Urban Green

Moving People and Goods at $200 per Barrel

By Chad Emerson
appearing in the Aug/Sept 2008 issue of FUTURE Montgomery magazine

A funny thing happened the other day. FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I HAVE BEEN PREDICTING THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF INCREASED ENERGY COSTS. WHILE CERTAINLY NOT AN UPLIFTING PARTY TOPIC, THE REALITY IS THAT WE ARE ALL IN THIS PERMANENT ENERGY PROBLEM TOGETHER, SO WE REALLY SHOULD CONSIDER DISCUSSING THE BEST STRATEGIES...

Simply ignoring or rationalizing the problem won’t make it go away any more than ignoring a clotted artery will prevent

Most frustrating of all is the fact that these increased costs are primarily being driven by a simple supply and demand problem (that is, there is much more oil demand than available supply). Oh sure, some other factors may be contributing to the fringes but, no matter how much we want to demonize speculators or OPEC or undrilled sites, they are all just phantom enemies to the real cause: our almost unfettered consumption of oil for the last 50+ years.

Which brings me back to that “funny thing” from the other day. An acquaintance that has been persistent in his opposition to any idea that oil is permanently depleting finally acknowledged the reality that the current energy problems are permanent and, unless we change how we live, will become the source of many more problems in the very near future.

One of the key areas we discussed was the immediate need to change how we move people and products on a local, regional, national, and even international scale. After all, a wide range of experts and commentators from different industries are predicting that we will experience oil at $200 a barrel by 2010, if not sooner.

This will result in a massive change in how we transport things. Gone will be the days of cheap airfare and inexpensive long-haul trucking. Jet fuel and diesel reaching $200 per barrel will make these methods of moving economically unfeasible. Indeed, commercial airlines can barely move people and commercial delivery services like FedEx can barely move packages at the current energy prices. Adding $50 per barrel to the present prices would transform these problems from a fiscal gut punch to an economic knockout blow for many airlines and trucking companies.

Fortunately, despite these looming challenges, the River Region is well-situated for this eventuality. Indeed, several factors place the Montgomery Metro area in a good position to successfully adapt to the ever increasing cost of oil. In this issue, Urban Green examines the possibilities.

Water and Rail Transit in the River Region

Among the major forms of transportation, air travel and motor vehicle travel (especially large trucking efforts) expend significantly more energy per capita than water travel or rail travel. This holds true for transporting both goods and people. Meaning that, as oil prices rise, these increases can be somewhat countered by turning more toward rail and water transit.

Here in the River Region, the prospects are good for such a change. After all, though it requires some dredging (primarily because of non-use), the Alabama River provides access from Montgomery all the way to the Gulf of Mexico through the Port of Mobile. In fact, some water transport infrastructure is currently in place right here in Montgomery.

For instance, when driving along the Northern Boulevard, one notices a sign for the under-utilized State Docks in Montgomery. According to the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, these public docks offer a “100-ton capacity inside a protected barge turning basin.” In addition, barge traffic between the Great Lakes and Montgomery is made possible by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The result is that the River Region is extremely well-positioned for water transportation in an era of diminished air and truck travel.

This also holds true for rail travel. Currently, CSX and Norfolk Southern transport goods via rail in Montgomery. The companies provide north, south, east, and west rail routes to and from the metro area. In addition, as recently as 1995, passenger rail service from Montgomery to Birmingham and Mobile was offered as part of Amtrak’s Gulf Breeze route. Though discontinued for insufficient ridership (according to Amtrak), the tracks remain available to reinstitute the route for commercial passenger service.

Moreover, sources have advised Urban Green that an increasing amount of research is being made into developing passenger rail service that would include connections between Atlanta and Montgomery. This new rail route could utilize both federal and state money to develop a new rail corridor from the eastern seaboard southward past Montgomery. Funds for such a project may come from proposed regional highway projects that may be mothballed in light of increasing oil costs and decreasing motor vehicle travel.

Ultimately, as oil prices rise, Montgomery’s existing rail and water infrastructure, though in need of updates, could certainly continue to move people and packages should long-haul trucking and other forms of transportation become more economically unfeasible.

The Benefits of Shared Transit

While water and rail offer inter-city, inter-state, and even inter-national transportation routes to and from Montgomery, travel within the metro region will also be affected by exorbitant oil prices. For travel within Montgomery’s central business district, advocacy groups continue to work with government entities toward a goal of re-instituting the city’s fixed-rail downtown trolley. Indeed, this project was highlighted in the 2007 Dover, Kohl & Partners Downtown Master Plan as a key action item.

Possibilities also exist in terms of commuter rail. In fact, Urban Green has learned that government officials and private interests have discussed the rail line that currently extends to downtown from the Chantilly Parkway area (passing near EastChase and the Atlanta Highway vicinity along the way). These conversations have involved the feasibility of a park and ride rail system connecting the city’s eastern growth corridor with the central business and governmental district. The discussed scenario involves a system where downtown workers ride a morning/evening express train from East Montgomery to the city center as part of their daily commute.

In addition, Montgomery’s bus system continues to see record ridership levels as gas prices keep increasing. Interestingly, while bus travel unfortunately seems to have the stigma of being primarily a low-income method of transportation, anecdotal evidence indicates that these increased ridership levels include a much broader rider demographic than before. Couple this with the dramatically increased number of routes and mileage served since Bobby Bright was elected Mayor in 1999 and its clear that, among cities of similar sizes, Montgomery’s bus system meets, if not exceeds, comparable systems.

The city is not simply resting on its successes. Instead, according to Ken Groves, Montgomery’s Director of Planning and Development, the bus system is about to become even more user friendly as it seeks to address a common complaint: erratic arrivals and departures.

“Our current major project is the automatic vehicle location system (AVL),” explains Groves. “The AVL will provide real time data on bus arrivals and departures for all stops and the [Downtown] Intermodal [Facility]. It is accessible by internet PDA and cell phone.”

In essence, this system will allow riders to spend less time waiting at bus stops by more accurately providing actual arrival and departure times at those locations.

When you consider all of these varied projects, it becomes clear that the River Region is well-situated to meet the transportation challenges that increased oil prices will present in the very near future. So, if gas prices have you down, consider the bus or, better still, join efforts to advocate for commuter and passenger rail service to and from Alabama’s Capitol City.

Smart Growth Means Going Local

By Chad Emerson
appearing in the June/July 2008 issue of FUTURE Montgomery magazine

With oil prices and energy costs increasing on an almost daily basis, interest continues to grow in sustainable development practices. Yet, while land development strategies garner most of the headlines, there’s another type of smart growth that might end up mattering just as much in the long run—local food production.

This issue URBAN GREEN looks at how buying local food makes smart growth sense in the River Region.

How Far Does Your Salad Travel?

It’s Thursday evening and you’ve just sat down at your favorite restaurant ready to order a scrumptious salad—full of different veggies, fruit, and other toppings. While the salad tastes great, here’s an important question that you might have never considered: how far did those ingredients travel to get to your plate?

Lettuce from California? Fruit from Florida? Maybe even vegetables from another continent. All in all, a pretty common (and far-flung) scenario.

Unfortunately, it’s also one that exemplifies the exact opposite of smart growth. After all, those salad ingredients weren’t magically transported to your plate. Instead, they traveled by oil-intensive trucks and planes to reach their final destination. Indeed, if you track the miles that all the ingredients have traveled, you might be surprised that your salad journeyed over 2,000 miles to make its way to you.

Ultimately, the more you research, the more you realize that this food distribution system is simply unsustainable in a world of permanently-increased energy costs. Fortunately though, local food options offer a healthier and more sustainable solution.

The idea behind this strategy is to buy as much of your food from area farmers and producers. This not only supports the local economy but also reduces the distances that your food has to travel. That, in turn, results in fresher food that consumes less energy to get to your plate.

The good news for Montgomery area residents is that our region is blessed with a climate and topography that supports a wide variety of food production. Recently, we surveyed area producers to find out what can (and cannot) be locally-sourced. What we found were some very encouraging results.

Local Meat Options

You can also encounter the 2,000 mile salad problem when buying your steaks, chicken, and other meat. Frequently, the food placed on your grill traveled thousands of miles to get there. For River Regioners, a great alternative can be found at Boutwell Farms (www.boutwellfarms.com) in Clayton, Alabama. This family farm offers both individual retail products and a “custom harvest” where you can buy an entire animal (or a half share)—an approach that makes for a great investment if you have enough freezer storage. And, in addition to being located within the region, Boutwell Farms also offers health-conscious pasture-fed beef, chicken, and pork.

According to Melissa Boutwell, “we are committed to providing local families with exceptionally high quality foods using sustainable agricultural practices that improve the soil, protect the water table, and enrich the forage of the land we farm. “ A great philosophy and one that, based on the products we sampled for this story, is pulled off with strong success. The steaks, pork, and other options offered a fresher taste than almost any supermarket or restaurant could provide. Plus, the farm works with Auburn University to ensure quality and safety controls.

In the end, if you and your family enjoy meat with your meal, Boutwell Farms offers a local, cost-effective, and healthy option.

Community-Supported Agriculture

For vegetable and fruit-lovers, several area farms have embraced an approach called Community Supported Agriculture (“CSA”). Under this idea, individuals buy a “share” of the farm’s harvest. During the growing season, shareholders receive a portion of whatever fruits or vegetables are available at the time.

Two local farms using this approach are Bolling Bee Farm (www.bollingbee.com) in Jackson’s Gap and B.C. Hunt Farms (www.bchuntfarms.com) in the Prattville area. In addition to produce, Bolling Bee offers local honey production while Hunt raises free range pork and chicken. And, for most of their products, both farms emphasize natural, pesticide-free approaches that promote healthier food production and consumption.

Recently, we sampled each farms various products and found them to, again, taste better and fresher than most options offered by the large, national chains. Plus, even though the products are naturally-grown, buying local makes them very cost competitive because the shipping costs are so much lower.

Local Breads and Grains

If you enjoy artisan baked products (think, scrumptious breads and muffins) as well as locally-ground grain, cornmeal, and flour products, then you can find these locally, too—though with a small caveat. Namely, this area’s soil is not ideal for high-quality wheat products which means that local providers often have to import the actual grain and corn for their offerings.

However, in the case of Oakview Farms Granary (www.oakviewfarms.com) all of the milling and production occurs right on their Wetumpka-area farm. Meaning that, area residents can purchase flour, cornmeal, granola, grits, oatmeal, and other great products to use in their baking. And, like many local food producers, Oakview offers a variety of other food products (such as hydroponic lettuce which allows them to sell fresh lettuce during an extended season).

On the other hand, if you love wheat products but don’t want to do your own baking, one Fitzpatrick-based business is garnering accolades for their “sprouted” goods. Known as “To Your Health: Sprouted Grain Bread” (www.sproutedgrainbread.com), the company focuses on baked goods made with the sprouting process—a historically-used method that, in basic terms, delivers much more health benefits than conventional bread products made by the large, national companies. For the story, we tried their muffins, bread, and crackers and found them so delicious that we’ve already re-ordered several of these local and health-intensive options.

Indeed, according to owner Peggy Sutton, “many of our customers join us for the long-term once they realize how our products combine great taste and health benefits together.” Proof again that, that local products often excel in taste and value.

Getting Started

So, are you hungry yet?

If so, then you can visit each of the websites above to find out more about specific products. And, in most cases, these local food producers offer delivery options and phone or internet orders. Plus, many are regulars at area farmer markets.

In the end, if you’re looking to make your meals healthier and tastier, while embracing the sustainable growth principles of weaning oneself from excessive oil and energy use, then you live in just the right place since the River Region offers a bounty of great “smart growth” food options.

By Chad Emerson
appearing in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of FUTURE Montgomery magazine

REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN AN ARCHITECT LIVED ABOVE HER STUDIO, OR A BANKER ABOVE HIS OFFICE? OR HOW about when the general store owner lived in an apartment behind his shop? Remember these halcyon days?

If not, that’s probably because for much of the last 50 years, most zoning codes have made it illegal to mix an office use with residential use in the same building. Significantly, the cities of the River Region have not been an exception. Indeed, for much of this time, Montgomery and others have found themselves in the very same position: most property owners could not live and work in the same place. An unfortunate fact, since that arrangement makes a great deal of financial sense for many people—especially small business owners.

Why, you ask?

Well, for starters, when you live and work in the same building, that eliminates the expense of owning two different properties. It also cuts down on transportation expenses by eliminating the need to commute to work. All in all, the idea of mixing compatible uses (like residential and office ones) makes great sense on many different levels. Fortunately, by adopting a SmartCode for the downtown master plan area, Montgomery has legalized this arrangement. And, in doing so, has placed the entire central business district in an excellent position to succeed. This issue we’ll look at how.

THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF MIXED USE

The social and financial costs of sprawl development patterns have been well-established with many of these costs centering on the fact that—in a city where all land uses are separated—almost everyone who wants to buy a loaf of bread or gallon of milk must drive from their residential area to a retail area in order to do so. The same holds true for work-life, since most people have to leave their home and drive to a commercial use district to reach their job. Yet, as the costs of gasoline and transportation in general continue to rise, the loaf of bread and commute to work become more and more expensive every day. Recognizing this, the SmartCode legalizes the mixture of compatible uses on the same lot or in the same building—with the key word being “compatible”.Indeed, just like other zoning codes, the SmartCode still requires that heavy industrial or other incompatible uses be separated from residential and most commercial areas. This obviously makes sense from health and safety perspectives.

But, what if a baker decides that she wants to live above her bakery. Is that really something that the city should make illegal? Most reasonable people would agree that the answer is no. Of course, that’s not to say that everyone should be forced to live, work, or shop in the same building. Only that, in more urban areas, they should at least be allowed to do so. A very reasonable request when you consider that for hundreds of years shopowners have lived above and behind their shops to save money and reduce travel time.

Fortunately, this sustainable approach has been legalized in much of downtown Montgomery by the SmartCode (one quick historical note: prior to the SmartCode, Montgomery had adopted a hybrid zoning district that did allow some mixed-use; however, that district was very limited in scope and was more of a temporary makeshift patch than a long-term solution).

This means that projects like the 246 Lofts, Alps Lofts, and the new lofts at 111 S. Court Street can legally lease ground floor space to a coffee shop or office while selling residences on the upper levels. A very sustainable solution for both the city and the individual, as it reduces the amount of car travel which, in turn, lowers congestion and emissions. The SmartCode does this by requiring a mixture of compatible uses in the most urban areas that, by their very nature, are designed for pedestrian traffic as much as the vehicular type. Now, before you think “Well, this won’t work in Montgomery because the city is not big enough or the weather is too hot,” pause and consider the facts.

First, many similarly-sized cities (Little Rock, Arkansas and Knoxville, Tennessee are two recent examples) are finding a strong market for urban mixed-use projects. So much so that, in many cases, the supply cannot keep up with the demand. Significantly though, both of these cities possessed largely “resident-free” downtowns just a few years ago.

Likewise, the sometimes hot and humid weather of Montgomery is not really a barrier to urban mixed-use living that focuses on walkability just as much as driveability. After all, equally hot and humid cities like Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans have proven that people will walk in all types of weather if you make the surroundings interesting and safe, which is exactly what mixing compatible uses will do. It intersperses residential, office, and retail uses in such a way that people can legally walk to work or to the corner store directly from their home.

This is precisely why the Downtown Montgomery SmartCode has been called an important piece in the overall solution to sprawl.

Urban Green

Here Comes Hampstead

by Chad Emerson
appearing in the Feb/Mar 2008 issue of FUTURE Montgomery

For many River Region residents, the perfect beach vacation involves a trip to Gulf Coast hotspots like Seaside, Rosemary Beach or Alys Beach. The mixture of convenient uses combined with interesting architecture and a relaxed, walking atmosphere make these new towns extremely popular with locals.

Soon though, you won’t have to drive to the beach to enjoy such benefits, as the firm who designed Seaside—the awarding winning Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ)—will debut its first, and only, River Region community.

The project, called Hampstead, will open its initial buildings and residences in 2008, following two years of planning by some of the country’s best architects, designers, and engineers. Like DPZ’s Gulf Coast projects, Hampstead embraces the concept of mixing compatible uses in an interesting, safe, and walkable setting. This month, we take an inside look at Hampstead with two of the town’s founders, Anna Lowder and Harvi Sahota.

Located on Taylor Road between Vaughn Road and Troy Highway, Hampstead is conveniently situated on Montgomery’s rapidly growing eastside. Of course, that’s merely a fringe benefit when you consider that the project was designed from scratch to offer residents and visitors plenty of opportunities to walk and bike to a variety of neighborhood locations.

Indeed, early plans for this 400-acre project call for three separate phases, each comprised of a mix of single family detached houses, live-work units, and a host of useful amenities.

As Harvi Sahota explains, “we designed the project so that everyone can easily walk throughout the community and enjoy all types of conveniences.” According to Sahota, these amenities range from expansive park space to Hampstead Farms, a unique agricultural project that will combine small, individual plots for residents with a larger community farm. This environmentally-friendly feature will even provide produce for the project’s planned restaurants and market, several of which will open as part of the first phase premiere in Fall 2008. Early plans include everything from a casual bistro to fine dining.

Around the same time, the project will debut roughly 80,000 square feet of office and retail space. However, while large in size, the office space (like the rest of Hampstead) avoids the “big box” feel by incorporating the office units into a pedestrian-friendly design that includes plenty of parking (often located behind the buildings for convenience). In fact, over 60% of Hampstead’s commercial space is already leased, indicating significant demand for mixed-use office and retail in Montgomery. Other planned retail outlets include boutiques, a neighborhood market, banks, restaurants, a coffee shop, pub, and workout facilities, all within an easy walk from the residential areas.

While having a vibrant town center will be one of Hampstead’s major features, the diversity of its residential offerings will be another key advantage. Unlike many projects that take a cookie-cutter approach to residential design, Hampstead adopted a strategy of providing numerous different options, ranging from smaller townhomes and cottages to larger traditional houses. There are even a few estate lots sprinkled in for good measure.

Anna Lowder notes that this variety was intentional “as it provides viable options for all types of living, from the more urban attached units to private courtyard and cottage-style homes.” Of course, for any new community, pricing is always a key question with prospective residents. On this point, Lowder explains that Hampstead will start the smaller units in the $100,000’s with a host of competitively-priced homes in the $200,000 and $300,000 range. For those interested in the super-luxe life, a small group of custom estate homes priced in the million dollar range will be available.

In each case, the residences will incorporate classic architecture with the advantages of new construction, including energy-efficient design and modern technology wired into every home. Ultimately, buyers in Hampstead will enjoy a unique opportunity for new construction — the ability to walk to a neighborhood market or café while still enjoying the privacy of the residential setting. This means that on any given day, Hampstead residents will be able to park their cars and still eat out for lunch or workout at a family-friendly gym.

The developers of Hampstead hired DPZ to design the master plan in August 2005. As DPZ principal Andres Duany explains, the project offered a unique opportunity to create a new community near an existing high-quality retail core. Additionally, using such a large site meant that DPZ and the planning team were able to reserve space for an elementary school, several church sites and a large lake. Indeed, even at this early stage, Hampstead is beginning to garner national interest from Smart Growth proponents.

With other New Urban projects like The Waters in Pike Road moving forward, the 2008 opening of Hampstead will continue to enhance the River Region’s reputation as a hub for sustainable growth efforts.

Chad Emerson teaches at Faulkner’s Jones School of Law, while researching, writing, teaching and blogging on all things smart growth and new urban related. He lives at the Waters with his wife, Betsy, and their three sons. They enjoy their T4 lives, walking to the Y and the corner store almost every day.