Hi George et al I did not mean to mislead by using the word "trend" . It's useful, I think, for Americans to realize there are other "trends" going on in the world besides our own. Thanks again for your finely honed critiques of our barely conscious national and local norms. Elan
>On Tue, 12/30/08, Elan Shapiro <[email protected]> wrote: > >No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in 'Passive Houses' > >http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?th&emc=th > >Elan, > >Interesting, but this residential design concept appears to be very >much like the one behind the original Commonland townhomes off >Slaterville Road, now pushing 30 years old. The Commonland units >were also built with no furnaces and instead rely on a small heat >exchanger, super insulation, solar energy and heat generated by >bodies and appliances. > >But is it a trend? > >Unfortunately here in Ithaca and Tompkins County, as well as the >rest of the country, archaic public attitudes backed by archaic >local zoning regulations effectively prohibit this type of compact, >energy efficient residential development by limiting the number of >dwelling units per structure, capping density at ridiculously >low levels, and requiring excessive setbacks everywhere. > >Although a townhouse design, the density of Commonland is only about >2 dwellings per acre, or about one-eigth to one-tenth the density of >a typical contemporary European neighborhood. > >George Frantz > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ >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 >Questions about the list? ask [email protected] >free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org -- Elan Shapiro Sustainable Tompkins Community Partnership Coordinator Sustainable Living Associates, Principal Frog's Way B&B 211 Rachel Carson Way Ithaca, NY 14850 607-275-0249 607-592-8402 Cell "We must be the change we want to see in the world" Mohandas Gandhi _______________________________________________ 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 Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
