Mesa Del Sol: New Urbanism in Albuquerque

"Mesa Del Sol will be located just outside of downtown Albuquerque and is comprised of twenty square miles of land, 3,200 acres of which are said to remain as open space.' Albuquerque is famed for it's 300 days a year of sunshine, was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the best places for businesses and careers in the U.S., is just under a three hours drive from world class skiing in Taos, and is a short two hour flight from L.A.' Mesa Del Sol's New Urbanism approach means that virtually everything you need will be within walking distance -- stores, work, schools, homes, and parks etc.'

Mesa Del Sol's first completed building is LEED certified and occupied by a solar company.' Their site says that the community will embrace the idea of sustainability by conserving water, promoting walking instead of driving, promoting renewable energy use, and offering recycling
programs.'

The community is in the beginning stages and while no homes or lots are for sale yet, home prices are estimated to start at a reasonable $150,000 to upwards of $700,000.' Homes will be Energy Star certified.'

One feature I was surprised to see in the renderings was double-lane roads running down the middle of the community, something that I have not seen in many green communities.' Perhaps this is necessary due to the size of the community and it certainly gives off a more urban feel, but I think it distracts a bit from the walking theme of the community.' The other element that I prefer to see utilized by green urban communities is the re-use of previously developed land instead of development of a completely new tract of land.' But again, with the size of this project, that probably would not have been an option.'

Overall, there is a wealth of information to take in on Mesa Del Sol's site.' This is a truly impressive large-scale project.' It will be wonderful to watch this community emerge as homes,
businesses, and the town-centers begin to develop.' Visit Mesa Del Sol's site to learn much more about the community and to sign-up to be kept up to date with the project.

All renderings credit: Mesa Del Sol."

(Via jetson.green.)

Local Food Rebuilds Small Town (And Inner-City) America

"La Finquita Community Garden via Nuestras Raíces

Our uncertain times, both economic and environmental, have businesses, individuals and all levels of government scrambling for a positive way forward. On one end of the solution spectrum is the short-sighted U.S. financial bailout. On the other end are thousands of far-sighted individuals, community groups, neighborhoods, and towns, planting, growing, preserving, cooking, and eating food grown in their own (literal and figurative) backyard..."

(Via TreeHugger.)

Writing Across Communities

Fellow students,

We invite all UNM graduate and undergraduate students to attend our
first meeting of the semester and to consider joining the Writing
Across Communities Alliance!

When: Wednesday, 9/17 at 11:00 am
Where: Higher Grounds

Who we are: WAC is a multidisciplinary organization which seeks to
promote writing as a mode of thinking, learning, and teaching across
the disciplines and among communities outside of the university. We are
currently getting ready to host the 2008 Civil Rights Symposium, and
every semester WAC holds tutoring workshops for student writers. We are
also always looking for new ways to promote writing across communities.
Some ideas for future projects include fostering collaboration between
speakers of English as a second language and native speakers, outreach
to communities outside of the university, and building relationships
among academic departments across UNM. We encourage creativity and
ideas of all sorts!

If you are interested in joining WAC but can’t make this meeting,
please email me off list at ivesle@unm.edu with your availability, and
we will adjust meeting times to best fit the schedules of everyone
interested.

Look forward to seeing you then!
Lindsey Ives and Katie Denton, WAC Alliance

Feminist Research Institute Reception

The Feminist Research Institute invites you to its Fall reception:

Friday, September 12.
5-7 p.m.
UNM Masley Art Gallery

Please join the Feminist Research Institute for appetizers and conversation at the opening of Through Feminist Eyes, a juried art exhibition. All faculty and graduate students who are interested in feminist research, women's issues, and/or the study of gender and sexuality are welcome to attend. This will be an opportunity to greet new faculty as well as familiar colleagues and to contribute your ideas for events and programs in the upcoming year.

The exhibition, co-sponsored by FRI, was juried by Judy Chicago and Meinrad Craighead, who selected 23 works by 12 artists from over 30 submissions. The artists, comprised of faculty, staff, and students at the University of New Mexico main and branch campuses, are Krista Cibis, Victoria DeBlassie, Sarah Hartford, Julianne Harvey, Topher House, Mara Pierce, Jill Rounds, Julia Sapir, Nina Stephenson, Jean Stevens, Jennifer D. Van Horn, and John Zimmerman. The exhibition runs from Sept. 12 - Oct. 3.

Please RSVP to femresin@unm.edu or 277-1198 by Friday, Sept. 5. Also, please feel free to share this information with colleagues who may be interested in attending. We look forward to seeing you there!

Feminist Research Institute
University of New Mexico
(505)277-1198
femresin@unm.edu