Nordlinger Watch 4
“Ann Arbor, get over yourself,” writes a planning student in a perceptive rant about the experience of attending an A2 Planning Commission meeting. What’s a “green roof,” by the way? Is that like when they plant sod on a roof?
And we’ve got a new installment of Nordlinger Watch! This time, our favorite ex-Ann Arborite National Review commentator relates a news item about a Maryland Senate candidate who was the victim of an assault but blames the crime on “the war on drugs, the lack of national health care, the society that didn’t care about this man.” He (the candidate) also owns a poster of Trotsky and Stalin. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pure Ann Arbor,” Nordlinger reminisces. “I had it with my mother’s milk.” Now, as Nordlinger A2 slams go, this is rather weak fare; he just seems to be using “Ann Arbor” as a synonym for “communist.” But he sort-of redeems himself with the next line: “But I was especially interested in that poster of Leon Trotsky and Stalin. I didn’t know you could admire both! In the old days, you had to choose!” Okay. Heh.
A “green roof” is a roof with plants covering the surface. Sod is rarely used except in very large structures that can support the weight. They usually use light-weight, fast growing cover plants that require little maintenance and surivive drought periods so you don’t have to water the roof. They are very common in Germany. They have numerous benefits: the plants provide additional insulation to the roof, the plants absorb and use some rainwater, helping control runoff, the plants absorb solar energy, reducing energy needs for coolings. The plants also act as buffer between the roof itself and the elements, and can extend the roof life of the underlying roof two to three times… (I’ve looked into this, can you tell?). Unfortunately, the best green roofs can’t be installed on roofs with a greater than 40 degree or so angle (but they do need a slight angle for water to run off).
posted by Scott T. on June 23rd, 2005 at 1:01 pmGreen roofs are kinda neat. But in general, the planning folks are just goons who happened to wander into public service… Usually because they wanted their neighborhood zoned so they could have a pony or something.
posted by js on June 23rd, 2005 at 5:19 pmFor a local example of a “green roof” (better called a vegetated roof), see the Malletts Creek Branch Library (near Eisenhower and Packard).
Vegetated roofs do provide a number of benefits, as Scott T. has already listed, but they are not greeen space that someone is going to visit and sit in to eat their sandwich.
posted by archipunk on June 24th, 2005 at 10:07 amAchipunk: Yeah, but planning for development means anticipating future trends, like urban hang-gliding. But who’s gonna hang-glide in downtown Ann Arbor if we don’t have a greenway from building to building? (And powerful heating vents to allow people to lift back up?)
posted by js on June 24th, 2005 at 4:16 pmJS, this is such a great idea, it must be done. We must found Friends of the Ann Arbor Glideway immediately.
posted by Scott T. on July 6th, 2005 at 2:48 pmUrban Planning Students are overrated. We get intellectual rants and then –poof!– they’re gone. Only to appear again when, you guessed it, they are older, have children (or not), and want some real dialog on what’s being planned in their neighborhood dammit!
Real life. Ideas are good, but I’m glad there are groups putting up a fight.
And, I love the idea of an AAGW, by the way. That’s funny. And a movement whose time has come
posted by AJ on July 6th, 2005 at 10:58 pmToo tired..I meant to say…
Real life. (students need to look at it from the perspective of living in the same area for a while–which they won’t be doing here).
Student rants/ideas are great to have, sure. But, I’m that there are groups (Friends of the AAGreenWAY) putting up a fight for what they believe in.
I love the idea of an AAGlideWay….
OK, I feel better.
posted by AJ on July 6th, 2005 at 11:03 pm“which they won’t be doing here”
because they can’t afford it.
posted by Dale on July 6th, 2005 at 11:49 pmNeither can we, but we stay (family of 4). My father was a student and stayed (in the 50s). Yep, some people stay and have to live with what’s here (or not).
posted by AJ on July 7th, 2005 at 7:05 amann arbor is communist, 06238806
posted by Andy on December 8th, 2005 at 2:15 pm