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From YouTube: City Spotlight 4/2012 with Mayor Frank Cownie
Description
Mayor Cownie goes around Des Moines with Peter Katz guest of the "Tomorrow Plan" for April 2012 ...
Help us caption & translate this video!
https://amara.org/v/C0tDY/
A
Here
we
are
at
our
next
edition:
City,
spotlight,
I'm,
Mayor,
Frank
County
and
today
we're
continuing
our
discussion
on
urban
planning
and
sustainability
and
in
a
regional
sustainability
planning.
That's
going
on
and
with
me
today
is
Peter
cats.
Peter
is
the
father
of
new
urbanism
and
has
written
some
books
about.
It
has
been
in
Des
Moines
and
talked
to
our
sustainability
group,
and
we
thought
we'd
take
a
moment
to
kind
of
talk
about.
A
What's
going
on
in
and
around
Des
Moines
will
get
his
candid
honest
perspective
on
where
we're
going,
what
we've
been
doing,
and
maybe
what
we
should
be
doing
good
morning-
Peter
howdy
great
to
be
here.
How
are
you
great
great
to
have
you
in
Des
Moines,
we're
standing
here
on
ingersoll
Avenue
and
where
we
began
a
little
bit
of
some
of
our
public
safety
projects
that
turn
into
a
sort
of
a
traffic
calming
new
urbanist
idea
with
bike
lanes
and
walking
areas
and
we
hope
recreating
sort
of
a
pedestrian
friendly
shopping
area?
A
That's
close
to
a
fairly
dense
urban
residential
area
and
with
apartment
buildings
around
and
a
lot
of
of
retail
and
banking
and
other
things
that
are
necessities
of
life
sort
of
happening
in
the
area.
But
this
plan
Peter
sort
of
came
out
of
a
series
of
concerns
by
everybody,
from
retailers
to
residents
about
the
safety
of
the
area.
And
how
do
we
create
pedestrian-friendly
areas
and
rejuvenate
an
area
that
sort
of
needed
it
with
a
lot
of
the
retail
moving
out
of
downtown
into
neighborhoods?
A
B
Home
I
guess
one
question:
I
have
for
you:
it
has
to
do
a
little
bit
with
a
history
of
the
screen,
its
role
in
relation
to
downtown
and
whether
there
were
street
cars
that
ever
ran
here
was
it
a?
Was
it
a
great
retail
street
once
upon
a
time,
and
certainly
as
we
think
about
the
future,
it's
helpful
to
understand
the
past
and
you
know
planners
tend
to
obsess
over
detail
and
for
the
most
part,
the
details
they
fuss
over.
Aren't
that
important.
B
A
So
we
noticed
that
that
in
looking
and
having
our
traffic
transportation
people
that
there
had
been
some
success
around
the
country
with
free
lane
configurations,
we
tried
it
a
couple
areas
around
the
city
and
this
street
obviously
has
it
has
a
lot
of
traffic.
The
result
has
been
that
a
through
the
business
day
we
see
more
traffic
than
we
did
before
with
the
three
lanes.
A
A
That
formerly,
was
here
half
of
it
here
and
half
of
it
on
the
other
side
of
the
street,
where
we
can
now
have
had
people
who
used
bikes
safely,
coming
and
going
from
the
downtown
into
this
business
area
and
very
very
few
problems
or
certainly
accidents.
There
was
a
lot
of
fear
early
on
that
it
was
going
to
create
a
problem
I.
B
B
Having
been
in
local
government
can
tell
you
that
the
coordination
between
the
planning
staff,
the
transportation
staff,
Public
Works,
all
the
different
age,
all
the
different
groups
that
have
all
their
own
individual
interests
to
actually
coalescing
around
a
vision
for
a
modified
screen
again,
something
that
should
be
fairly
simple,
I
know
being
in
government
often
times
and
simple
things
are
not
always
so
so
simple,
but
it's
certainly
you
know.
The
two
big
are
three
big
user
groups.
B
Here
would
be
the
folks
and
cars
people
walking
and
people
on
bikes
and
each
one
of
them
need
a
very
different
landscape
and
it's
important
not
to
let
any
one
of
them
dominate.
Even
though
we
talk
a
lot
about
pedestrian
comfort
on
a
sidewalk
and
a
lot
of
things
have
been
done
here
to
make
the
pedestrian
feel
more
comfortable.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
you
don't
get
a
vital
street
if
the
cars
can't
Cruise
it
as
well.
B
The
building
moves
back.
That's
suburban
idea,
most
of
the
places
that
were
built
prior
to
the
suburban
era.
The
buildings
come
right
up
for
the
sidewalk,
because
some
merchants
understood
how
important
actually
seeing
the
merchandise
was,
and
when
you
go
to
the
very
best
neighborhoods
laid
out.
You
know,
probably
in
the
1920s
and
30s
before
the
suburban
area.
A
Area
has
been
renovated,
as
you
can
see.
A
number
of
the
store
fronts,
including
interesting
ly,
enough
this
one
used
to
be
a
dry
cleaner
over
here.
It
was
taken
over
by
a
chocolate
company
that
they
put
geothermal
and
out
here
in
front,
and
so
their
wells
were
the
old
dry.
Cleaner
parking
lot
was
that's
all
geothermal
under
there
and
they've
got
a
catchment
there
for
water
under
here.
This
store
here
has
been
totally
super
insulated
and
all
the
glass
has
been
replaced.
It's
all
double
paned
and
has
young
gas.
B
Know
the
greenest,
the
greenest
feature
of
any
place
is
walkability
probability
for
people
to
come
out
of
the
closest
pine,
neighborhoods
and
patronize
local
businesses,
and
sometimes
the
presence
of
an
important
business,
a
pharmacy
or
grocery
store
might
give
a
neighborhood
for
a
quarter
mile,
half
a
mile
all
around
it,
the
ability
for
people
to
do
with
one
less
car
and
the
relationship
of
this
street
to
the
houses
nearby.
It
is
really
important,
but
you
called
attention
to
the
improvements
done
here,
probably
worth
mentioning
a
few
things
here.
B
I
talked
before
about
the
idea
of
mediating
all
these
conflicts
and
and
doing
so
skillfully
that
you're
either
side
wins.
What
we're
seeing
here
are
a
lot
of
interesting
things.
Clearly,
there
was
a
desire
to
green
up
the
street
with
plantings
with
trees,
but
merchants
are
always
famous
for
hating
street
trees,
because
in
their
early
stages
the
canopy
of
the
tree
will
tend
to
block
the
street
signs
right
when
they
become
mature.
B
When
the
branching
takes
place
above
the
level
of
the
street
signs
they're
really
an
asset
and
people,
everybody
loves
them,
but
there's
that
awkward
early
period
right
now.
It's
not
an
issue
because
the
leaves
aren't
out
come
spring.
It
will
be
again.
The
hope
is
that
people
learn
who
their
local
merchants
are,
and
the
experience
of
scrolling
you're
between
the
trees
and
the
store
so
I
can
read
the
signs.
Another
feature
is
the
pruning
and
to
select
species
that
will
canopy
high
and
to
train
them
to
fly
it
up.
B
The
low
plantings
will
tend
to
at
some
point
when
they
get
a
well
established,
will
tend
to
block
the
merchandise
as
well
so
important
to
manage
those
and
even
the
plantings
right
up
next
to
the
windows.
So
you
know
the
classic.
American
main
screen
is
usually
less
green
than
this,
but
it's
not
to
say
you
can't
create
a
really
wonderful
screen
that
has
a
lot
of
green
component
operating
but
again
all
the
features,
the
the
urns
of
the
benches
and
again
urban
designers
can
never
agree
on
which
way
the
venture
should
face
all.
A
Right
so
here
we
are
a
Peter
kind
of
on
the
other
street
from
the
the
area
that
we
were
looking
at
before
with
the
parking
behind
on
this
side.
But
here's
a
straight
face
now
we're
on
28
Street
and
we've
got
sort
of
a
mix
with
here
we
see
residential,
just
starting
to
bump
up
right
against
the
the
commercial.
You
know.
B
One
of
the
things
that
always
amazes
me
when
I
walk
neighborhoods
like
this
is
the
genius
of
people.
They
didn't
call
themselves
urban
designers.
There
were
surveyors
or
engineers
who
probably
worked
for
the
municipality
back
in
the
1920s,
but
they
really
understood
intuitively
how
different
use
is
connected
and
how
to
use
design
to
mitigate
between
different
uses.
A
lot
of
great
lessons
to
be
seen
here,
for
instance,
one
of
them
is
that
this
building
to
my
right
is
a
mixed-use
building.
You've
got
housing
above,
you've
got
commercial
below
and
you
got
housing
here.
B
So
in
terms
of
use,
the
two
uses,
the
housing
and
housing
are
compatible.
The
commercials
here
as
well,
but
in
some
senses
it's
tame
by
that,
so
the
businesses
can
only
be
so
loud
and
so
attention-getting
before
they
start
to
conflict
with
the
people
right
upstairs.
Sir.
The
other
thing
has
to
do
with
the
scale
and
the
detailing
of
the
sidewalk
you'll
notice
that
the
actual
line
of
the
buildings
is
fairly
similar.
Here,
you've
got
the
fairly
narrow
plants
and
sidewalk
it
this
place.
B
The
sidewalk
actually
grows
the
concrete
strip
enlarges,
but
it's
still
aligned
with
with
yet
there's
still
a
compatibility,
so
lots
of
little
adjustments
are
made
as
you
move
across
here.
You
also
see
the
separation
by
a
street
which
gives
access
to
the
parking.
This
is
an
area
we're
going
to
be
looking
at
shortly
and
again,
the
upper
part
of
the
building
is
very
residential
in
character.
It's
not
there.
The
building
has
made
a
nod
to
the
neighborhood
around
it.
It's
it's
domesticated
itself
somewhat.
It's
not
saying
you
know
we're
a
full-on
screaming
commercial
building.
B
You
know
come
and
shop
here,
it's
kind
of
quiet
and
neighborly
and
again
these
are
the
nuances
they're
hard
to
regulate
in
terms
of
style,
but
they're
easy
to
regulate
in
terms
of
dimensions
in
terms
of
very
simple
things
that
can
be
specified
with
precision
and
you
can
determine
whether
compliance
has
been
achieved.
I
think
one
of
the
great
mistakes
we
make
in
regulation
is
focusing
on
the
subjective
issues
of
style
when
we
could
accomplish
nine-tenths
of
what
we're
trying
to
do
simply
through
dimensions
simply
through
some
really
basic
name.
A
But
Peter
I
just
want
to
bring
you
by
this
and
get
sort
of
a
sense
of
some
of
the
things
we're
trying
to
do
in
the
city.
Part
of
you
know
when
we
reach
out
to
businesses
and
neighbors
and
talk
about
sustainability
and
what
we
think
that
they
ought
to
be
doing.
It's
a
little
tough
when
you
start
talking
about
buildings
and
talking
about
how
we
should
design
stuff
and
then
whether
we
should
collect
and
reuse
water
and
all
those
kinds
of
things
and
ask
somebody
to
do
something
that
we're
not
willing
to
do
ourselves.
A
So
here's
an
example
of
our
kind
of
Northwest
maintenance
facility
in
our
park
system
and
this
this
building
was
designed
to
meet
a
leed
standard,
and
so
we
did
a
competitive
bid
as
all
government
projects,
as
you
know,
have
to
have
to
do,
and
we
did
a
conventional
bid
and
we
had
a
designer
come
up
and
meet
the
same.
Spec
in
terms
of
space
and
usage
is
the
other
building
and
try
to
meet
a
leed
standard.
This
one
did
it
it
made
it
and
we
got
the
all
the
plaques
and
everything
to
do
it.
A
But
a
good
example
of
how
things
can
be
done
lowers
our
utility
costs,
makes
better
use
of
materials
so
that
the
operations
of
this
facility
or
much
less,
and
on
top
of
that
it
costs
less
at
the
outset,
so
was
sort
of
a
win-win.
So
it
was
on
the
design
side,
often
that
you
can
only
make
that
that
statement
say
in
the
long
run
over
the
operation.
That's
building
in
the
total
life
cost
of
this
facility.
A
It
will
be
less,
but
this
one
was
less
from
the
very
beginning,
but
a
good
way
that
how
new
design
new
engineering
was
put
into
the
full
operation
of
our
of
our
city.
So
we're
doing
that
we've
got
a
Senior
Center.
That's
like
that.
Maybe
we'll
take
a
quick
look
at
a
couple
of
our
libraries
where
we
did
the
same
thing
that
wanted
you
to
take
a
it's.
B
Great
to
see
des
moines,
leading
by
example
in
terms
of
their
own
facilities,
and
also
the
importance
that
even
a
maintenance
related
facility
would
should
still
embody
principles
of
good
design
economy.
You
showed
us
on
the
way
out
here
the
facility
for
the
the
longest
since
departed
trolley
system.
That
was
a
beautiful
brick
structure
today,.
B
By
an
architectural
firm,
but
you
can
see
that
the
bones
of
that
building
were
terrific
and
again
something
that
people
might
think
of.
Just
as
a
back
office
service
operation
was
still
done
to
a
very
high
standards.
That's
the
kind
of
tradition
we
have
in
America.
In
terms
of
you
know,
I
know
out
in
California
in
the
1920s,
the
Pacific
Gas
and
Electric
Company
built
a
series
of
absolutely
beautiful
substations
that
today
we
admire
as
architectural
masterpieces.
B
A
We'll
take
it
we'll,
take
a
quick
look
at
it,
the
same
kind
of
concept,
as
was
used
on
our
Franklin
library.
Another
great
example:
we
hope
its
lead
platinum,
well,
Peter.
Here
we
are
at
our
Franklin
library.
This
is
a
total
retrofit
of
of
an
existing
building
and
plus
they
added
on
a
section
that
makes
it
about
twice
the
size
of
what
it
was
the
interesting
piece
of
it.
Not
only
is
this,
we
thank
a
LEED
Platinum
building.
We've
met
all
the
criteria.
Now,
of
course,
you
have
to
have
to
the
third
party.
A
People
come
back
and
reassess
and
make
sure
we
did
everything.
We
said
we
were
going
to
do,
but
I
think
they'll
not
only
see
that
we
did
everything
we
said
we're
going
to
do.
We
did
some
more,
but
this
building
functions
so
well
that
the
utility
bills
for
this
property
or
eighty-two
percent
less
Wow
twice
the
size
than
it
was
before
into
the
old
configuration.
So
it's
a
great
example
of
how
you,
with
the
latest
technology,
you
see
photovoltaics
on
here
some
of
the
latest
heat
exchange
units.
A
The
way
they
put
the
heat
through
the
building,
with
these
heat,
cool
beams
and
all
kinds
of
other
stuff
and
LED
lighting
all
state-of-the-art
today,
of
course,
10
years
from
now.
It
may
be
something
else,
but
this
is
a
great
example
of
technology
as
it
is
today
and
how
to
retrofit
a
building
and
really
make
it
energy-efficient
and
demonstrate
to
our
public
what
the
possibilities
are,
maybe
not
in
their
their
existing
houses,
but
some
of
the
little
things
that
they
can
start
doing
to
start,
making
a
difference.
A
Lower
their
own
utility
bills,
make
better
use
of
water
coming
off
their
their
roads
capture,
and
we
have
a
rain
Bell
barrel
project
where
they
capture
and
they
can
water
without
using
city,
water
and
treated
water.
You
know
plants
and
gardens
in
their
own
their
own
area
or
make
rain
guards.
We
have
number
of
people
that
are
doing
that
around
around
the
city.
Again,.
A
B
Hearing
you
talk
about
the
energy
performance
of
the
building,
I'm,
beginning
to
think
that
there's
going
to
come
a
day
when
we
look
at
buildings
that
aren't
generating
their
own
power
as
as
missing
some
major
portion
of
their
their
their
building.
This
the
thought
that
actually
in
my
neighborhood
I,
live
in
a
townhouse
in
Alexandria
Virginia,
the
same
builder
that
built
my
townhouse
ten
years
ago,
is
building
new
ones
and
normally
you'd
think
that
would
help
the
property
values,
except
that
the
new
townhouses
are
so
much
more
energy
efficient
that
people
just
walk
right.
B
Last
year
and
they
can
buy
the
new
ones,
probably
pay
power
bills.
There
may
be
a
third
what
we
pay
in
my
place,
so
the
whole,
how
we
think
about
the
physical
environment
of
buildings,
and
they
are
the
one
of
the
biggest
consumers
of
energy
in
America
today,
I
think
right
after
automobiles,
that's
really
going
to
be
changing
the
world
in.
A
That
whole
debate
for
a
long
time
about
what
energy
efficiency
was
and
whether
it
was
global
warming
and
there
so
that
there's
lots
of
reasons
to
think
about
energy
efficiency,
whether
you're
saving
the
planet
and
mitting,
less
carbon
or
you're.
Lowering
your
utility
bill.
It
all
means
a
lot,
and
certainly
everybody
can
find
their
own
reason
to
do
the
right
thing
and
save
money.
Certainly.
B
A
This
is
a
sort
of
as
the
snow
has
gone
away,
where
we're
out
here
before
they've
done
a
lot
of
of
work
to
kind
of
clean
it
up
after
the
year.
But
let's
talk
about
the
this
treat
side
quickly
of
this
building,
how
it
relates
to
the
public,
how
it
relates
to
the
passerby,
whether
they're
riding
in
a
bus
or
a
biker,
a
car.
B
Well,
you
know
public
buildings
are
really
an
important
part
of
our
communities
and
giving
citizens
the
opportunity
to
identify
in
a
very
clearly
visible
way.
You
know
these
are.
These:
are
the
institutions
of
community?
These
are
our
jointly
held
property
and
in
buildings
that
we
want
to
celebrate,
and
you've
told
me
that
this
building
is
actually
in
addition
to
an
existing
building.
B
The
existing
building,
I'm
guessing
dating
from
the
70s
or
80s,
really
represented
a
different
philosophy
of
community
and
architecture
that
building
could
have
been
a
corporate
building
could
have
been
an
office
building
could
have
been
any
sort
of
building
right,
the
more
contemporary
building
you're
beginning
to
articulate
the
functions.
This
glass,
enclosed
reading
room
acts
as
a
kind
of
a
signal
to
tell
people
important
building
here.
It's
it's.
It's
maybe
not
completely
clear
to
the
public
that
it's
a
library,
but
it
does
say
it's
a
different
sort
of
building
and
it
grabs
your
attention.
B
It
tells
you
where
the
entrance
is.
It
creates
a
kind
of
a
gateway
to
the
neighborhood
that
follows
and
I
think
certainly
moves
us
towards
recognizing
public
buildings
are
special.
You
know,
probably
the
the
strongest
case
of
a
public
building
is
a
town
hall
that
has
a
clock
tower
or
a
church
that
has
a
steeple
and
again,
even
though
it's
a
religious
building,
it's
still
an
institution
of
community
and
so
getting
back
to
that
hierarchy
in
terms
of
the
community.
B
This
is
very
clearly
the
front
of
a
building
previously
we're
standing
in
the
back
when
you've
got
a
lot
of
equipment
to
make
a
building
more
energy.
Conscious,
like
the
solar
panels,
like
all
the
apparatus
on
the
rooftops,
those
are
important
but
they're,
not
necessarily
things.
You
want
the
public
to
be
seen
right
all
the
time,
so
I
think
that
this
building
exercises
a
thoughtful
design
approach
of
putting
certain
things
out
to
the
the
front
that
the
public
needs
to
see
and
be
reminded
of,
and
a
lot
of
the
technical
apparatus
goes
to
the
back.
B
A
B
I
think
that
the
the
trees
you're
talking
about
trees
are
always
a
great
addition
right
and
I
think
the
trees
that
were
looking
at
there
would
be
terrific
I
would
what
I
would
probably
prefer
even
more
would
be
a
row
of
trees
actually
between
the
moving
lanes
of
the
street
and
the
sidewalk.
Those
would
have
the
added
benefit
of
causing
the
pedestrians
to
feel
more
protected.
B
They
would
begin
to
shade
the
streets
which,
for
bicyclists
and
for
motorists,
makes
a
more
attractive
street
and
again
they
contributed
that
feeling
of
safety
that
if
a
car
were
suddenly
to
veer
off
the
street
and
up
on
the
sidewalk
that
there's
some
larger
movable
object.
That
would
give
the
pedestrian
protection
and
again
you
know,
over
the
years
there's
been
a
lot
of
confusion
between
the
role
of
street
trees,
the
role
of
yard
trees.
We.
B
B
A
Here
we
are,
as
we
were
talking
about
cities
and
how
they
develop
over
time.
Here's
an
example
of
one
of
our
great
old
neighborhoods
in
Des
Moines.
It
is
developed
over
time.
We've
got
street
trees,
we've
got
the
sidewalks,
we've
got
houses
with
porches
and
a
lot
of
stuff
talk
to
us
a
little
bit
about
the
importance
of
that
kind
of
fabric.
A
lot.
B
A
B
We
have
the
chance
to
view
nowadays
not
just
the
nuances
of
design
but
a
chance
to
see
the
vegetation
the
street
trees
now
fully
mature
and
camping
over
the
streets.
The
amazing
thing
that
you
get
in
a
neighborhood
like
this.
If,
if
you
are
a
person
that
values
the
public
realm,
you
might
move
in
an
old
house
with
old
bathrooms
and
old
kitchens
that
are
not
serving
our
needs,
the
way
modern.
How
is
this
do?
B
But
when
you
walk
out
the
door
and
you're
in
an
environment
like
this,
particularly
in
another
couple
of
weeks,
when
all
the
leaves
around
on
the
tree
is
the
tree
in
the
street
is
beautifully
shaded
with
a
dapple
life,
you
can't
get
that
experience
in
any
kind
of
a
new
community
unless
you're
willing
to
wait
20
or
30
years,
and
by
the
time
you
wait,
20
or
30
years.
The
appliances
are
going
to
be
old.
The
floor
plan
is
going
to
be
old,
so.
B
In
a
lot
of
ways,
your
best
bet
in
terms
of
a
wonderful
experience
of
the
neighborhood,
is
to
find
a
mature
neighborhood
like
this,
that
employs
all
the
the
best
design
principles
and,
unfortunately,
you
might
be
renovating
a
bathroom
or
kitchen
or
two,
but
at
least
what
you
have
when
you've
got
all
the
pieces
is,
is
the
great
experience
both
inside
and
out
Peter.
This.