George Rebane

Our visit to Santa Fe was made this morning when we visited the Santa Fe Institute.  SFI is a non-profit institute of learning in the systems sciences with an international reputation.  Russ and I, being systems techies, just wanted to go to the mother temple and genuflect a little.  When with our brides we walked in unannounced, we were greeted most cordially when we revealed the purpose of our visit.  After being served coffee and shown around a bit, we were joined by Dr. Chris Wood, vice-president of SFI, who spent over an hour with us going over the institute’s research, academic staff, methods, and plans.  In the coming months there will be more to say about what all of us look forward to as a growing relationship connecting the issues of Nevada County to some world class research in methods and approaches to public policy.  We left the ‘temple grounds’ with an armload of reports and papers after being given run of the institute’s library.

The city of Santa Fe is a planning department’s dream.  Houses and buildings all have the same pueblo look to the point where it is past monotonous.  I can imagine how thin and simple must be their architectural guide for buildings within the city limits.  But the more interesting point is that this cookie cutter approach (aka architectural style) is followed over the entire countryside.  Driving up from Albuquerque we saw community after I-25 hugging community composed of exactly the same type of houses – this went on for thirty miles.  This dictum makes the capitol of the state almost disappear as seen from an overlook.  The following pictures illustrate the imagination evident in the design of brand new and existing houses.  The entire theme is picked up and replicated over the entire town as shown in the  downtown photos of a typical street and a commercial building in which we recognize the dapper Russ Steele.  In my humble opinion this is Exhibit A of community planning taken an earth-shade too far.  I am thankful that Nevada County’s forebears left us a variety of forms and styles to copy as we seek to maintain the mining town look and feel of our little towns.  Square mile after square mile of pueblo architecture quickly becomes mind-numbing.  Nevertheless some of those hillside homes that look like piles of mud are on the market for a million or two.

From a comment following my previous post on the proposed Managed Growth Initiative, its proponents, whom I have labeled The Stagnators, appear to be in a state of extreme ignorance when it comes to the history of governance.  (The alternative, which I reject, is to think of them as being evil demagogues who are taking advantage of the public’s dumbth on the matter.)  I believe that they are going forward with the initiative because it is grounded on some reasonable expectation of ‘saving our community’.  The commenter further implies that there is no factual basis for opposing their efforts.  Russ Steele has added his comment to my post and also posted an extensive counter (see NC Media Watch) to the madness that the MGI, should it pass, will loosen on Nevada County.