Redevelopment Economics

In the News:

• Coralville, IA brownfields project becomes fodder for right wing attacks; The Daily Show has great fun when right wing candidates get trounced.  Read more...
  
• Atlantic Cities - How Dogs Saved an LA Neighborhood
• Mayor enforces bike lane by crushing cars with tank (link to youtube)
• Las Vegas - Strategy for Economic Diversification 

Personal Anecdotes:

Brewers Hill – Creative Reuse of Grey Water

In 2005, I served on the Baltimore City Green Buildings Task Force.  While waiting for the meeting to start, I was sharing what I thought was a creative urban solution to meeting stormwater regulations.  The Brewer’s Hill project in East Baltimore (reuse of former National Brewery) was planned as a dense mixed use project, and there was little room for a large stormwater pond.  One of the buildings on the low side of the site had a large grain vat in the basement.  The stormwater solution was to channel the stormwater into the grain vat, let the sediments settle out and then discharge to the stormwater system.  I explained this to the Task Force, but when I got to the “and discharge to the …” part of the story, Kim Schaefer with Terra Logos interrupted me and said, “and then they send it back up to the Brewery for their winter bock beer.”  

Skewering the Planning, Economic Development, and Political Landscape

The Economic Impact of the Gun Industry in Maryland

Ode to Mimi DiPietro - Baltimore's colorful Councilman and Master in Service to the English Language 

David Barry on the Red and Blue States

Politics and Economics in Plain Language

Save the Iowa Rain Forest

New Chemical Discovered - Governmentium 

Architectural Digest - Pomposity Exposed

Favorite Quotes from and about Politicians

Former President, George H. W. Bush, On Watergate.  Former President Bush recounts a story about when, in the middle of the Watergate affair, he took the helm as Chairman of the Republican National Committee.  Of course, damage control was the order of the day.  Shortly after starting he got a call from Bob Straus, then Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.  Straus was commenting on what a tough job Bush faced and said “it’s a little like making love to a Gorilla.”  Bush didn’t follow – he said, “How so?”  Straus said, “Well it’s like making love to a Gorilla, because you can’t stop till the Gorilla wants to stop.” (Paraphrased from an interview on National Public Radio, “All Things Considered.” www.npr.org)

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson on J. Edgar Hoover.  In considering whether to renominate Hoover to continue directing the FBI, “Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.”

The cartoonists dilemma.  “When I go into the voting booth, do I vote for the person who’ll make the best president?  Or the slime bucket who’ll make my life as a cartoonist WONDERFUL???” -- Mike Peters, political cartoonist

Nancy Astor and Winston Churchill.  Astor - “Winston, if you were my husband, I would flavor your coffee with poison.”  Churchill– “Madam, if I were your husband I should drink it.”

“Elephant" – a mouse built to government specifications.” -- Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love



 Brewer's Hill Reusing Grey Water?

 Kids Reveal the Underlying Principles of Planning and Politics:

Daniel, age 3 analyzes traffic congestion: Dad, muttering about being stuck in traffic - "I wonder why there is so much traffic out today?"  Daniel - "Daddy, I know.  It's because all the cars got unparked." (Ev, Baltimore)

Emmy, age 5, comments on the land use compatability.  While drinving by a cemetary, she  says, "Oh, that's nice for the people who live accross the street.  That way, if someone dies, they can just throw them over the fence." (Brent F, Baltimore)

Jack, age 9, on "Flushing Democrats." Dad, trying to explain his Election Day job to his 9-year old son, Jack: “My job was to flush the democrats.”  Jack: “What’s that mean?”  Dad: “Well that meant I helped ‘flush’ the democrats out of their houses and get them to the polls.”  Jack - “Well, what do the Republicans get, swirlies?" (Jim F, Baltimore)

Mackenzie, age 4, On Habitats for Fish.   I’m with Mackenzie (age 4), driving by Lake Montebello, and Mackenzie volunteers: “You know it’s really nice for all the fishes that there are lakes and rivers, because, you know, if there weren’t any lakes and rivers, the fish would have to travel all over the world looking for wet grass.” (Ev, Baltimore)

Mackenzie, Age 3, on Statues.  We are visiting Federal Hill Park and I'm reading the inscription on the statue of Major Samuel Smith, war heror, to Mackenzie.  I guess his heroics were a little over her head - Mackenzie asks me: "Daddy, how do people become statues?"   

Do you have stories, anecdotes, or kids' quotes that you would like to offer up for this page?  Send me an e-mail - ev@redevelopmenteconomics.com.