Re: Who is using this Newsgroup?

trevoroc@pacbell.net
10 Oct 1997 15:18:56

From: trevor burrowes <trevoroc@pacbell.net>

I am Trevor Burrowes. I have been working in East Palo Alto, CA on sustainable
development issues based on land use. In that connection, I am familiar with a
few people on this list.

My major "achievement" is in spearheading the Weeks Neighborhood Plan,
concerning East Palo Alto's largest, most centrally located neighborhood.
Indispensable partners in this project were the Rivers, Trails and Conservation
Assistance Program of the National Park Service (NPS) and Urban Ecology, Inc.
(UE). The Weeks Neighborhood is a relatively intact 300 acres of cultural
landscape which is strongly imprinted with the pattern of its original layout as
a utopian residential and agricultural community created in 1916.

The land is often lush with a rural feeling and excellent soil. The Plan calls for
developing the area in such a way that its large lots (primarily 1/2 to 1 acre lots)
will remain intact. A few key elements are:

- maintaining the existing large residential lots, placing houses near the
front and leaving the rear open for gardening and agricultural activities;

- allowing housing density near commercial nodes, to encourage walking,
biking and transit use;

- keeping neighborhood streets narrow, not only for traffic safety but to
keep the many mature street trees and abundant vegetation that line the
streets;

- enhancing the city's agricultural capacity through specialty crops and home
food production.

I am hoping that the Brownfields "establishment" will increase its support of
projects like the Weeks Plan, involving proactivity, and building on the
strengths rather than just the problems of "inner city" communities like
East Palo Alto.

Anyone wishing to discuss any of this with me can reach me at <trevoroc@pacbell.net>.
The following web site will provide a summary of the Weeks Plan (Under Planning):
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/1937/