Food Distribution and Consumption in Knoxville: Exploring Food-Related Local Planning Issues

Summary: City planners have traditionally made an effort to understand the interrelationships between urban activities and various support systems, such as transportation, water and sewer, waste management, communications and energy. Food is also an important urban support system with a complex system of supply, distribution, and consumption. An understanding of the nature of the food supply and distribution system seems important, but in the past has not been an area of concern for the planning profession. It was the intent of this project to develop a basis from which to seek an understanding of the Knoxville food support system and its implications for local planning policy in Knoxville. The thrust of the study was three-fold. First, food-related problems and issues were identified. Then, further work was undertaken in order to propose remedial measures or public programs that might be initiated by local units of government. Finally, the group considered the possibility of establishing some kind of public oversight of the local food supply and distribution function. The approach has been general and comprehensive. One assumption here is that before public action can be initiated, those with responsibility for maintaining the public interest must understand the system. Thus, an analysis which would describe the system comprehensively, while allowing an opportunity to detect interrelationships among system components, was utilized. Patterns of consumption, food services and programs, and marketing channels by food types were also explored. The development of information involves consultation with literature, academicians, public officials, and industry representatives

Growing the New American Economy: Public-private partnerships for the development of Transit Greenways

As the new Obama-Biden Administration begins to plan for the implementation of a stimulus plan to jump-start the economy and create new jobs by various tax cuts and spending programs, this panel of experts shows how a multimodal approach could enhance the infrastructure benefits expected from the infrastructure expenditures proposed. By proposing unique public-private partnerships in connection with new transit communities, immediate and long-term economic growth can be projected. Specific methods, applications and implications are presented and discussed, and a specific stimulus policy is recommended. Among the common themes that urban studies in America share, two are critically important. One is the need to return to denser urban planning, which contributes to economic development and commerce, while facilitating a high quality of life, social and economic integration, and environmental sensitivity. The second is the need to mitigate traffic congestion that has persisted even with the continuing expansion of the road network. Negative and destructive consequences from traffic congestion include: environmental and global weather consequences, public health threats, and productivity losses. By coordinating investments in mass transit with housing and mixed-use development at passenger rail station sites and transit stops, passenger rail and transit use will significantly increase. Only by providing for high quality pedestrian linkages to and within these new American transit communities and providing for enhanced opportunities for higher education and job training, will such communities substantially contribute in the near and long term to growth of the economy. Only with a proper concern for the impacts of such built environments, will the quality of life for residents and visitors be improved and sustainable natural environments preserved. Merely rebuilding aging bridges, rail beds, and creating new highways will not solve our mobility, energy, and economic problems. A change from past transportation and community planning is necessary and a new integration of policy, political, and implementation efforts must evolve. Public-private partnerships leverage public investment and allow market-based economics to support synergies of interest. Substantial public investments in infrastructure serve as the catalyst. By focusing on pedestrian urban mobility, education and a decision to build a globally competitive multimodal transportation system, we can move people to employment through investment in infrastructure, growth in the economy, and predictable improvements in the quality of life. The authors (26 individuals with expertise in community development, public finance, and public policy development) welcome opportunities to discuss these matters with national and state policy makers. The following article describes proposed tools for economic growth and the preferred community in the 21th Century and clearly defines these unique pedestrian-oriented, educationally enhanced transit communities. The Author Resumé Statements, Endnotes and Appendices are available from Tom Gustafson on request at: [email protected] or [email protected]

The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

International audienceWe report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes