Back from the ASLA conference

Wow, the American Society of Landscape Architects put on quite a show this weekend at their annual conference, this year held in good ole' San Francisco. We saw some good stuff, some boring stuff and everything in between. The early bird special for students of $140, which went up to $285 in August was a tough pill to swallow, but it was a great experience and worthwhile especially it was only a three and a half hour drive.

Bikes are transportation, right?

In an August 15th PBS interview, the head of the Department of Transportation, Secretary Mary Peters answered a question about inappropriate uses of DOT funds and included bike paths in with the "current spending that is going to projects that really are not transportation." Last time I checked, everyone agreed that safer, dedicated bike routes would encourage people to use bikes for daily transportation needs. I think this is part of a "big business" conspiracy to phase out transportation options that threated the auto industry. I personally think DOT funds should be used to encourage "transit oriented development" where dwellings and workplaces are closer together so mass transit, bikes, and walking are feasible options, even in smaller communities. think garden cities or pre-auto suburbs.