Mariel Colman, P.E., AICP’s Post

Roadway classification should not be an excuse preventing safer streets. Traffic engineers have adopted an orderly system that organizes roadways into a couple of broad buckets. Roadway classification prioritizes design decesions on the throughput of vehicles above all else. This approach cannot take into account all of the complexity we experience in our built world. Roadway classification is well intentioned, but highly flawed. Roadway classification becomes the excuse and and ultimately the justification to continue bad design. Safety and cost are secondary to the movement of vehicles. This approach results in roads in fatal outcomes. Projects like this demonstrate an approach where designers actually respond to the local struggles at the scale of the block. They observe and listen to local needs with a primary objective of safety. Roadway designers and cities have more authority and discretion to address the needs of our complex urban environments. They can in fact improve streets regardless of classification.

We are hosting a Mheitheal in County Cork next week. Internal repairs to random rubble walls. Dubbing out. Base and scratch coat renders and plasters. Consolidating reveals. The Vacant and Derelict homes grant scheme is by far the best initiative by Government to address the housing crisis and rejuvenation of our rural areas. 2024 for many of us practitioners has been the year of panicked grantees, desperate for hands to help. Us practitioners, up to our eyes with work, and stretched by poor weather and a lack of hands when things get tough. We feel like we are letting grantees down by just not being available, geographically, time wise or too small a team to make an impact. If we can't pull together once in a while the level of un-claimed funds will see this funding stream fail or neglect to amend criteria in favour of the people and heritage it can help. That's why we are issuing a call out to any masons, plasterers and tradespeople in the Cork or surrounding counties. A fantastic, hardworking and skilled couple are really up against the clock. With a young family to rear and a two storey farmhouse to renovate from derelict 2024 has been arduous. So far we have a team of four committed to step in and help. If you feel like you could be of help, may learn a little about vernacular repair or see the power of giving back after a very busy year then we would love to hear from you and explain in more detail and discuss your costs. Our forefathers knew this style of life, relied on it, learnt from it and lived in communities built on it. The Meitheal never died, we just struggled on and lost the natural act of asking for help. Leaning on this tradition next week may just be a warm and productive act. #community #helpinghands #builtheritage #traditionalskills #tradition #help

All along, the neighbours in the upscale Old West End neighbourhood just south of The Mount Community Centre, were curious about what would unfold in the long-neglected buildings next door. Many of them remembered the high-density, greenspace-eating plans proposed by another developer who bought the former convent in 2009. To assuage their concerns, the Mount board organized a public meeting on October 2, 2013. They set up a series of stations in the main floor’s former cafeteria to address various aspects of the redevelopment. They envisioned a sparse crowd moving from one presentation to the next with Steve Kylie, John Martyn and jim russell answering their questions. When the doors swung open, the neighbours swarmed the first station. One man had just moved into the house facing the south parking lot and was livid that he now lived next to a future construction zone. He demanded answers and was pointed to the plans laid out on the board. While the evening started with tension, the more the neighbours heard the plans and the sincerity of the new owners, the tone changed. They seemed to appreciate the opportunity to ask endless questions and see that the renovations would focus largely within the existing structure, preserving the grounds. Many of them walked their dogs on the property and were relieved to hear they would still be welcomed. As Steve said, the more eyes on the property, the better. That's the power of a strong communications plan. And as the Communications Chair at the time, it was a huge win. That livid man became our webmaster and organized a huge yard sale to raise money for the renovations. Good messaging leads to good relationships. And that's where I excel. If you want to read more about the bat that nearly stole the show and the rumour of the unmarked graves on the grounds, it's all in this chapter: https://lnkd.in/g7gQQHvV There are so many stories to tell in this world. And I guide people to getting theirs on paper, just like this one. #affordablehousing #strategiccommunications #communications #publicrelations #housing #inspiration #believetoachieve #crazyasseddreamers #seizeopportunity #miracles #dealingwithcrowds #publicmeetings

"Foundation issues at your cottage? Let's tackle them together! Call Loralee at 613-407-8869 for expert advice. #CottageCare #FoundationRepair"

"Foundation issues at your cottage? Let's tackle them together! Call Loralee at 613-407-8869 for expert advice. #CottageCare #FoundationRepair"

I'm currently reading the 2006 book, "The Architecture of Happiness" by Alain de Botton. I highly recommend it. It's a personal look at how design/architecture connects us to our emotions -- namely happiness and misery. It's particularly poignant in light of the fires in and around Los Angeles and the devastation so many have experienced. Many of the recent news reels I've watched on social media are about one's connection to the house, the home, they lost. Their home was everything to them -- memories made there, the life lived there, the photos, mementos, the windows, doors, floors, and more. Many recounted how they had renovated and remodeled the house, preserved a historic house, and, with profound grief, acknowledged that their work, real intense creative work, was reduced to rubble in a matter of hours. It reminds me of some of the passages in Botton's book. One of the sentiments from the book that sticks with me is the act of noticing how sunlight hits the walls or floors of a house's interior and the beauty that light brings to the surface -- the color of the wood, the hue of a tiled floor. This is not to say, however, that everyone loves where they live or live there because they think it's beautiful. It's not necessary to honor the play of sunlight or value interior colors or be in awe of exterior landscapes. Homes are more than their designs. They are places of shelter and refuge, examples of hard work, a necessity. Yet all those who have suffered loss from these fires were familiar with their neighborhoods, the trees that lined the streets, the vegetation at the intersections, the local retailers they frequented, the crosswalks -- everything they saw and did daily that is now gone. Community has been lost. They were drawn to the neighborhood they lived in or the neighborhood became, over time, as familiar as a friend. There are many in need of help in southern California. Here is a link to verified fundraisers assisting those impacted by the fires or by fighting the fires: https://lnkd.in/evTKDNPU

More Organisation engaging with how Terrix can benefit them.

As we tackle the needs of housing it is the perfect time to include building and remodeling with a Universal Design centered approach.

City of Long Beach, New Philly AME Church, and LOGOS Development Work Toward Transforming Former Building into Affordable Housing https://lnkd.in/geyhb_s5 The City of Long Beach, New Philly AME Church, and LOGOS Development are working together to address local affordable housing needs by looking into transforming a long-unused building at 6380 Orange Avenue. Through an Agreement [...]

when you are dealing with homes with foundation problems just remember that there are more things you need to deal with after the foundation repairs. Please give me your comments on this #foundation #structuralengineering #homerepairs #homebuyingtips #homesellingtips #homeownertips #coloradorealestate #davidnovak #davidnovakhomes #davidnovakrealtor #davidnovakremax