New Jersey Development Wiki
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If you're familiar with how to edit a wiki, go ahead and start editing below. If you need some help, you can start by reading up on just what a wiki is and how it works. You can also read this guide for a quick tutorial in basic wiki formatting (aka markup). And of course, you can consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software we're employing here. You may want to register first, or you can just start editing.
Add a new section to the bottom of this page (for beginners)
How To Use This Page
When a Brian Lehrer Show producer works on a segment, there are a number of steps. You'll see some basic ones below on which you can collaborate. You'll be working on the various segments we're producing for our week-long look at development in New Jersey. (We have another Wiki set up for New York) Here are a few tips for using this wiki and making a good prep:
1) Keep it focused. The final prep needs to be easily read on the air and facilitate discussion by the guests.
2) Put your name (or, if you'd prefer, just your initials) next to your contributions so that we can credit you on the air!
And, a reminder from Brian Lehrer: "A wiki is a collaboration, not a debate. Work together with people you agree with and people you don’t to shape a segment that addresses the questions and concerns of all interested parties and the public at large. This is pretty experimental for talk radio. But we believe that the wisdom of the crowd can help produce more thorough, more balanced coverage than any professional journalists can do without you!"
Angles
Special Note: You may want to read WNYC's Bob Hennelly on our blog: New Jersey Development Week: A Little Context
What are the basic angles to explore in this segment, from left, right or other? When we think of Development in New Jersey, what's at stake? We've provided a few basic areas of inquiry below. Feel free to add your thoughts or create your own categories.
Meadowlands, Xanadu, and High-Profile Projects
Why isn't there any "green" angles to these projects? Is the stereotype of "by the Turnpike" run so deep that no one cares? How can the undeveloped stretches of northern NJ move past the stereotype of a "consumerist playground" into something more?
The Link Between Development and Corruption
Jersey City is an example of how positive urban renewal also sometimes means unchecked developer bonanza and likely corruption.[1] (Get Steve Fulop on your show to talk about how a newbie to North Jersey urban politics can get shut out of trying to change ethics laws.) How can we move a new spirit of new urbanism into other New Jersey cities without fear of corruption?
The Link Between Pay To Play and Circumvention of Environmental Regulation of Development
Why has the Sierra Club decided not to endorse Corzine?
What can State government do about municipal corruption?
Affordable Housing
and its relationship to continuing segregation in northern NJ. Hands, Inc. has been doing some interesting work in Essex County's Orange & East Orange to create affordable housing and create an arts district. The recession helped move Luna Stage theater company from Montclair to the West Orange/Orange border, and they have also tried to get artists to take up residence in an old Orange hat factory, among other projects. Relatedly, property taxes continue to strain the middle class, so how do you retain the strength that home ownership brings into cities after the mortgage crisis, and considering the taxes? West Orange taxpayers revolted against a downtown revitalization project of Thomas Edison's old battery factory because they didnt' want to "subsidize" the condo owners who would move into a renovated building and they questioned its usefulness. The urban/suburban line--with all its racial implications--suddenly and surprisingly seemed alive and well. See NYTimes and New Jersey News Room on affordable housing in NJ. Note too that 3 candidates for governor have called for change in the way COAH (Council On Affordable Housing) handles its charge. See difference in party attitudes toward Mt. Laurel and COAH at http://publicmind.fdu.edu/coah/ See recent COAH ruling that 3 candidates condemned but was instantly forgotten and did not become part of the campaign "N.J. appeals court's affordable housing ruling sparks outrage" at http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/nj-appeals-courts-affordable-housing-ruling-sparks-outrage
The COAH and RSIS rules have taken a lot of discretion out of the hands of local Planning Boards. Developers use the threat of COAH litigation to force Planning Boards to accept their plans to put developments in inappropriate locations and destroy existing neighborhoods. Planning Boards cannot ask for changes to site plans which would benefit the community through better safety, lighting, etc. without risking litigation. The result is that new housing developments in all parts of the state have a uniform look that cannot be localized to conform to regional differences.
Farmland at a Crossroads
The NJ Farmland Preservation Program is out of money. This has been the one program working against the development tide and answering the demand for locally grown food. I would be curious to see someone draw parallels between the (relative) success of the Open Space Preservation Act, which has preserved some farms, and perhaps growing the number of farmers to meet the astonishing demand for the locally-produced foods. A $400 million bond referendum in Nov. will replenish the fund. But will voters bite? (Find out from FDU's poll results on this question coming available after Oct. 6.) Is there any other way that we can inventive towns and the new farmers emerging from institutions like Cook College's Ag. Program to create a for-profit "micro" farming model on municipal land (see below) instead of simply spending to preserve farms as if they are museum pieces? Can eminent domain work for the "green" as well as the luxury shopping-living complex? Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-South Orange), is chairman of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee and West Orange Mayor - he supports the bond. Pete Furey speaks for the NJ Farm Bureau on the bond issue and many others.
Urban State Green Innovators
There is a steady unveiling of projects that bring the garden back to the Garden State. Interviewing any one of these people would shed light on the movement (not unlike Brooklyn's but still taking advantage of state farmland that still exists.) State Urban Farms is a ground-breaking model in NJ. Margaret Noon, Slow Food NNJ has been a real do-er for bringing farmers, eaters and schools together: mentioned in this article on nj.com
Candidate Positions
What have Corzine, Christie, and the other candidates done or said in regards to this issue? What can serve as instructive examples for us to highlight on the show? Do the candidates' actions match their words?
Opening Copy
How should Brian frame the issue at the beginning of the segment? Again, we've highlighted some of the basic angles we've identified below.
Audio Clips to Use
Are there any audio clips out there that we should include? Or particular music we should include? Be specific.
Links to Research Materials
Do you have any readings, videos or any other relevant material to recommend?
What Else?
Use this space to offer any other suggestions or ideas that may not fit into the above categories.
