Arbor Update

Local

Global Place: Practice, Politics, and the Polis

Posted by Juliew on 4. January 2007

“

Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Centennial Conference
JANUARY 4–6
Rackham Auditorium and the BSRB (Pringle) Auditorium
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Global Place: Practice, Politics, and the Polis, the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning’s centennial conference, will bring together two dozen renowned architects, urban planners, researchers and scholars from around the world. They will address questions and opportunities that architecture and planning face in an increasingly urbanized, media-driven and commoditized world.

A century ago, the planet was primarily rural; today it is half urban; and in twenty-five years it will be predominately urban. What does this mean for the design, production, sustainability and experience of our buildings and cities? For the sense of community and place?

The two-day interdisciplinary symposium kicks off on January 4 at 5:00pm with a high-octane panel of distinguished guests, including Homi Bhabha, Charles Correa, Kenneth Frampton, Liane LeFaivre, Saskia Sassen and Michael Sorkin at Rackham Auditorium.

The following two days (in the Biomedical Science Research Building (Pringle) Auditorium) will focus on global politics and practice, including presentations by Susan Fainstein, Ken Yeang, Teddy Cruz, Dan Solomon, Marilyn Taylor, Bish Sanyal, John Habraken, Arif Hasan, and Philip Enquist. Other sessions will focus on global cities and on sustainability and technological issues, with talks by David Orr, John Thackara, Anthony Townsend, Anne Spirn, Anne Vernez Moudon and Alex Wall.

This conference will also be available via streaming video.

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Local

Planning Commission: Capital Improvements

Posted by Juliew on 2. January 2007

Thursday, January 4 at 7:00 pm.
Planning Commission Agenda

Highlights:

• Capital Improvements Public Hearing The CIP details the City’s anticipated major capital projects for the next six fiscal years and provides the basis for the City’s capital improvement budget for the next two fiscal years. Upon adoption by the City Planning Commission, the CIP becomes a supporting document for the City’s master plan. The CIP is also used as the source document for the City’s capital budget planning.
• Plymouth Road and Platt Road Planned Project Public Hearings.
• 922 Church Street Apartments Site Plan. A proposal to construct a three-story, four-unit (total of 24 bedrooms) apartment building and six parking spaces.
• Georgetown Commons Rezoning and Site Plan, 6.52 acres, 2502-2568 Packard Road. A proposal to demolish the existing structures and to construct a total of 91,700 square feet of retail space in five buildings with 296 parking spaces (tabled at 9/19/06 meeting).

Note: the next City Council meeting will be Monday, January 8.

Comment [3]

Local

live bus status from the AATA

Posted by Bruce Fields on 30. December 2006

Scott has the scoop:

They have released a way to track the buses from the AATA website. You choose a route and AATA tells you the most recent timepoint, the status (behind or ahead of schedule), and the next timpoint, for both ingoing and outgoing buses.

See the full article for more details and a Q&A with the AATA’s IT manager.

Comment [8]

Local

Sheriff sues county (again)

Posted by Bruce Fields on 30. December 2006

From the Ann Arbor News:

Washtenaw County Sheriff Dan Minzey filed his second lawsuit of the year against the county Friday, this time suing for its handling of chronic jail overcrowding.

The suit, which names the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and County Administrator Bob Guenzel as defendants, charges that the facility remains in a near-permanent state of overcrowding because the county won’t expand the jail with reserve funds. He also said the county has halted his ability to send inmates to other jails in nearby counties.

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Local

Peace Groups to mourn 3,000th U.S. death

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 28. December 2006

We’ve almost reached that sad milestone of 3,000 U.S. military casualties in Iraq.

Several local peace groups think that is 3,000 too many, so they are organizing a candlelight vigil to mourn the American, Iraqi, and other deaths in Iraq.

Michigan Peaceworks, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, and Military Families Speak Out are organizing the vigil for the day after the 3000th U.S. troop death Tuesday, January 2 on the U.M. Diag from 6 to 6:45 p.m.

With the death of Marine Lance Cpl. William Craig Koprince, there have been 122nd member of the U.S. Armed Forces with known Michigan ties to lose their life in the Iraq War.

Comment [13]

Technology

Name that ArborWiki!

Posted by Murph on 28. December 2006

ArborWiki is a collaborative local information site that originated in Community High a little over a year ago. The site has approximately 1,000 articles at this point, and some of the maintainers have suggested that a name change / “rebranding” might help clarify the site’s purpose to the average reader. There are two aspects to the naming question, and, in good wiki fashion, nominations and discussion are requested.

• Geographically: ArborWiki has covered more turf than just Ann Arbor from the start, including information on area farms and, since YpsiWiki was merged into ArborWiki, an extensive selection of Ypsilanti-centric pages. With ArborWiki covering a wider area than Ann Arbor, a more general – but still local – name could be considered.

• Technically: “wiki” is still hardly a common word, and may not contribute much to the casual reader about the site. A site name that wasn’t based on the word “wiki” may provide more of a clue about the site’s content.

With ArborUpdate’s readership seen as a knowledgeable, locally invested (and easily flatterable) group of stakeholders, the question is put to you: what should ArborWiki be called?

Comment [18]

Prop 2 delayed

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 19. December 2006

This just in, the Michigan Daily and Ann Arbor News report that a federal judge has delayed implementation of Prop 2 until July.

But, what happens after July? Will the U be able to maintain programs like WISE—Women in Science and Engineering? Will they implement a program to accept the top X% of high school grads in Michigan (to make our segregated school system a proxy for race)? Will they explore class-based affirmative action?

Comment [10]

Events

Saturday in Ypsilanti: Mittenfest

Posted by Brandon on 18. December 2006

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City Council

City Council: Approval Edition

Posted by Juliew on 18. December 2006

Monday, December 18 at 7:00 pm.
City Council Agenda

Highlights:

• Resolution to Approve Non-motorized Transportation Plan
• Resolution to Approve Contract for the Greenbelt and Parkland Acquisition Millage Program
• Resolution to Authorize Renewal of Lease for 40 Apartments at Tuscan Creek Apartments for former Y residents.
• Resolution to Approve Housing Rehabilitation Agreement, Housing Affordability Agreement, Mortgage, Note and Subordination Agreement with Parkhurst Apartments Affordable Housing.

Planning Commission
Tuesday, December 19 at 7:00 pm.
Planning Commission Agenda

Highlights:

• Public Hearing and Action on Bandemer Ridge–Elks Lodge Planned Project Site Plan and Special Exception Use, 2.49 acres, 220 Sunset Road. A proposal to construct a 85,227-square foot, four-story, 37-unit residential condominium building, with 72 parking spaces (53 garage spaces) and a new 4,752-square foot, two-story Elks Lodge building with 38 parking spaces.
• Public Hearing and Action on 922 Church Street Apartments Site Plan, 0.22 acre. A proposal to construct an 11,132-square foot, three-story, four-unit (total of 24 bedrooms) apartment building and six parking spaces.

Comment [15]

Local

Truth, Stockings, and Peace Weekend

Posted by Juliew on 16. December 2006

A reader writes:

This Saturday, December 16, thousands of us will get together in living rooms around the country, watch the blockbuster documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and press Congress to take action to solve our climate crisis. Immediately following the screenings, Al Gore will speak to all the participants and answer questions on a conference call. Click here to find a house party near you.

Ypsidixit writes:

Ypsilanti Depot Town Event:“Stuff Your Stocking Night”
Sunday, December 17, 4-6 p.m.

Get a stocking for $2 from Café Luwak at 42 E. Cross St. and fill it with lovely items from nine nearby Depot Town stores: Christmas ornaments, old-timey candy, mini-maracas, Ypsi-themed notecards, and organic treats; all under $5! You’ll leave with a finished, gift-wrapped stocking ready to give to family or friend. We’ll gift-wrap your choices for free! There’s free parking too, in the adjacent Farmer’s Market lot, and plenty of Depot Town cafes and bars for refreshments.

We’re partnering with SOS Community Services. If you’ve already finished your family stockings, and instead would like to make a stocking for a child served by SOS, you can! We’ll even deliver your stocking to SOS. Short on time? Make a $10 donation and we’ll make a stocking for you, and donate it to SOS. “Stuff Your Stocking Night” is a non-profit event, with all proceeds going to SOS.

Wrap up the weekend by attending the 5th Annual Concert for Peace Sunday night at 7:00 at the Ark. This is a benefit concert for Michigan Peaceworks.

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