planning and designing schools please encourage better integration into the neighborhoods and community resources in the school's area. I feel that this type of integration not only reduces the tax burden for infrastructure and buildings but also improves the quality of life and the quality of services.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts you have to share on the subject.

All the best,

Paul Cline, AIA

PS: Please indicate if I may post your response to my blog. If you'd like you can respond at my blog.

CC:http://makingprojects.blogspot.com/

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