Better Not Bigger

Better Not Bigger
by Eben Fodor

New Society Publishers, 1999 ($14.95)

Reviewed by NPG Executive Director Sharon McCloe Stein

American attitudes toward growth reflect a great deal of ambivalence. Many see economic and population growth as good business, more consumers, more workers, more prosperity ÷ a rising tide that lifts all boats. For those who directly profit, growth is an engine of expanding wealth and power, with many politicians seeing it as the ticket to re-election and just as importantly a well-funded war chest. For most others, growth is a fact of life, something to be endured, the inevitable price of progress. For most ordinary American families living in sprawl ravaged communities, however, growth has a dark underside that has, until recently, received far too little exposure.

Now, Eben Fodor, who describes himself as a "public interest community planning consultant (i.e., not a development planner)," has written a book for those who want realistic alternatives to the prospect of never-ending growth. Better Not Bigger is a thoroughly accessible, information- filled, action guide that definitively exposes the myth that growth is an unalloyed good. His analysis of the money, economic forces, and political alliances that drive growth clearly delineates who are the real winners and losers. As Fodor follows the money, we find that it is not the long-term well being of American communities but an unwritten and too often unexamined mantra "In Growth We Trust" that drives the local politics of growth. Whether it is community activists or the increasing number of local decision-makers who are looking to battle the powerful and well-funded development interests, this is a book that provides the answers and arguments necessary to be an effective advocate for rejecting the growth imperative and moving toward truly sustainable communities.

Just as growth consumes communities piece by piece, Fodor meticulously takes apart the growth machine and exposes its inner workings. At the heart of this machine are what he describes as the "The Twelve Big Myths of Growth." One by one, he addresses and carefully provides a detailed refutation of growth's core ideology, myths such as: "growth provides needed tax revenues, we have to grow to provide good jobs, we have to Îgrow or die'."

Fodor pays special attention to one of today's most prevalent myths ÷ that "smart" growth is the answer. If only we do a better job at planning, create some green space, revitalize the urban cores, "smart growth" can provide it all, good jobs, affordable housing, an increased quality of life and a healthy environment. He calls this "The Catch 22 of Growth: the better you make your community, the more people will want to live there, until it is no better than any other community." Far too many communities have been seduced by the belief that they can have their cake and eat it too, that they can somehow manage growth, mitigate the worst impacts of sprawl and still preserve quality of life and the environment. This book is a powerful exposition of the fundamental contradictions that underlie the rhetoric and often self-serving promises of smart growth apologists.

Much of the hard-hitting analysis on the costs of growth came from a groundbreaking study that Fodor did on the infrastructure costs to local communities of single family homes in Oregon. In what is perhaps the best in depth examination of the costs of growth to local communities available, Fodor's detailed analysis is a virtual activist primer on determining the costs of growth to any community across the country.

This book is far more than just a critique of growth. Its greatest value is to grassroots organizers, environmentalists, and other activists who want to get involved and do something to help their local communities put the brakes on growth. Much of the latter half of the book is a detailed nuts and bolts look at what local communities can do to control and in many cases stop growth on the local level. Unlike the growth accommodation masquerading as smart growth so fashionable among some national and state political leaders, Fodor recognizes that simply making the best of a bad situation is not enough. He is keenly aware that the main battles over growth are won and lost in thousands of local communities across the nation. This book also provides the analysis, information and resources to successfully take on the growth machine.

This emphasis on the local is both a strength and weakness in the book's approach to growth issues. If there is a shortcoming, it is in a failure to put local growth control efforts in the larger context of national economic and population growth. While he details effective strategies and tactics for controlling or stopping growth on the local level, Fodor never quite comes to grips with the extent that national population growth drives both economic expansion and ultimately growth on the local level. As long as the national population keeps growing, the additional people will need jobs, houses, transportation and resources to consume. Populations may grow nationally, but they impact is most acute in the local community. No matter how well you manage, mitigate or minimize, additional humans means additional impacts on quality of life and on the environment be it locally, nationally or globally.

Likewise, Fodor never really examines how much more effective the measures he advocates would be if population growth pressures were alleviated. Good planning and design, economic and tax incentives, effective and innovative land use regulation, preserving undeveloped land, and citizen involvement are all important parts of controlling growth and moving toward sustainability. But, no matter how effective these measures are they are not by themselves sufficient for lasting gain. From a long-term perspective, the only sound foundation for ending growth is a stable and stationary national population, ideally at an optimum level much smaller than today's. Better Not Bigger gives much needed insights, analysis, practical tools and activist resources for those working for "smart" growth. Were these efforts combined with national efforts to lower immigration and eventually stop national population growth, the approaches presented in this book could be the basis for achieving truly livable and sustainable communities.

About the author Sharon McCloe Stein is Executive Director of Negative Population Growth.

© Copyright 1999 by NPG. Permission to reprint is granted in advance. Please acknowledge source and author, and notify NPG.

Burglaries Recently In Salisbury

10/2/2007 00:03 710 S Park Dr Burglary: UnlwflEnt, Res 200700032798 Under Invst

10/2/2007 10:36 709 Eastern Shore Dr Burglary: ForcEnt, Nonres 200700032831 Under Invst

10/2/2007 20:15 527 Wailes St Burglary: ForcEnt, Res 200700032907 Under Invst

10/2/2007 22:42 201 Davis St Burglary: AttForcEnt, Res 200700032936 Under Invst

10/1/2007 09:06 523 E Isabella St Burglary: ForcEnt, Res 200700032697 Under Invst

10/1/2007 09:14 407 Oak St Burglry: AttForcEnt Nonre 200700032699 Under Invst

10/1/2007 15:03 1014 Queen Anne St Burglary: UnlwflEnt Nonre 200700032740 Under Invst

10/1/2007 18:08 407 Oak St Burglary: ForcEnt, Nonres 200700032759 Under Invst

Dog The Bounty Hunter Suspended From A&E For Racial Slurs

The following was found around the Internet. It seems to me that Imus had his issues and now Dog has some of his own. The point here is, American's are NOT going to tolorate this and they will in fact be punished for doing so. Other Anti Albero Blogs are out there already supporting Dog and or anyone using the "N" Word.

A&E has canceled Dog: The Bounty Hunter following a tape that--of all people--The National Inquirer found where Dwayne "The Dog" Chapman repeatedly uses racial slurs for his son's black girlfriend.

"I don't care if she's a Mexican, a whore, whatever. It's not because she's black, it's because we use the word n- - - - - sometimes here [...] "I'm not going to take a chance ever in life of losing everything I've worked for, for 30 years, because some f- - -ing n- - - - - heard us saying n- - - - -. [...] It's that we use the word n- - - -. We don't mean, 'You f- - -ing scum n- - - - - without a soul... We don't mean that s- - -, but America would think we mean that."


The Dog apologized last night, and said he was ripping the girlfriend's character and not her race.
"I am deeply disappointed in myself for speaking out of anger to my son and using such a hateful term in a private conversation," Chapman said in his written apology.

A&E also released the following statement, "A&E has just learned of the story released by the National Enquirer concerning Duane Dog Chapman. We take this matter very seriously. Pending an investigation, we have suspended production on the series. When the inquiry is concluded we will take appropriate action."

Duane Chapman aka "Dog the Bounty Hunter" has a few problems tonight. First and foremost, he's a racist whose son is married to a black girl. Secondly, he has come under attack for spewing racial epithets, including the N-word, on an audio tape that may have been leaked or sold to the NATIONAL ENQUIRER by that same son. And his popular reality series was just cancelled by A&E.

Pastor Story said, "What shocked me was that he used the N word. I know he's not a racist. He's been to black churches with me to help inner-city kids."

The pastor, who married Duane and Beth, said he talked to a tearful Dog three times today and he apologized, saying he wasn't angry at the girl, it was anger toward his son.

Ignorant & Irresponsible Hunters!

As you can clearly see, some ignorant hunter gutted a deer right on the side of the road. Leaving the remains will attract scavengers and in many cases cause serious harm or death to young Eagles, such as the one shown above.

If you're going to hunt, be responsible enough to carry what you're gutting away from the road. I hate it when this happens!

Today's Wildlife Photos

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA

NOVEMBER 5, 2007
CONFERENCE ROOM 305
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING

4:30 p.m. Donation of “The Bricks” located at 502 E. Isabella Street – Loré
Chambers

4:45 p.m. Parking Study report presentation – Desman Associates

5:30 p.m. Potential projects for FY08 bond issuance – Pam Oland

5:45 p.m. Traffic flow changes on Cecil Street – Chip Messick

6:00 p.m. Council discussion – introduction of legislation

6:25 p.m. General discussion/upcoming agendas

6:30 p.m. Adjourn

Things That Make You Go, Hmmmmmmmm?

Is YOUR Boat Big Enough?

This photo was taken from a yacht.

A Rare Invite To Monoblogue

GO HERE If you're interested in a precise, yet verbose version of the meeting the other night at Wor-Wic referencing growth.

Michael Shwartz always does a great job line by line, blow by blow and I do have more to add to this very interesting speech. I will be providing photos to give more of a visual as to facts but one thing I can assure you, the Tilghman Administration has been blowing smoke up your you know what with their BS Growth pays for Growth crap! Far from it. Wait till you see reality, go visits Michael's Site and read more.