February 10, 2012 - 4:08am
Ann Arbor sustainability forum discusses land use, transportation
BY MOLLY BLOCK
In an effort to improve local sustainability, Ann Arbor business owners, a University professor and city officials held a forum last night to discuss the city’s land use and transportation.
The event was the second installment in a series of four monthly meetings focusing on energy, environment, housing, human resources, planning and park advisory.
Presenters included Joe Grengs, associate professor of urban and regional planning; Ginny Trocchio, project director of the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Program; Eli Cooper, transportation program manager; Susan Pollay, executive director of Downtown Development Authority; city planner Jeff Kahan and Evan Pratt of the Ann Arbor Planning Commission.
During the event, Grengs proposed further development of citywide interaction to promote accessibility.
“It’s a simple two-part recipe,” Grengs said. “First, let’s make accessible places through our transportational infrastructure and through land use policy, and second, let’s let people live and work in those accessible places, which translates to places with high density.”
Cooper encouraged residents to burn calories through biking and walking instead of turning to less sustainable means of transportation such as driving.
“Transportation is a means of accessibility,” Cooper said. “Walking separates Ann Arbor from the rest of the country.”
Pollay said the DDA’s main concern is sustainability, but the organization is also focused on public improvements to strengthen the downtown area and attract new investments, and effective land use.
Additionally, Ann Arbor residents expressed a desire for more parks and other recreational space that urban development would not provide.
Pollay said residents should take note of other open spaces such as sidewalks, which are prevalent even in an urban setting.
“The other secret to urban open space is the landscape that is being put in around the parking lots that will benefit the needs of resident’s dogs and such,” Pollay said.
Residents also raised concerns about bringing retail businesses to the Huron River banks to generate additional revenue for the city. Pratt responded that the city had not yet made a decision on this consideration.
Ann Arbor resident Phil Farber said the topics brought up in the forum were relatable and pertinent.
“I’m a cyclist, and most of professor Grengs’s observations on automobiles’ intentions and work against sustainability’s goals resonated with me,” Farber said. “Cars take up space and push things farther apart.”
Ann Arbor resident Patti McCall said the forum brought light to many sustainability issues she was previously unaware of before.
“I need to start biking to work,” McCall said.
