LAY OF THE LAND

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Bold Strokes

by Marilyn Berlin Snell

Home Sweet Mall
There’s a plan afoot to turn those meccas of consumerism, American shopping malls, into refuges of livability. A study by the Congress for the New Urbanism concludes that failed regional shopping malls can be transformed into vibrant new neighborhoods. One of the study participants, architect Mark Falcone, did just that with a mall called Cinderella City in Englewood, Colorado. Once the largest mall west of the Mississippi, Cinderella City had 275 shops, 7,000 free parking spaces, and two miles of shopping area. But by 1997, the mall’s final tenant, Montgomery Ward, had pulled up stakes. The new project, CityCenter Englewood, has mixed-use housing, a multi-screen theater, and a Wal-Mart, along with other shops. The Congress for the New Urbanism found that more than 100 enclosed malls around the country are in financial straits and ripe for architectural redefinition. For more information on the study, visit www.cnu.org/malls.

Atomkraft? Nein, Danke
While the Bush brigade is marching ahead with plans to build nukes all across the United States, Germany is pushing just as hard in the opposite direction. In June the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder sealed a deal with the nation’s energy providers to shut down all 19 plants that produce nuclear power, or “Atomkraft.” The reactors, which generate one-third of Germany’s electricity, will be phased out by 2025. To meet the Kyoto Protocol’s emission-reduction targets, research and development in renewable energy such as wind and solar will get an infusion of deutsche marks from the government. Once enamored of nukes, Germans have become increasingly opposed since the devastating reactor accident in Chernobyl in 1986. Government support, however, remained firm until the election of Schröder, a Social Democrat with strong ties to the Green Party, in 1998.

For the Birds
The urban jungle is murder on migrating birds, but Chicago has figured out a way to lower the death toll. As many as 7 million fowl cruise along the Lake Michigan shoreline in spring and fall. Unfortunately, for reasons not quite clear to scientists, birds are attracted to skyscraper lights and smash into windows--especially at the upper elevations--putting an unpleasant end to their journeys. In the spring of 2000, Chicago launched its voluntary “Dim the Lights” campaign along the lakefront. “Some of the buildings are known for distinctive lighting, so there was some resistance at first,” says city spokesperson Jessica Rio. “But building managers also have cleanup crews who were picking up a lot of dead birds.” At least 19 buildings now participate during the twice-yearly migrations. Scientists estimate that having lights off in one building saves thousands of birds a season--as well as a lot of energy.