WINTER/SPRING 2008
HOUSING FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
There are as many different kinds of housing needed in a community as there are
different kinds of people. Vital communities include a mix of housing types at a range of densities and prices to provide homes for a vital mix of people.
Trends in the United States, particularly in the West, reflect the high value placed on privacy and seclusion in sprawling patterns of development that prioritize lot size over compact development. While this type of housing has many attractive qualities, too much of it means that community infrastructure gets stretched over longer distances, increasing the costs for those services.
It also can lead to less socially cohesive communities and increasing privatization of open space. As development occurs, traditional trails are lost or blocked and access to lakes and creeks can become limited. A hidden effect of this development pattern is the increase in housing costs. Young families, single people, seniors and those living on a regular wage can no longer afford the typical suburban or rural development, particularly when the cost of transportation from their house to their job is factored in. This issue of the A::B Buzz showcases a number of exciting organizations here in Alaska that are creating affordable, quality housing for all Alaskans. We salute their efforts.
AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, BEAUTIFUL HOUSING
The term “affordable housing” sometimes conjures negative images of a housing development and its inhabitants. In fact, many assumptions people make about affordable housing and the negative impacts they have on neighborhoods and communities are untrue.
We met with Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) to learn more about a topic
we feel passionately about – well-planned communities that are attractive, affordable and accessible. In our
opinion, CIHA is a leader in Alaska’s affordable housing
field. The nonprofit works to provide quality affordable housing with much of their funding coming through the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act.
With their vision of “Independence Through Housing,” CIHA develops programs intended to give people a “hand up,” or an opportunity to move beyond
the need for assistance. It’s
their hope that quality housing and effective programs will provide
a solid foundation on which
people can improve the overall quality of their own lives.
We toured a few of the Authority’s properties to learn more about successful models of affordable housing in Alaska.
These homes are evidence that affordable housing projects can be innovative, well-designed, and beautiful. Not only are they the most appealing “affordable housing” projects, they’re most likely some of Alaska’s most attractive housing developments. Through their neighborhood revitalization efforts in Mountain View and their senior housing projects in Muldoon, CIHA shows commitment to providing homeownership and quality, affordable living opportunities to our community. Agnew::Beck extends a big “thank you” to our friends and partners at CIHA!
COLD IS COOL
We attended a very cool conference last fall: Sustainable Northern Shelter in a World of Diminishing Resources, sponsored by the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Designers, planners, builders, homeowners and scientists gathered to tackle the challenge of living and building in the world’s polar regions. We explored small and larger scale solutions to creating sustainable infrastructure in the north through a multidisciplinary approach which generated a lot of inspiration and learning. Core components of the three-day discussions included climate change, energy efficiency, green building design and technology, culturally appropriate design and sustainable community planning.
We leave you here with some thoughtful tidbits from the conference but please peruse other presentations and learn more by visiting CCHRC's website.
- A “net zero” energy home is super insulated, efficient, and producing the amount of energy it consumes.
- Some may say, the American way of life is not up for negotiation, but I submit to you that it is the only thing we have left to negotiate.
- When you look at your blueprints, look for opportunities to “plug the holes in the bucket” like moving chimneys inside the envelope, getting rid of cantilevers, etc. … all conservation measures must be evaluated first.
- (Cities) need a global perspective – people need to see themselves as global citizens.
OOOH #32!
Popular Science (a science and technology news source) rated our fair city of Anchorage #32 Greenest City in the U.S. with a total of 14.4 points. (City #1: Portland, Oregon, earned 23.1.)
We got props for the municipality’s plans to upgrade streetlamps to LED or induction bulbs on a citywide dimmer, since usually, a blanket of bright white snow helps light the night anyway. The investment would save $3 million per year in energy costs and, according to the Anchorage Daily News, use 30-50 percent less energy. Right now, three Anchorage streets are outfitted with the new blue-hued lights and the city wants to know what you think. Visit these sites and take a lighting survey.
COMMUNITY = LOVE
A::B’s own effervescent in-house arteeest, Ellen Campfield Nelson, showed her chalk art at Snow City Café during the month of February. (But evidence of her craft can be seen every day on the cafe's slate menus). The show, “Evanescence,” had Ellen calmly chalking on-site during a bustling opening night with her own version of Picasso's Guernica: Community = Love.
The great artist says:
"I’m not a great artist, but I think art is great. I think ALL art is great … and I wholeheartedly believe that every single one of us has a creative, artistic talent that we use all the time, every day. ... There are so many things in every person’s life that result from a creative process – picking a paint color for your walls, signing your name on a check, having a baby, arranging your spice rack or record collection or stamps or sweaters, tapping your toes to the music, making dinner, balancing your checkbook, writing a note to your roommate, air brushing flames on your T-Bird, wrapping a gift or getting dressed in the morning. These things require you to have opinions, put things in an order that pleases you, give thought to a process, and turn a bunch of disparate ingredients into something cohesive and likable and altogether different. This is where the spirit of art lies. ... "
Beginning in mid-May, Ellen will be working remotely from Boise, Idaho, where she's joining her newly relocated husband. They'll be welcoming their first baby into the world, due in September. Bravo, Ellen!
A TOAST: CELEBRATE, REMEMBER AND RAISE MONEY FOR THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Last month, our very own Shelly Wade attended and contributed to the American Cancer Society’s annual Anchorage Wine and Food Festival for the fourth year in a row. This year, her husband was by her side as she celebrated the memory of her dad, Paul Wade, who recently passed away after a yearlong courageous battle with kidney cancer.
The festival raised $250,000 for the American Cancer Society. Forty percent of that goes straight to the Society’s headquarters to fund cancer research, grants and education campaigns. And about $70,000 of that amount makes sure children living with cancer in Alaska can attend the American Cancer Society’s Children’s Camps in the Lower 48. These camps provide a place for children in treatment or remission to be kids and to share their experiences with their buddies at summer camp. The remaining funds stay here in our state to help fund local efforts.
For more information on how you can volunteer with the American Cancer Society, or attend upcoming galas and athletic events, contact the Alaska office at 907.277.8696
For more information about our firm, please explore our website at www.agnewbeck.com.
Photos by Agnew::Beck Consulting 
