A vision from the archives.

While reading about Clarksville finally taking steps to stem dumping on the riverfront, I was reminded that in the early days of the national stimulus program, the State of Indiana compiled a document listing every project and idea pitched for potential funding. The brief description below comes directly from that document, with an image taken from a Purdue University presentation, concerning a potential new development along the Ohio River near New Albany's Loop Island.

The estimated cost - $459,060,000 - seems like a lot at first glance. For perspective, however, consider that the cost estimate for just the additional downtown bridge and accompanying Indiana approach portions of the Ohio River Bridges Project, which will further devalue the whole area and counteract preexisting investments in the Ohio River Greenway and connected downtowns, is $865,400,000, not including any work toward a twenty-three lane Spaghetti Junction which is estimated at over $1.7 billion all by itself.

For roughly half as much money, we could indeed be a global model of sustainable development rather than an overpriced, under thought anachronism. And even though both Kentucky and Indiana have worked to suppress public will by creating an appointed tolling authority with no accountability to citizens at the behest of an international financial firm, that choice is still ours.

Building a New and Renovated Sustainable Community: To provide a global model for sustainable and environmentally supportive development. Earth-Solar in partnership with the Global Design Studio, Purdue School of Architectural Technology has designed and proposes to build and operate a new community which is comprised of, jointly, 52 acres in New Albany, Indiana and 150 acres in Clarksville, Indiana. New Albany and Clarksville are contiguous, however, in the two separate counties Floyd and Clark, respectively.

This project is compelling because it integrates work, entertainment and residency within a community that is planned around the equalization of conventional transportation, pedestrian walking, bicycling and low impact personal transportation vehicles and public transportation. The Project will be the first community scale urban development in the United States which is offering its entire residential and commercial population a significant platform of solar renewable energy and chemical and waste treatment technologies utilizing biomimmicry, non-toxic and natural techniques which continuously replenish the health of the natural ecosystem.

The Project overlays 21st Century contemporary design by architects from around the world onto building design which is traditional to the New Albany-Clarksville-Greater Louisville region. The Company has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the mayor of New Albany and agreements in principle with both the directors of Clarksville City Planning and Historical Preservation for both cities to support the project with Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and extensive additional official support. Clarksville is proposing to develop a 50 acre national park in honor of the explorers, Lewis and Clark. This proposed national park will form the eastern border of Loop Island Cove, the southern border of Clarksville Park, and would be a national attraction for purposes of recreation, science, and history.