thedrifter
12-28-08, 08:56 AM
Bases focus on smarter growth
By Haya El Nasser - USA TODAY
Posted : Sunday Dec 28, 2008 8:49:28 EST
Most military bases developed much the same as the suburbs outside their gates: They sprawled.
On military installations the size of small cities, homes are clustered on cul-de-sacs at one end, offices at another, stores somewhere else. The lack of sidewalks along their main roads signals that main streets are designed for cars — not pedestrians. Even those who live, work and shop on base have to drive from one point to another.
Now the military is rewriting the rules and embracing all things “green” and “sustainable.” All branches are beginning to rethink the way they build and design their bases — significant because the military manages 30 million acres of U.S. lands.
The largest bases are adopting concepts favored by many towns: compact, energy-efficient development that encourages walking, fosters a sense of community and eats up less space.
“They’re creating great places where you would have housing right next to the grocery store, housing close to where the soldiers work,” says Jerry Zekert, chief master planner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which provides planning support to the Army and other armed services. “The Army is just like America.”
Base construction boom
The new focus on smart growth comes as many bases must build housing for thousands more soldiers. The 2005 decisions of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission repositioned thousands of overseas U.S. troops and closed or downsized bases here, so the population of some installations has soared.
The Army may get 75,000 more soldiers over the next four years. It expects to spend $56 billion on new construction. Its strategy: Protect the environment; make sure nothing interferes with the training mission; build a great community.
Fort Lewis, a post south of Tacoma, Wash., is touted as a model of the new philosophy. The active-duty population was 18,000 five years ago. It’s now 30,000 and is expected to top 32,000 by 2012, says Col. Cynthia Murphy, garrison commander.
Fort Lewis stretches across 86,000 acres, much of it used for training missions. About 30% of families live in the 3,800 homes there — most built after World War II. Another 290 homes will be built next year and up to 2,000 more over time.
The military doesn’t want to touch land used for training, which it views as vital. That means overhauling the base’s old development plan. About 600 people met in workshops — “from junior soldiers to the most senior leadership to families of deployed soldiers … single soldiers, retirees,” Murphy says.
A planning vision emerged: A main boulevard with sidewalks, side streets for slower traffic, 2- to 3-story buildings for denser development, retail stores on the street level, a distinct downtown. It identified 12 neighborhoods that would have their own mini-downtowns. All would be connected to the main town center.
When the post exchange, the on-base store, wanted to expand to resemble a commercial big-box store, Murphy said no for the same reasons many towns do: Giant parking lots around them create traffic and little connection with a neighborhood.
Now, housing is planned nearby. A new dental facility that needed parking space shares with a church that had available parking during business hours. “It’s really a phenomenal amount of change,” says Tom Tolman, installation planner at Fort Lewis.
Lt. Col. Mark Landes and his wife, Morri, live on-post with their two children but drive off-base to shop. “The thought of being able to live, work and play all in one place is quite exciting,” Morri Landes says.
Standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council are now required of all new Army construction. “If we could get more people living close to the downtown area, places to eat, places to work, it could save 18 million pounds of emissions a year,” Tolman says.
Aiming for sustainable
Mark Gillem, architecture professor at the University of Oregon, was on active duty in the Air Force for nine years. Now, he is a consultant to the military and teaches the importance of creating sustainable communities.
It’s happening gradually in places such as Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Fort Belvoir, Va. Cost savings are an incentive, Gillem says.
Families who live in downtown areas can save $1,500 a year, he says, largely because they’ll spend less on gas and insurance. That’s significant for an enlisted family making $25,000 a year.
Jonathan Weiss, an environmental sustainability and military expert with the consulting firm ManTech SRS, says the military deserves credit for its efforts.
“The military has learned much from the … lessons passed on by pioneering cities like Portland, Ore., and Chicago,” Weiss says. “It’s like turning an enormous tanker around. It takes time, but the military recognizes you’ve got to do it.”
Ellie
By Haya El Nasser - USA TODAY
Posted : Sunday Dec 28, 2008 8:49:28 EST
Most military bases developed much the same as the suburbs outside their gates: They sprawled.
On military installations the size of small cities, homes are clustered on cul-de-sacs at one end, offices at another, stores somewhere else. The lack of sidewalks along their main roads signals that main streets are designed for cars — not pedestrians. Even those who live, work and shop on base have to drive from one point to another.
Now the military is rewriting the rules and embracing all things “green” and “sustainable.” All branches are beginning to rethink the way they build and design their bases — significant because the military manages 30 million acres of U.S. lands.
The largest bases are adopting concepts favored by many towns: compact, energy-efficient development that encourages walking, fosters a sense of community and eats up less space.
“They’re creating great places where you would have housing right next to the grocery store, housing close to where the soldiers work,” says Jerry Zekert, chief master planner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which provides planning support to the Army and other armed services. “The Army is just like America.”
Base construction boom
The new focus on smart growth comes as many bases must build housing for thousands more soldiers. The 2005 decisions of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission repositioned thousands of overseas U.S. troops and closed or downsized bases here, so the population of some installations has soared.
The Army may get 75,000 more soldiers over the next four years. It expects to spend $56 billion on new construction. Its strategy: Protect the environment; make sure nothing interferes with the training mission; build a great community.
Fort Lewis, a post south of Tacoma, Wash., is touted as a model of the new philosophy. The active-duty population was 18,000 five years ago. It’s now 30,000 and is expected to top 32,000 by 2012, says Col. Cynthia Murphy, garrison commander.
Fort Lewis stretches across 86,000 acres, much of it used for training missions. About 30% of families live in the 3,800 homes there — most built after World War II. Another 290 homes will be built next year and up to 2,000 more over time.
The military doesn’t want to touch land used for training, which it views as vital. That means overhauling the base’s old development plan. About 600 people met in workshops — “from junior soldiers to the most senior leadership to families of deployed soldiers … single soldiers, retirees,” Murphy says.
A planning vision emerged: A main boulevard with sidewalks, side streets for slower traffic, 2- to 3-story buildings for denser development, retail stores on the street level, a distinct downtown. It identified 12 neighborhoods that would have their own mini-downtowns. All would be connected to the main town center.
When the post exchange, the on-base store, wanted to expand to resemble a commercial big-box store, Murphy said no for the same reasons many towns do: Giant parking lots around them create traffic and little connection with a neighborhood.
Now, housing is planned nearby. A new dental facility that needed parking space shares with a church that had available parking during business hours. “It’s really a phenomenal amount of change,” says Tom Tolman, installation planner at Fort Lewis.
Lt. Col. Mark Landes and his wife, Morri, live on-post with their two children but drive off-base to shop. “The thought of being able to live, work and play all in one place is quite exciting,” Morri Landes says.
Standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council are now required of all new Army construction. “If we could get more people living close to the downtown area, places to eat, places to work, it could save 18 million pounds of emissions a year,” Tolman says.
Aiming for sustainable
Mark Gillem, architecture professor at the University of Oregon, was on active duty in the Air Force for nine years. Now, he is a consultant to the military and teaches the importance of creating sustainable communities.
It’s happening gradually in places such as Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Fort Belvoir, Va. Cost savings are an incentive, Gillem says.
Families who live in downtown areas can save $1,500 a year, he says, largely because they’ll spend less on gas and insurance. That’s significant for an enlisted family making $25,000 a year.
Jonathan Weiss, an environmental sustainability and military expert with the consulting firm ManTech SRS, says the military deserves credit for its efforts.
“The military has learned much from the … lessons passed on by pioneering cities like Portland, Ore., and Chicago,” Weiss says. “It’s like turning an enormous tanker around. It takes time, but the military recognizes you’ve got to do it.”
Ellie