Dystopia Report: The I-710 Corridor Aesthetic Master Plan

...reeway builder’s utopian promise of speed and liberty delivers, instead, exurban sprawl, congestion and waves of urban decay and gentrification. That utopian vision of Freeway building is personified in mid-century figures like Robert Moses and the city fathers of early 20th century Los Angeles. But Jameson goes on to question, “does anyone believe in progress any longer? . . . are the architects and urbanists still passionately at work on Utopian...

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Saturday Linkages: Grains, Collapse and Mangoes

...-to-fcc-grow-light-ballast-causes-hf-interference-violates-rules … Granjas urbanas ganan terreno en Los Ángeles http://tinyurl.com/ozxeley How sustainable is digital fabrication? http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2014/03/how-sustainable-is-digital-fabrication.html … Winners and losers at the garden show | Garden Rant http://gardenrant.com/2014/03/seen-at-the-garden-show.html … How to Grow Sweet Potatoes and Mangoes in an Urban Jungle http://tinyurl.c...

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California’s New Greywater Code: Common Sense Legalized!

...ew right to use our greywater. As for the practical side of this new law, I’d suggest that anyone interested in installing a greywater system keep it simple and low cost. I can’t think of any better resource than Art Ludwig’s book The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems and his website oasisdesign.net. Take note of Ludwig’s free open-source laundry to landscape plan. And don’t forget, Homegrown Evolut...

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Climate Change and Personal Responsibility

...en so much positive change on this front, even just in the last few years. Urban homesteading, slow food, organics, bikes, car share, DIY, all of it — it’s blossoming. It’s very hopeful. I’m going to put the next part in italics because it’s so important: The pleasure and satisfaction that we all receive from living this way is the positive counterspell to the dark enchantment of consumer culture. When we live this way, we become positive examples...

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The Homegrown Mailbox: How and Where Do I Get My Soil Tested?

...Savio kindly sent me the following list of labs with comments. Biological Urban Gardening Service PO Box 76 Citrus Heights, CA 95611 (916) 726-5377 URL: www.organiclandscape.com Email: [email protected] Organic recommendations, very user-friendly Owner Steve Zien and I co-author “Organic Matters” organic gardening column in Sacramento Bee for 20 years. Wallace Laboratories 365 Coral Circle El Segundo, CA 90245 (310) 615-0116 www.bettersoi...

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