Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, walks readers through the planners, planning commissioners, architects and builders that plagued him through his quest to build a sustainable home.
After clearing numerous hurdles in persuading his architect and builder to use sustainable materials, Adams faces the planning commission:
"They like to approve things that are similar to things they've approved before. To do otherwise is to risk unemployment. And the neighbors don't want to live next to a house that looks like a compost pile. But let's say, for the sake of this fascinating story, that everyone in the planning commission is heavily medicated with medical marijuana and they approve your project over the objections of all of your neighbors, except for the beavers, who are suspiciously flexible. Now you need a contractor who is willing to risk his career to build this cutting-edge structure.
Good luck with that."
FULL STORY: How I (Almost) Saved the Earth
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research