Saturday, November 14, 2020
Powell Sees Challenging Time Ahead, More Stimulus Needed
Friday, November 13, 2020
Table of Contents > Food For Thought About Downtown Mesa: "The 15-Minute City"
Here's The Take-Away (from Bloomberg)
The 15-Minute City—No Cars Required—Is Urban Planning’s New Utopia
From Paris to Portland, cities are attempting to give residents everything they need within a few minutes of their front doors. Can it work—without leaving anyone out?
Taken together, the new trees and cycleways, community facilities and social housing, homes and workplaces all reflect a potentially transformative vision for urban planners: the 15-minute city. “The 15-minute city represents the possibility of a decentralized city,” says Carlos Moreno, a scientific director and professor specializing in complex systems and innovation at University of Paris 1. “At its heart is the concept of mixing urban social functions to create a vibrant vicinity”—replicated, like fractals, across an entire urban expanse.
The green, mixed-use, community-friendly approach extends to the streets beyond. Five minutes down the road, the vast Place de la Bastille has been renovated as part of a city-funded €30 million revamp of seven major squares. No longer a roaring island of traffic, it’s now dedicated mainly to pedestrians, with rows of trees where asphalt once lay. A stream of bikes runs through the square along a freshly repaved, protected “coronapiste”—one of the bike freeways introduced to make cycling across Greater Paris easier during the coronavirus pandemic. City Hall has since announced that the lanes will be permanent, backed by €300 million in ongoing funding from the region and top-ups from municipalities and the French government.
2 AGENDAS FOR REMOTE ZOOM VIRTUAL PLATFORM MEETINGS Mesa City Council Mon 11.16.2020
Printed on Thu 11.12.2020 here's the Final Agenda with links to Meeting Details that are provided for one purpose - to keep readers of this blog informed and aware of what's on the agendas for city government public meetings >
DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE CITY OF MESA'S GOVERNMENT, MAYOR, OR THE CITY COUNCIL? Try this for official information > https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/mayor-council
The Mesa City Council believes that its people, not leaders, are what makes a City great and actively works to encourage citizen participation in the decision-making process. Whether it is through neighborhood meetings, advisory boards and committees, telephone calls and letters, or emails, the Mesa City Council sets policies based on the input and needs of its citizens.
Mayor John Giles | ||
Vice Mayor Mark Freeman | Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker | Councilmember Francisco Heredia |
| Councilmember David Luna | Councilmember Kevin Thompson |
City Council Meetings and Study Sessions Notice
To decrease COVID-19 exposure, the City Council Chambers is closed, but public participation and viewing will be available electronically.
See the City Council Meetings page for full details about meeting participation
Council Study Session Notice:
To decrease COVID-19 exposure, the City Council Chambers is closed, but public viewing and input on the items are available electronically. Members of the City Council will appear electronically for this meeting, via a video conferencing platform, and the live meeting will be accessible via broadcast and telephonically. Because of the current public health emergency, the City Council Chambers is closed for Council study sessions. However, the live meeting may be watched on local cable Mesa channel 11, online at Mesa11.com/live, www.youtube.com/user/cityofmesa11/live, or https://www.facebook.com/CityofMesa, or listened to by calling 888-788-0099 or 877-853-5247 (toll free) using meeting ID 5301232921 and following the prompts.
For any difficulties accessing this meeting, please call 480-644-2099.
5:15 PM REMOTE VIRTUAL PLATFORM Mon 11.16.2020
Roll Call
1 Review and discuss items on the agenda for the November 16, 2020 regular Council meeting > You can access the .pdf document using this link to the Council Committee & Board Research Center https://mesa.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
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RELATED CONTENT FROM EARLIER POSTS ON THIS BLOG:
06 November 2020
TENTATIVE AGENDA RELEASE > Remote Virtual Platform Meeting Mesa City Council. Mon 11.16.2020
Like they say "There's a lot of moving parts" - way too many to capture on just one page or in only one post. . .there's plenty to get you started off here, and way much more and many many meeting details you will have to work harder to find > https://mesa.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
Well ahead of time printed on 11.05.2020. Please note there are 13 contracts on pages 2-7 to review and 'various other items' like 8 Resolutions in Item 5 - five of which authorize and approve the City Manager Chris Brady to do certain things: all about Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
ITEM *5-h
20-1149 Authorizing the City Manager to enter into insurance agreements, as recommended by the City Attorney’s Office, to obtain insurance for the City including insurance for property, liability, cyber risk, and aviation, and authorizing the ability to obtain additional insurance and authorizing up to four additional annual renewal periods. (Citywide)
ITEM
20-1133 Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into contracts for the purchase of firm natural gas supplies for the City's natural gas distribution system for a period of up to five years and in amounts up to the full requirements of the system, as well as a contract for associated gas management balancing and scheduling services. (Citywide)
Meeting Agenda - Tentative Monday, November 16, 2020 5:45 PM
12 November 2020
12 November 2020
REMOTE MESA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION >> 07:30 AM Virtual PlatformThursday, November 12, 2020
The Final Agenda notice says it was printed on 11/10/2020. . .that only gives about one day ahead of time to take a look at the details. HOWEVER, what's not on the published agenda for this meeting is this item and a Presentation by Jeff McVay, Director of Downtown Transformation and City Manager Beth Hunig also planned for November 12,2020
Please see the next post on this blog site: THE PLAZA @ MESA CITY CENTER
Guaranteed Maximum Price Increase #4
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City Council Study Session
City of Mesa
Meeting Agenda - Final
Mesa Council Chambers 57 East First Street
Mayor John Giles Vice Mayor Mark Freeman - District 1 Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker - District 2 Councilmember Francisco Heredia - District 3 Councilmember Jennifer Duff - District 4 Councilmember David Luna - District 5 Councilmember Kevin Thompson - District 6
7:30 AMVirtual PlatformThursday, November 12, 2020
Roll Call
1 Review and discuss items on the agenda for the November 16, 2020 regular Council meeting
2 Presentations/Action Items:
20-1147 Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the Fiesta District Alternatives Analysis and Tempe/Mesa Streetcar Feasibility Study. 2-a
20-1156 Appointments to the Economic Development and Housing and Community Development Advisory Boards. 2-b
| File #: | 20-1156 |
| Type: | Appointment | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/12/2020 |
| Title: | Appointments to the Economic Development and Housing and Community Development Advisory Boards. |
| Attachments: | 1. Council Memo |
November 12, 2020 TO: CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: MAYOR JOHN GILES SUBJECT: Appointments to Boards and Committees
The following are my recommendations for appointments to City of Mesa Advisory Boards and Committees.
Economic Development Advisory Board – Nine-member board plus up to six exofficio members including new appointments.
Jennifer Zonneveld, (ex-officio) District 5. Ms. Zonneveld is the Director of Business Development at Northrop Grumman. She has more than 20 years’ experience in engineering, program management and business development. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Arizona State University. She holds two US Patents and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers.
Housing and Community Development – Eleven-member board including new appointments. Dr. Nicolle Karantinos. District 5.
Dr. Karantinos is a Realtor with Realty Executives.
She has an extensive background in education as a Spanish Teacher, Assistant Principal, Director of STEAM and Chief Academic Officer. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Communication from University of Northern Iowa, Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University. Her term expires June 30, 2023.
3 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees.
20-1150 Economic Development Advisory Board meeting held on October 6, 2020.3-a
| File #: | 20-1150 |
| Type: | Minutes | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/12/2020 |
| Title: | Economic Development Advisory Board meeting held on October 6, 2020. |
| Attachments: | 1. 2020-10-06 City of Mesa EDAB Approved Meeting Minutes |
___________________________________________________________________________
2 Presentations/Action Items:
20-1159 Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on an update of the Library’s current and future programming and a phased approach to re-opening. 2-a
| File #: | 20-1159 |
| Type: | Presentation | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/16/2020 |
| Title: | Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on an update of the Library’s current and future programming and a phased approach to re-opening. |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation |
3 Current events summary including meetings and conferences attended.
4 Scheduling of meetings.
5 Adjournment.¹
¹ Prior to adjournment, at this Council meeting, the City Council may vote to go into executive session for legal advice on any item listed on this agenda pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(3); this notice is given pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.02 to the members of the City Council and the public.
The City of Mesa is committed to making its public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. For special accommodations, please contact the City Manager's Office at (480) 644-3333 or AzRelay 7-1-1 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
Si necesita asistencia o traducción en español, favor de llamar al menos 48 horas antes de la reunión al (480) 644-2767.
Page 1 City of Mesa Printed on 11/12/2020
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Pre-2019 Mesa Senior Planner Rachel Prelog Had A Different Focus On Community Character > Equitable Outcomes
She was a grad student in Texas writing this in a 2014 project entry, "It is important, . . that every community making transportation investments, including bicycling and walking investments, understand the potential inequities that may result and use that understanding to ensure more equitable processes and outcomes."
Student’s tool measures urban bike transportation equity
Rachel Prelog
Municipal planners can use a tool developed by a Texas A&M urban planning student to determine if the location of current or planned bicycle lanes in their community enhance the mobility of residents who may not have ready access to automobiles.
The Bicycle Equity Index, developed by Rachel Prelog, is described in her [report] (http://www.bikeleague.org/content/new-report-equity-access-bicycle-infrastructure) “Equity of Access to Bicycle Infrastructure,” which was commissioned and published by the [League of American Bicyclists] (http://www.bikeleague.org/) , a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.
“Prelog’s report provides a means for communities to better understand the relationship between demographic groups and their respective access to bicycle lanes,” said Ken McLeod, an LAB legal and policy specialist.
The index is a composite measure of U.S. Census data from five population groups — people less than 18 and more than 65 years old, minorities, low-income and zero-car households. . .
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Why Won’t LAB Fix Flawed Report That Says Chicago Bike Plan Is Inequitable?
In 2012, the city of Chicago, the Active Transportation Alliance, and hundred of residents made a major effort to ensure the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 would create a bike network with convenient access for all Chicagoans, regardless of who they are or where they live.
The Chicago Department of Transportation held eight public meetings, all over the city, to collect input for the 645-mile planned network. Nine community advisory groups, most of them led by African-American or Latino residents, were established to help make sure the network would be useful and equitable.
Last week, the League of American Bicyclists released the study “Equity of Access to Bicycle Infrastructure” by Rachel Prelog, a Colorado-based urban planning grad student. The report establishes a “Bike Equity Index” method of using Census data to explore how well a bike network provides access to underserved communities, including neighborhoods of color. Prelog uses Chicago as the case study.
The report suggests that the effort to plan a Chicago bike network with equal benefit for people of all races and ethnicities was a failure
Re/Imagining Streets and Car-Driven Culture Suburban Sprawl In a Post-COVID World
This article outlines just a few techniques that we can use when developing ads to target a broader audience for the Vision Zero cause. Of course, there is a place for a variety of different creative styles, messaging, and content to be showcased depending on the goals and the audience. As long as we keep our message relatable, say what we have to say in emotions instead of statistics, and keep it simple, there are so many stories to tell as we advocate for safer and healthier communities for everyone.
Tom Flood has spent 15 years in marketing/advertising and many of those producing car advertisements. Today produces a variety of content through Rovélo Creative. Follow him on Twitter @tomflood1.
COUNTER-MESSAGING > While we can thank years of car-centric policy, poor municipal leadership, endless rhetoric, and false narratives for so many unknowingly adopting these attitudes, we can also take control of this message.
This is why re-humanizing people on bikes, and really anyone that is not in a car, is the priority.
"Car ads arrive on our screens in a non-stop onslaught. These messages are impossible to avoid, appearing year-round in every possible media space and high visibility location with an almost unmatched reach and frequency. Now, obviously, the Vision Zero movement doesn’t have the same marketing machine supporting their goals, but at its core, car ads are telling stories, and storytelling can work at any scale. If advocates can adopt the storytelling techniques of the car industry, we can possibly provide effective counter-messaging to the automotive industry onslaught. . ."
With many cities reimagining their streets to adapt to a post-COVID world, this is an apt time to understand how the Vision Zero movement can relay effective messages that push for better biking, walking, and public transit — and not revert back to a car-centric “normal. . ."
Car ads are emotional
If we look at a recent Lincoln ad — “The Power of Sanctuary” — we find a message that of the home as a sanctuary, and that during difficult times, it is important to focus on what matters most — in this case, family.
Family and safety are the key themes communicated here, and in auto campaigns in general, due to how dangerous the act of driving really is. Car manufacturers know this and know that there needs to be constant reassurance that this aspect of driving is not only addressed but prioritized . . .
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Not Informed For Decades...Kept In-The-Dark > Really? That's 'An Informed Take' to Take-Down!
Creepy? Nope. Nonetheless let's go there! Too much fun with the C.I.A. - and so the story goes:
Catch up quick: Crypto AG was controlled from 1970 on by the CIA and the West German BND intelligence agency. It sold encryption devices — often employed in diplomatic communications — that were used by over 120 countries through the 2000s.
Report: Swiss government long in dark over CIA front company
The Swiss intelligence service has known since at least 1993 that Switzerland-based encryption device maker Crypto AG was actually a front for the CIA and its German counterpart, according to a new report released by the Swiss Parliament, but Swiss leaders were in the dark until last year . . .
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Flash News: Ukraine Intercepts Russian Kh-59 Cruise Missile Using US VAMPIRE Air Defense System Mounted on Boat. Ukrainian forces have made ...
