News Pointer July 24-30, 1991

One Point of View

Where are the visionaries, one philosopher asks

DWAYNE HUNN

Special Features

Last week Joe started his long weekend at the 4th Street bar where he started talking with two idealistic pad school graduates, Tommy Enthuse and Benny Design, about their desire to move to Marvelous Marin. After a half-time trip to 4th Street’s designer bathroom and the phone, he returns to his bar stool.

“Did you get through to your friends?” chirpy Tommy asked.

“Got his answering machine again. It says he left an hour ago to meet me, which means he’s probably trying to be environmental and ride his bike here from Mill Valley.”

“That’s neat.’’

      “Yeah, well, if he’s not here in about 20 minutes it probably means someone ran him off of the bike-pathless San Rafael hill. The ambulance picking him up will pollute more than his little car would have,” Joe added, as he continued his aluminum recycling campaign.

      “So what did you mean about us having to soon become important players with Lucas or Autodesk in order for people like us to live here?” Tommy asked, resuming their earlier discussion.

      “Fellows, over the last ten years only 350 of you outsiders per year have been allowed to move into this county. The average single family detach­ed house sells for about $390,000, the average con­do for about $190,000. The agenda calls for less of you outsiders to be allowed to move in, more expensive housing and more freeway commuting by workers coming into Marin.”

“Well, someone must be working on chang­ing that,” Tommy said, as he showed his first frown of the day.

      “Most polls and elections indicate that Marinates like doing business as usual. Most observers feel that the so-called Marin en­vironmentalists control the electoral process by pontificating on the merits of preserving mice rather than air quality and people. And most politicians prefer to follow the polls, lead the mice and remain elected,’’ Joe responded.

      For once the bubbly one did not have an ins­tant reply, so Joe continued. “Now if you guys were policy makers with Lucas or Autodesk or their friends whose products train today’s kids to fly F-l5s and plant the images in grown up minds of what our world should be, then you could change that. You and those like you could have a chance to live around here.”

      “Explain,” quiet Benny said.

      “In days of yore, people of impact read a lot more than most people do today. From their readings, they generated their own pictures in their own shoulder mounted computer of how things could or should be. They then walked in the park, in the fields or in their neighborhood under that thought-provoking blue sky to figure out how to implement those heady ideas. Often they then took those ideas and made them happen for the benefit of the larger community. We became renowned as a “Can-Do” nation. Today, after be­ing stuck in single occupant vehicle traffic, driving to the store, child care center, hither-and-yon, and working a hectic day trying to figure out how to get through their personal and work-like bureau­cracy; people want the picture of how things should or could be drawn for them. After it’s drawn for them, they want someone else to imple­ment it.”

      “Are you suggesting that image makers can provide the answers to affordable housing, traffic and air quality problems?” Tommy asked.

      “Look, in a county where 88% of the land cannot be developed and where the neighboring county also wants to move toward setting most of its land outside of development, there are two places for young bloods like you to live com­patibly with the environment and without being indentured servants. One is in the already developed urban cities. The other is in mixed-use, villages along the rail line.”

“That’s the obvious, logical and environmen­tally sensitive answer that we work on in grad school often, Why isn’t it being done here?” the quiet designer asked.

      “When such ideas are proposed, a handful of influential people distort what the results would be and it is killed.

      “Lucas, Autodesk, Industrial Light & Magic and their compatriots could take the Marin Sonoma Rail Line and envision how sensitive, en­vironmental planning along that corridor could provide a rail oriented future with jobs and hous­ing balanced through a series of mixed-use villages linked to commercial, retail and light industry developed along the rail line. Clean, partially solar powered trains linked to demand responsive vans and interconnected ground travel could be part of the electronic visioning.

      “Today’s traffic, unaffordable housing mess could be envisioned as tomorrow’s community planned for the environment and people. Images drawn electronically hot wire information into shoulder supporter computers that vote. That’s how people begin to understand and support the do-ability of a healthy future.”

      “Then,” Joe continued, “Marin’s magic im­age makers could take almost any section of San Rafael — the Paul Street office area or the Albert Park area — use those AutoCAD programs to show how it is now and then — presto! Autocadly add some 2nd and 3rd story living spaces, child care facilities, shops, restaurant and — bingo! Unused air space above has produced a “community” on the ground below. Now that unused air space is just breathing the fumes of those 101 commuters who could be affordably renting and owning and birthing a community in a downtown within “walking” distance of a plethora of shops, parks and jobs.”

      “You think Lucas, Autodesk, Industrial Light and Magic and their friends are interested in doing something like that?” Tommy Enthuse quietly asked.

      “Somewhat. But they need a couple hot shots like you guys to get it going. Why don’t you ask them on Monday? Excuse me, I’ve got to use my other head again and call to see if my friend is in some roadside briar patch,” Joe said as he carried his aluminum canteen to the flush room.