Wild Card Blog Part Two - Wildfires Ravaging Texas

   Amidst an onslaught of headlines pertaining to the national budget and debt ceiling debate, it is important to observe the other happenings across the country (as well as the world).  Recent weeks have seen Texas battling dozens of wildfires across the state.

Wildfire threatening a home in Strawn, Texas, earlier this week.

Thus far, the wildfires have burned over 1.8 million acres, destroying hundreds of homes in their wake.  It has been reported that the state forest service is fighting fires all the way from the Louisiana border to the mountains of West Texas, a distance of more than 500 miles.

A herd of cattle runs from a wildfire near Marfa, Texas.

Last Monday, Governor Rick Perry asked for federal aid in containing the fires that have claimed two lives. In addition, Gov. Perry issued a proclamation on Thursday declaring this holiday weekend as "Days of Prayer for Rain".

The proclamation reads:

WHEREAS, throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer; it seems right and fitting that the people of Texas should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this devastating drought and these dangerous wildfires;

I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal and robust way of life.

Although this may not prove to be as effective as a fire retardant slurry dropped from an emergency plane, it is the best that the Gov. Perry can offer, and I can appreciate his attempt at unifying those in his state and around the country in the face of this crisis.

Emergency crews drop fire retardant on a wildfire as it approaches a home near Stawn, Texas.

It is also important to understand this event from an ecological standpoint. With wildfires on this scale, food sources for many species of animals are destroyed. In addition, the availability of water and moisture needed for wildlife can be severely reduced as a result of a widespread fire. The loss of shelter to wildlife is also of critical concern.

A prairie racer snake finds little food in an area consumed by the on-going wildfires in Texas.

The Big Dig

  The Big Dig in Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized as the "largest, most complex, and technologically challenging highway project in the United States" (1). Officially named the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, this enormous endeavor, costing around $14 billion, "replaced Boston's deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery (I-93) with an eight-to-ten lane state-of-the-art underground highway, two new bridges over the Charles River, extended I-90 to Boston's Logan International Airport, and Route 1A, created more than 300 acres of open land and reconnected downtown Boston to the waterfront" (1). The plan for this project was conceived in 1970, but official planning did not begin until 1982.  Substantial completion was reached January 13, 2006. 

   It can definitely be said that the Big Dig project cost an extremely high amount of money, yet its impact so far shows its value, writes financial analyst Nicole Gelanis.  She relates, "Travel time through downtown at afternoon rush hour is down from nearly 20 minutes to less than three, consistent with pre-construction estimates. Elsewhere on the underground highways, travel times are between one-quarter and two-thirds shorter; average speeds in some sections have shot from ten miles per hour to 43 (speed, rather than drivers’ veering toward too many exits in slow traffic, is the tunnels’ biggest safety problem)" (2). In addition, "airport trips are between one-half and three-quarters shorter. A 62 percent drop in hours spent on the new roads saves nearly $200 million annually in time and fuel" (2).  

   The Big Dig has proven to bring other benefits, as well. Gelanis writes, "Investors and residents are reacting positively to the infrastructure improvement" (2). She states, "commercial properties along the old Artery increased in value by 79 percent in 15 years, nearly double the citywide increase of 41 percent. Owners have reconfigured buildings to open views where they once bricked up windows, and are renovating property in other newly accessible parts of Boston" (2).  Commercial and residential prices are also predicted to rise as "tourists and well-heeled potential residents once put off by the physical and psychological barrier now happily wander over from other parts of the city" (2).

Sources: 1.  http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway/bigdig/bigdigmain.aspx
                   2. http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_4_big_dig.html

Modern U.S. Cities - The Present and Future

   To start off this blog post, I would like to focus on the specific policy framework my ideal city would utilize in achieving sustainable growth and economic viability.  I am a very avid supporter of smart growth policies that would enhance the sustainability and efficiency of an urban center.  In addition, these policies would combat the inexorable, often-harmful force of urban sprawl.

Urban sprawl in Florida

Smart growth can be defined as a "policy framework that promotes an urban development pattern characterized by high population density, walkable and bikeable neighborhoods, preserved green spaces, available mass transit, and limited road construction" (1853).

Besides the positive implications for conservation of natural areas, smart growth has many potential health benefits, such as "diminished air pollution, fewer motor vehicle accidents, lower pedestrian mortality, and increased physical exercise" (1853).  In being confronted with the "considerable evidence that urban sprawl has adverse environmental impacts and contributes to a variety of health problems - including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease" - one must understand that smart growth is a viable policy framework that will sustainably provide a city the services and needs that a growing urban population demands.
Source: Dr. David B. Resnik: "Urban Sprawl, Smart Growth, and Deliberative Democracy" 

Addison Circle, Dallas, Texas - Example of Smart Growth

"Good" City - Seattle

Seattle's newest public light rail system in action

Seattle seems to be one of the most, if not the top, environmentally minded big cities in America.  It has very recently begun a light rail system within the city that will further be expanded in the coming years. This light rail system may also serve as an example to other cities around the country.  However, this is just one of many smart growth aspects that places Seattle into my "good" city distinction.

"Bad" City - Atlanta (pertaining to urban sprawl)

West Atlanta metropolitan area - Douglas County

In relation to urban sprawl, Atlanta has experienced an unimaginable growth of its surrounding metropolitan area.  Its sprawl has nearly connected the city with the sprawl of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  It is important to note that while around 500,000 Atlantans live in the city proper, there are almost 5.5 million people sprawled into the eight-county metropolitan area.