Land Use
Land Use includes community planning, patterns of settlement, and the ways these shape our society.
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At a Crossroads
The Lehigh Valley, like so many other regions, is at a crossroads. In choosing which path to take in regional planning, our choice is between business-as-usual, 20th century approaches, a path often characterized as “New Jersification”, and an alternative path … more
Public Spaces Endangered
The Fall and Rise of Great Public Spaces Why we need parks, streetlife, squares, markets, trails, community gardens and other hang outs more than ever by Jay Walljasper, On the Commons, August 5, 2012 Opponents of Copenhagen’s first pedestrian street … more
Public Spaces
This article from On the Commons makes a number of important points about land use, pedestrian-friendly environments, and building community. The Rise and Fall and Rise of Great Public Spaces by Jay Walljasper Public space is a literal commons: the … more
Protecting the Interests of the People
When the residents of Lynn Township, Lehigh County discovered E.coli in their water wells, they approached their township supervisors, asking them to tell a local farmer to stop using fertilizer made from treated sewage sludge that goes by the green- … more
Saying No to Toxic Waste Dumping
Bangor, Pennsylvania was once the slate-producing capital of the world. Now the abandoned quarries are candidates for toxic dumping. For over 30 years, one particular quarry has been receiving truckloads of ash from the GenOn coal plant in Mt.Bethel. The … more
A Growing Community
The Lafayette College Community Garden is my favorite place to be. But what makes it so special? The essence of community: I’m not just growing food for myself, but we’re all growing food for ourselves and our loved ones, together. … more
A Local Food Economy
Obtaining more of our food from local sources is a great way to strengthen the local economy and obtain fresh, healthful food at the same time. If we’re going to increase local food production, of course, it’s essential to make … more
Wurth’s 2-12-12 anti-WTE Letter
February 12, 2012 Allentown City Council Allentown Environmental Advisory Council Re: Delta Thermo Agreement Dear Allentown Official: As a representative of the Sierra Club (SC), I expressed grave concerns about the proposed waste incinerator project planned for Allentown when it … more
vs. Power Lines
Peter Crownfield wrote on Oct 6, 2011 re: “Power line being fast-tracked”: The Express-Times doesn’t seem to realize that this power line will do nothing whatsoever to improve power supplies to this region….. Express-Times Thursday, October 06, 2011, 4:00 AM EDITORIAL … more