Center for Neighborhood Technology

What Will Seattle Look Like, Post-Alaskan Way Viaduct?

In an editorial on Monday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer threw its 2 cents into the pot, regarding heated debates over what Seattle should do to plan for the teardown of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The PI points out that planning 25 years in advance is an opportunity to look to alternatives which take into account future viewpoints on transit and highway development.

“2030? Who knows what the next 24 years could bring, in expanded transit, rising sea levels, gas prices, vehicle technology? Is the traditional approach of providing for increasing auto capacity the right basis for spending billions of public dollars and, more important, for designing Seattle’s next 100 years?”

Read the full editorial here.

On Wednesday, the paper reported what many already contended: that the cost to replace the Viaduct could drastically rise from what previous figures estimate. And today, what many people assumed was verified when revised cost estimates were released and costs went up by almost 30%.

As a direct result of these inflated costs, attention has turned to the study done by Smart Mobility, which CNT and the Congress for the New Urbanism commissioned, which gave an “incomplete” to the traffic studies done by the Washington State Department of Transportation, and presented an analysis of a third alternative, the “Transit + Streets” plan proposed by the People’s Waterfront Coalition. The plan can accommodate traffic and help the region focus efforts in creating more alternate transit options, and recommended a restudy including serious reconsideration of this option.

The study has been presented to Seattle’s City Council and challenges the two main options Seattle is considering when the Viaduct is torn down; those being to either replace it with a tunnel or a giant, elevated highway. The study points out that replacing the Viaduct is not necessary and like Wednesday’s PI story points out, not cost-effective.

To read the plan that Smart Mobility, CNT and CNU believe is the best transportation solution for the region, click here.

The saga continues today with the Council meeting to decide whether the public will have a say in the matters. And check out the Post-Intelligencer’s Op-Ed piece today written by Scott Bernstein and John Norquist of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Energy-Smart Pricing Plan Attracts Attention

Changes are in the works for Illinois electricity markets, as deregulation will produce higher rates in 2007. CNT’s Community Energy Cooperative is promoting new options that will benefit local residents, and the Cooperative’s Energy-Smart Pricing Plan is attracting attention.

An auction now in progress will set the price that households will pay for electricity starting in January 2007. But consumers will have another rate option next year as well—people will also be able to choose an electricity rate that uses hourly prices that vary based on wholesale market prices.

Households participating in the Cooperative’s pilot Energy-Smart Pricing Plan (ESPP) have been trying out this type of hourly rate. Since the program launched in 2003, it has been successful in helping people to save money, improve energy efficiency, and take greater control over energy expenses. And local media outlets are taking note.

On September 7th, the Chicago Sun Times featured a story about the Energy-Smart Pricing Plan on the cover of the business section. The article noted that ESPP participants can save money because they have access to cheap power most hours of most days. When market prices rise, the Cooperative notifies participants so that they can manage their electricity use and keep expenses in check. “For instance, during a heat wave, when afternoon prices inevitably spike, a customer might delay running the dryer,” wrote Reporter Mary Wisniewski

This week, ESPP also attracted the attention of the Chicago Journal. A September 7th article about the program quoted ESPP participant Jim Derico of the South Loop, who has saved around $100 on his electricity bills since enrolling in ESPP. “I think what’s really nice about [the program] is it educates you about how it works—how you’re charged for energy as a commodity,” Derico said.

Read the Sun Times article and the Chicago Journal article for more information.