Presentations

Here are a few notes on the presentations that were given in class:

Superfunds and Brownfield Grants:
Brownfields are industrial or commercial properties that have been abandoned and might be contaminated. Superfunds are properties known to be contaminated. The pros to these are that they create jobs, the existing infrastructure is in place, it brings new life to the cities, and removes eye sores. Some of its cons are unforeseen cost (like contaminates), and not all sites are economic feasible.

Eminent Domain:
An excessive of government to take private property for public use with just compensation. Some of its pros are the rejuvenation of the area, help take off the burden off tax payers , and brings jobs into the area. Cons are that it can be abused.

Adaptive reuse:
This is the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. This approach is a lot more pricy. There is a debate on whether its economically worth it. It saves energy and material waste. This is a sustainable option.

Municipal Bonds
These are city loans. They can be short or long term payments. Most of them are owned by households for home improvements.

Redevelopment:
They are very similar to adaptive reuse but used to build up rundown areas.

Transit Oriented Development:
TODs are community developments that are walkable and have public transportation. One of the pros is that it saves gas. Some of its cons are less privacy and longer commute times.

New Market Tax Credit
These encourage development in a low income area.

Enterprise Zone:
EZs are economic development tools used to attract private investments into distressed areas to promote job creation. They are used for local economic development. One of the major cons for this is that we don't know the types of jobs and wages.

Public Improvement Districts
These area areas with improvements funded by the residents. Pros include a boost in property values, and maintained infrastructure. A con is the increase in taxes.

TIFs
Methods to revitalize "blighted" areas. They are determined by city coucil and must have "blight" factors. A major con for TIFs are the misuse of funds.

Special Assessment Districts
Areas where the market value of real estate increases to pay for district improvements. A pro is that they provide infrastructure for those who need it. A con is that they can only be used for local projects within the district.

EDA
These employ and create new jobs in an area. An area needs to qualify to be an EDA. To qualify, they must be a small community, must have a high return in investment, and have a growth in in green economy.

Hacienda Las Trancas

One of the most interesting places I have gone to, is my parents' hometown. My parents are from a small ranch in Guanajuato, Mexico called Trancas. In this small ranch, they have an hacienda. Haciendas, in my eyes, are the Mexican equivalent to the castles in Europe. These haciendas would be home to wealthy families, and people of importance. Hacienda Las Trancas is the most interesting place I have been to because of it's history. There are many legends that say that the Hacienda has a secret golden treasure hidden underground. Many have been in search of it for over 400 years, but no one has been able to find it. There are also stories of vary many historic people who have inhabited the hacienda, especially during the time of the Mexican Revolution. Every time I visit, I can't help but wonder what famouse historic figure stood where I would be standing. I can't help but wonder how much more different the land used to look before other people moved into the area.

Hacienda las Trancas is now a hotel/spa. It bring many people from around the world to experience a little piece of Mexico. I feel a great pride knowing that my roots come from a small town like Trancas.
Follow to link to see more pictues and learn a little bit more about Haciend Las Trancas.
http://www.haciendalastrancas.com/Hacienda_Las_Trancas/Home_Page.html

Howdy!

Howdy!

My name is Erik Granados and I'm an Urban Planning major from Austin, Texas. But more importantly, I'm a loud and proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2015. At this point in time, I'm not completely sure as to what I want to do after graduation. I have though about becoming a bilingual education teacher. I have also loved the idea of working with The City of Austin's planning department. Austin is my hometown which I completely love, and would love to go back and work making the city an even better place. When ever I have free time I read a few of the articles in this page to see how much Austin is improving. Follow the link below to read some articles if intersted.

http://impactnews.com/austin-metro 

 I have also thought about maybe even getting my masters in Land and Property Development. I mostly want to get a different perspective of what planning is. Most of the classes I have taken for urban planning have been mostly about sustainability and social issues. I think it'll be fun to see a different side to planning.

A little bit more about me, I like to dance and workout on my free time. An interesting thing about myself is that I dance folklorico. Folklorico is the traditional Mexican dancing usually depicted with women in big colorful dresses, and men in big sombreros. This past summer, I began running, and I now love it. I will be running my first 5K sometime this semester. The top thing in my bucket list, is to someday be able to do a triathlon.

I'm glad to be in this class and I'm excited to see what new things I will learn this semester.