At its most basic level, Time banking is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour goes into the Time Bank as a Time Dollar. Then you have a Time dollar to spend on having someone doing something for you. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.

Sometimes the simple things ripple the furthest. And it’s almost always the non-sensational simple things. They sneak in the side door, no fanfare, and are just happy to do what they do. At the end of the day, the unpretentious, un-pushy, counter elite go further than hyped sales and smoke and mirrors.

Myth #1: “When home-buyers look at remodeling or adding on, it makes more sense fiscally to start from scratch.”

The reality is that the issue is not a financial one, but rather the misguided fascination for more square footage, the brand new syndrome and the false sense of status that the homeowner is seeking from those two motivations. Existing homes with at least some structural integrity can be re-designed and renovated with exterior modifications and additions for more space and accomplished far more economically. On the inside, kitchens and bathrooms can be made new again. Re-designing for exterior and interior improvements will cost far less than it takes to teardown a home and build a new one of similar quality and aesthetic. Read the rest of this entry »

Part of the work involved in our field as designers, of all disciplines, places us in the role of visionaries.  To combine aspects of design, culture, art, architecture, nature in a way that creates a better quality of life in our cities is the common goal.  We hope that by supporting like-minded individuals as our decision makers,  we will promote and someday actualize our vision of a cosmopolitan city.  Creativity can couple with prosperity in this world.  Health and wellness can foster greater understanding of the less-is-more mentality.  Reducing our need for space and things on a daily basis can lead to greater room for future generations. 

 We honestly believe MAB agrees with us on the subject of Raleigh’s smart growth and advancement.  A city that attracts and retains creative contributors as its residents…City decision-makers are very interested in the idea of mass transit as of late, which we see as an integral part of reducing suburban sprawl and pollution associated with our vehicles.  Along these lines, the possibility of a more pedestrian-friendly city space that is housed in a centralized zone has recently been discussed among city politicians.  We applaud the introduction and further discussion of these topics as a matter of public discourse.  Now that local elections have resulted in a decidedly progressive city council, the voters’ have expressed their desire to support more dynamic ideas, growth, and advancement of the place where we live and work and play. 

We freely admit it. We’re proponents of urban design and living. We’ve been gluttons not only with interior space but also exterior. It’s not the quantity of space that matters - it’s the quality.

Getting away from people can be done as effectively within a home as it can from moving to the middle of nowhere. And it impacts far less of the planet. Who hasn’t lost track of time reading, surfing, tinkering, or watching a movie in that “cave room” in their house? (That rarely used guest room can be turned into a library, movie, or a meditation room.) Bottom line? There’s less space in the city, but designed well, gives us everything we need on a daily level. Without paving it all and disrupting natural systems for building new infrastructures to support the invading humans.

Effective, smart urban in-fill is about as green as we can be. It will take all of us to do it:

1. us, to haul our butts out to vote for people who share that mindset, and
2. leaders who can drive that mindset to tangible results like mass transit and better planning that allows for the coexistence of elements of suburbia and city life.

As far as #2 goes, Mary-Ann Baldwin holds positive views of urban in-fill and smart city planning. She’s got our vote for City Council.

It’s ironic that voting is perceived as an irrelevant action; on a national level there may be some truth to that. On a local level, however, we probably have much more influence than we know, and yet voter turnout is 11%. We’ll be filling out our ballots on October 9. We might even wear green. Will you?