CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue - (Page 7)

Bellingham’s waterfront project Raising the bar Pike: One thing we frequently miss is opportunities to raise the bar, and what that does. It’s interesting. I’ve had some conversations with an economist up at Western [Western Washington University] who feels that a LEED type of design doesn’t pencil out. My belief is that it does if you look at the longer timeframe. I also believe that if you issue the kind of challenge we have in the waterfront, you attract a different kind and scale of developer to the equation. There are developers with really deep pockets doing this sort of work all over the world right now. I think they would embrace the opportunity to work on the kind of canvas we would create for them here – a 200 house gas, to carbon dioxide which, while not perfect, is [much better than methane]. CGG: So you’re really looking at a multilayered kind of effect here, a synergistic effect potentially. Pike: Exactly, exactly. I think cities This is something I use with folks who are a little more are a large enough incubator that we conservative than I am on some things. I say, “Well, I’m those conservative too. I’m economically conservative. I want to can work onmeaneffects in a ingful way. I think get more efficiencies out of our system.” cities provide the opportunity to be plus acre parcel, 20, 30, 40 acres at a time. guinea pigs all over the country with this We would attract folks with those kinds of and we can see what’s working. Hopefully resources and in turn attract the kinds of that can be leveraged at the larger state companies that want to be identified with and national level. Take what is being that kind of development. proven to work and put it into effect. So, instead of a small piecemeal approach you would have a much larger, integrated, coordinated approach to development where you might get a Micro- Mayor Pike had more to say on: soft or a Google or somebody that really • Much more effective bus transit wants to be tied to green development standards. • Making infill work And the other thing is, it would allow us • Economic development opportunities to attract capital that might • Campaign promises be interested in leveraging what is happening locally at Western, for example, • Peak Oil where the Vehicle Research Institute is • Local food one of the top places in the world to look • Becoming a green R&D hub at increasing vehicle efficiency. And we have other things going on where actually that same group has done some in- Read it all online and add your teresting work in taking cow manure and comments or responses. other solid waste and creating significant electrical generation opportunities, at the same time transforming the methane gas, which is actually a very powerful green- April 2008 .com .co http://www.citiesgogreen.com/cgg1/bellingham-mayor-dan-pike.html http://envisionsolar.com http://lifeportsolar.com http://envisionsolar.com http://www.citiesgogreen.com/cgg1/bellingham-mayor-dan-pike.html http://www.citiesgogreen.com

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CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue Contents In Motion Conversations with Mayors Feature Article: How Can Cities Respond to the 2030 Challenge? Fast Forward

CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue

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