Editorial, Salt Lake Tribune, November 18, 2008
Sustainability. Sounds simple enough. We've managed so far, right? Just keep on keepin' on.
But that's the old definition, one that no longer applies to the modern world.
The evidence is mounting that we're poisoning the planet, destroying our health, erasing open spaces, depleting precious resources at an alarming rate. That life, as we live it, is not sustainable. That the quality of life for ourselves and future generations will deteriorate, drastically, unless we change our ways.
So Salt Lake City officials have undertaken a first-of-its-kind "sustainability" project. If successful, they'll develop a model the nation can live by. They'll redefine the word.
Alternative energy. Mobility and mass transportation. Urban forestry. Housing accessibility and diversity. Community health and safety. Recycling and waste reduction. Open space, parks, trails. Greenhouse gas and pollution reductions. Nutrition and food production. Those are the raw ingredients for a comprehensive sustainability ordinance. Throw them into the code book, add a dash of resolve.
City officials, with the help of consultants, are still working out the details. An inventory of the city's green policies and initiatives is being taken and organized. Outdated concepts and ordinances that stand in the way of sustainable lifestyles will be purged. And new initiatives designed to make Salt Lake City more walkable, more livable, more sustainable -- to make it the greenest of cities -- will be devised.
Parts of the amalgamated ordinance -- measures to protect streams and promote xeriscaping -- are already on the books. Other endeavors -- more mass transit, a hybridized city fleet, architectural preservation, open space preservation-- are works in progress. Still more initiatives -- tree-planting programs, recycling bins for office buildings -- are tried and proven elsewhere, but not here.
Plus, changes in city codes could allow backyard gardeners to sell produce from front-stoop stands, and make it easier to retrofit historic homes with solar panels and energy-efficient windows.
The finished product -- the nation's first comprehensive sustainability ordinances -- will be unveiled at open houses by the end of the year. Mayor Ralph Becker hopes to complete the fast-tracked process by February. The planet's clock is ticking.
Utah Heritage Foundation's
Utah Preservation Conference
April 30 - May 2, 2009
Tell us what preservation topics you want to know more about!
Fill out an Education Session Proposal Form online!
ALSO IN THIS EDITION:
100 is a milestone - Editorial, Deseret News, November 9, 2008
Architects honor Capitol face-lift team - Tom Wharton, Salt Lake Tribune, November 11, 2008
Liberty Park tennis bubble duel ends in whimper - Derek P. Jensen, Salt Lake Tribune, November 18, 2008
Calendar-girls film points to plight of Davis courthouse - María Villaseñor, Salt Lake Tribune, November 17, 2008
Is SLC's growth above parking lots? - Brandon Loomis, Salt Lake Tribune, November 14, 2008
HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR SALE OR LEASE
ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
SAVE THESE DATES FOR UHF EVENTS
NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Utah's National Register is ONLINE!
Utah's National Register of Historic Places nominations have been digitized and are now online.
National Trust accepting nominations for endangered places -
LOCAL ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION
100 is a milestone - Editorial, Deseret News, November 9, 2008
Architects honor Capitol face-lift team - Tom Wharton, Salt Lake Tribune, November 11, 2008
Liberty Park tennis bubble duel ends in whimper - Derek P. Jensen, Salt Lake Tribune, November 18, 2008
Calendar-girls film points to plight of Davis courthouse - María Villaseñor, Salt Lake Tribune, November 17, 2008
Is SLC's growth above parking lots? - Brandon Loomis, Salt Lake Tribune, November 14, 2008
HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR SALE OR LEASE
(Click here for more information about listing in this section)
Wrathill Home
This 5 bedroom 2 bath home is for sale in the Grantsville area.
It features a formal living and dining room with many details that are original to the home.
For information about this home call:
Sigmund Sommerfield
801-582-5407
ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
Shows, and Renovation, Go On at Film Palace - Helene Stapinski, The New York Times, November 14, 2008
Barton Myers' steel house in Montecito: safe for now - Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times, November 14, 2008
Mansions, Now for the Masses - Antoinette Martin, The New York Times, November 14, 2008
Saving Buffalo's Untold Beauty - Nicholai Ouroussoff, The New York Times, November 14, 2008
Obama and Biden: 2 would-be architects? - Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, November 18, 2008
SAVE THESE DATES FOR UHF EVENTS
December 4, 2008
UHF Annual Meeting and Holiday Party
Memorial House, Salt Lake City
Joins us for food, wine, and festivities at our annual Membership Meeting and Holiday Open House from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Please RSVP by December 1, 2008.
April 30 - May 2
Utah Preservation Conference
Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City
Tell us what you want to hear about! Submit an Education Session Proposal Form NOW!
University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning
Fall 2008 Lecture Series
All lectures take place at 5:30pm in AAC 127.
December 8
By Peter Katz, Virginia Tech
Traditional Building Skills Institute Workshops - Ephraim, UT
Visit their website for a full calendar.
NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Story of the Week - No One Home; Like Many Historic House Museums, Manhattan's Oldest House Needs Visitors
Jacquelin Cangro, Online Only, November 7, 2008
2008 National Preservation Award Winners
Teardown Tools on the Web - An Online Guide for Planners, Homeowners, and Advocates.
Highlights approximately 30 tools that are being used by communities around the country in response to teardowns with direct web links to more than 300 examples in 32 states. Teardown Tools on the Web is part of the Teardowns Initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and intended as an easy-to-share, user-friendly, one-stop-shop for people looking for tools to better manage teardowns.
Subscribe to National Trust newsletters.
Seeking funds for planning your preservation project or to hire a consultant to get that project off the ground? Apply for a grant from the Utah Preservation Initiatives Fund (UPIF) by contacting Amy Cole at the National Trust for Historic Preservation at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (303) 623-1504. Grants are available in three rounds per year - February 1, June 1 and October 1 - and awarded on a competitive basis!
