Before the Meltdown was a time for building. Now is a time for healing the mess of sprawl, because it's the ultimate "too big to fail" proposition because millions of Americans have their biggest investments there: their homes. Fortunately, there are new resources for repairing sprawl.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
How Shopping Got So Messed Up
Before the Industrial Revolution, most things were made by local craftspeople and sold by local merchants. The railroads changed all that by making it easier to sell things further away. This allowed more efficient manufacturers to grow to great size and sell at great distance, putting many local craftspeople out of business. Trucks were introduced later and only amplified the effect.
These early manufacturers, by today’s standards, made fairly simple stuff. A window manufacturer, for example, might use the exact same knives to make the exact same window components as another window manufacturer; they would just do it more efficiently, and therefore win the business. In effect, they were manufacturing commodities.
Clever manufacturers began to realize that “getting commoditized,” or making something that someone else could duplicate was a death knell for all except the single most efficient company in the market, which would then drive the others out of business. And so the battle cry became “proprietize!” In other words, build a proprietary product that you could patent and that nobody else could make. If you did so, nobody could undercut you; your biggest challenge was to convince customers to buy your stuff.
Proprietary products, however, had an unintended consequence. Grocery stores that sold only commodities like black beans, rice, milk, tomatoes, bananas, etc., could be very small. There are several groceries within a couple blocks of my office that are less than 3,000 square feet each. But just as soon as groceries had to stock Cap’n Crunch, Count Chocula, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, and 60 other proprietary cereals, the stores necessarily ballooned. Today, a 40,000 square foot grocery is considered small in the grocery industry.
Mega-stores have an unintended consequence as well: they must attract customers from many miles around, rather than just a few blocks, because there aren’t enough customers within just a few blocks to keep them in business unless they’re in a very highly-populated urban setting. So when proprietary products proliferate, the neighborhood store becomes impossible. This condition requires sprawl. Let that sink in a moment: proprietary products can’t survive in neighborhood retail; they can only survive in sprawl, because they can’t get on the very limited shelf-space of the neighborhood stores.
Today, the likelihood of much higher gas prices due to the convergence of Peak Oil with the industrialization of the world’s most populous countries means that the core driver of big box retail in suburbia may be ending, and in its place, it’s not unreasonable to think we might see a resurgence of local craftspeople and local shops. But without the Great Convergence, local craftspeople and local shops would be nothing but a romantic memory of our culture in most places.
These early manufacturers, by today’s standards, made fairly simple stuff. A window manufacturer, for example, might use the exact same knives to make the exact same window components as another window manufacturer; they would just do it more efficiently, and therefore win the business. In effect, they were manufacturing commodities.
Clever manufacturers began to realize that “getting commoditized,” or making something that someone else could duplicate was a death knell for all except the single most efficient company in the market, which would then drive the others out of business. And so the battle cry became “proprietize!” In other words, build a proprietary product that you could patent and that nobody else could make. If you did so, nobody could undercut you; your biggest challenge was to convince customers to buy your stuff.
Proprietary products, however, had an unintended consequence. Grocery stores that sold only commodities like black beans, rice, milk, tomatoes, bananas, etc., could be very small. There are several groceries within a couple blocks of my office that are less than 3,000 square feet each. But just as soon as groceries had to stock Cap’n Crunch, Count Chocula, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, and 60 other proprietary cereals, the stores necessarily ballooned. Today, a 40,000 square foot grocery is considered small in the grocery industry.
Mega-stores have an unintended consequence as well: they must attract customers from many miles around, rather than just a few blocks, because there aren’t enough customers within just a few blocks to keep them in business unless they’re in a very highly-populated urban setting. So when proprietary products proliferate, the neighborhood store becomes impossible. This condition requires sprawl. Let that sink in a moment: proprietary products can’t survive in neighborhood retail; they can only survive in sprawl, because they can’t get on the very limited shelf-space of the neighborhood stores.
Today, the likelihood of much higher gas prices due to the convergence of Peak Oil with the industrialization of the world’s most populous countries means that the core driver of big box retail in suburbia may be ending, and in its place, it’s not unreasonable to think we might see a resurgence of local craftspeople and local shops. But without the Great Convergence, local craftspeople and local shops would be nothing but a romantic memory of our culture in most places.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
An Open Letter to Steve Jobs on iWeb
Steve
I've built my entire web presence on iWeb precisely because it was the only program I could use so cleanly without knowing any HTML. "Computers for the rest of us... and I don't do computers"... remember? I've been moving everything I do away from Microsoft (Word to Pages, Excel to Numbers, Powerpoint to Keynote, etc.) but if Apple abandons programs like iWeb, then I've gotta seriously reconsider moving to Apple software!
Thanks!
Also, sometimes software drives hardware. If you drop iWeb, which is essential to me being able to manage my own web presence without having to hire HTML gurus, I won't upgrade to future Macs on which iWeb doesn't run! I run www.originalgreen.org, www.newurbanguild.com, and www.mouzon.com, all with iWeb. I'd have no web presence without it. iWeb is central to what I do.
Because of the doors iWeb opened, I became the best kind of evangelist; one with a critical eye... because they have far more credibility than the cheerleaders. Check out my iWeb posts on my Useful Stuff blog. In particular, check out this one which details the financial savings of an iWeb-based web presence. You REALLY need to reconsider iWeb... Please say it ain't so!!!
Thanks!
Steve
Is iWeb dead???
From what I can tell, iWeb wasn't upgraded today?!?!? I've built my entire web presence on iWeb precisely because it was the only program I could use so cleanly without knowing HTML. This is REALLY A SERIOUS DISAPPOINTMENT, APPLE!!! I've been moving everything I do away from Microsoft (Word to Pages, Excel to Numbers, Powerpoint to Keynote, etc.) but if Apple abandons programs like iWeb, then I've gotta seriously reconsider moving to Apple software! Please tell me it ain't so!!! Does anyone have any other details?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
the Coming Golden Age of Great Necessities
There's been a lot of gloom ever since the Meltdown, and many of the systems that have shaped our world all our lives are failing. But this post addresses the fact that there's a really good chance that their failures may usher in a new golden age, because these things that created the appearance of comfort and security actually stood in the way of greatness. What do you think?
Monday, October 18, 2010
What Should Students Do Now?
Architecture students face the unenviable prospect of a profession that can't hire them right now. But it can turn out to be the best thing that could happen to them professionally if they do certain things, which are detailed in this post.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Simpler Fare
Spurred by good advice from my good friend Geoffrey Mouen, we've been trying to eat simpler. Sunday dinner (lunch, or brunch, for those outside the deep South) has always been a big deal in my family, and in Wanda's. Here's what we did today: 1 can of black beans, 1 can of lintels, 1 can of lintel soup... Heat & stir, mixing in 5 roughly minced garlic cloves and three dried peppers. 1 box of couscous, hydrated & prepared as per instructions on box. 2 filets of wild cod, sauteed with blackening spices. Cut spinach & dice 1 tomato over fish. Lay fish over beans & lintels. Dice 1 Florida (that's where we live) avocado over both plates. 1 thing of wasabi rice crackers and hummus for fun. All told, even though it was all organic and all bought from Whole Foods (normally high) this totals just under $10/meal, considering that there's enough of the beans & lentils to make 2 more meals for 2 people. Far less than brunch on South Beach!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Great Facilitators - or - The Story of Howard Blackson
The Great Facilitators should be long remembered with thunderous gratitude, because without them, those of us who step up to the microphone often might not have the chance. I've just spent several days in San Diego with Howard Blackson of PlaceMakers. He set up a string of interviews and Original Green speaking engagements for me, then welcomed me into his home, housing and feeding me since Saturday night. Last night, I spoke to a standing-room only crowd of several hundred at the New School of Architecture & Design. We sold a case of books, but had a couple cases left over. No problem. Howard and PlaceMakers bought the rest of them to give as gifts to their clients. Howard didn't have to do any of these things, but he did, because he believes deeply in the principles behind the Original Green. And because of him, the Original Green is spreading in San Diego. Howard reminds me of two other people who give endlessly of themselves to promote the ideas of others. One is Howard's partner in PlaceMakers, Nathan Norris. The other is my partner in Mouzon Design, who is also my partner in life, Wanda Mouzon. Thanks so much, you guys, for all that you do!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sprawl Scream
Howard Blackson just sent me these images... here's the original Scream painting:
And here's sprawl doing its best imitation:
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
the Importance of Blogging
Blogging may end up playing a critical sustainability role. This post examines a number of reasons why top-down solutions aren't working, and why blogging may be central to grassroots green solutions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
