 |
This site requires Flash Player 6 or higher. Please click here to download and install it now. |
| Guppys Wanted |
 |
 |
 |
|
An article in the Christian Science Monitor explored the emergence of a generation of young professionals interested in anything “earth friendly.” It dubbed them GUPPYS: green urban professionals who are young, and suggested they use that interest to create their own urban oasis.
Drawing upon research from the Pacific Northwest, the article made the following observations which could apply equally well in other areas with similar characteristics. “A lot of people move here seeking many things, not the least of which is a life in greener place says Ethan Seltzer, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University. Oregonians may not be getting the biggest paychecks, but they are getting access to a natural environment that provides them with a lot of benefits.” “Well-educated young people are disproportionately drawn to Portland according to Joe Cortright, economist and coauthor of “Young and Restless: How Portland Competes for Talent,” a study of the migration of 25- to34-year-olds across the US. In focus groups people said Portland is a place where you can live your values, and environmentalism is clearly one of them.” “Mr. Cortright sees this playing out across the country as well. In places where young professionals are migrating the job market gets extremely tight, forcing much of the creativity into entrepreneurial positions.” Growth in the Triangle region is substantial, and driven in part by a new generation of professionals that may very well include GUPPYS. They will create their own earth friendly personal spaces, with solar heating, natural lighting, green roofs, etc. Whether they can effect the creation of an urban oasis from the area’s natural assets is not assured, and will in all likelihood require collaborative efforts. The greenway network being created incrementally by local governments across the region is the single most important feature of an anticipated oasis. No other element of public infrastructure can contribute as much to the creation of an earth friendly region. With an appropriate width, greenway corridors can maintain functional ecological systems within urban/urbanizing areas. Forested riparian greenway corridors buffer and protect water quality. Greenway corridors left as natural open space avoid the damage and disruption caused by periodic flooding. They can provide active and passive environmental education for all ages. Further, these greenway corridors may include an integrated trail system for close to home exercise and non motorized transportation opportunities. These local greenway trails will also interconnect with the longer American Tobacco Trail, NC Mountains to Sea Trail, and East Coast Greenway trail. Also, they can interconnect special community activity nodes, such as the Museum of Art’s Park, whitewater training area at Falls Lake Dam, and education center at the Walnut Creek Wetland Park. The Triangle Greenways Council is actively working to speed the creation of this regional greenway network. Clearly, this is a challenging mission and one that can always use more motivated people to accomplish. GUPPYS and others should contact the TGC to investigate how they might advance the goal of an earth friendly oasis in which to live. |
Greenways meet an ever growing need, a need to leave the hectic city (if only for a moment) and to experience earth beneath your feet and fresh air in your lungs – to feel life and to feel alive.
— VICTORIA LOGUE
— VICTORIA LOGUE
Donate to TGC
Help support the Triangle Greenways Council by making a tax-deductable donation today!
