I agee with Eric. We can retrofit and weatherize many older two-family homes so they function more efficiently. We should aim to balance innovation and efficiency with some efforts to preserve Ithaca's historical architecture anyway because it is so much a part of Ithaca's character.
If we want to encourage pedestrian behavior, don't we need to acknowledge that the beauty of the old architecture is a main attraction, in addition to mature trees and gardens? That doesn't mean I'm opposed to row of townhouses as a model for new homes. I think we should encourage those new designs while improving the efficiency of older homes wherever feasible, instead of an "all or nothing" approach that requires destroying homes and erasing history altogether. Win-win solutions are the ones accepted by the largest number of people. Jan Quarles _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
