Normal Renting

An interactive map shows the minimum wage needed to be able to afford the median rental cost in an area (as of October 2014). For Bloomington-Normal, a dual-earner household would need at least $11.76 per hour and a single-earner household would need at least $23.52 per hour (assuming a 40-hour workweek, 50 weeks per year of work).

Normal: EV Competition

It sounds like electric cars are catching on! This article says that there will be 3.3 million electric cars "on the road" by 2050.  Oregon even has a "chief electric vehicle officer" (CEVO?) and has a "West Coast Electric Highway."  Maybe Veterans Parkway could become the BloNo Electric Parkway and the Governor can appoint someone as IL-CEVO.

Normal: Let's Play!

This is a nice idea: making a city playable by having fun events and creative ways for residents to interact with their environment and each other. We need to get the many creative people in Normal to come up with playful ideas!

Normal: Up for a Quick Dip, Anyone?

This article describes how a university and a town collaborated to provide improved resources and attractions for students and community members. Some of their efforts are similar to what ISU and Normal have done: apartments for students, multi-use buildings, to name just two examples. But there is one development they have that we don't have: a rooftop pool on one of the new buildings.

Normal: Parking Garage Living

Normal has apartments built up against a parking garage, but I think we should take it one step further and have living spaces within the parking garage, as in this example. (It's surprising they actually have a parking garage that is underused. Has anyone ever heard of a college with too much parking available?) Locally, if there are any unused spaces in an Uptown Normal parking garage, we should have one or two custom-designed pods in place temporarily, just to show Normal can be hip.

Normal Retirement Communities

Being able to retire and live in a college town has its advantages, as this article describes. The fees for the retirement communities discussed in the article are rather jaw-dropping, though. Hopefully, the costs for living in retirement complexes in and around Normal aren't quite so high. Everyone should be encouraged to develop and take advantage of the many opportunities for retirees at the local universities and colleges, keeping in mind that retirees can contribute to these opportunities as well as enjoy them.

Normal: Small town urban planning at its best!

This article nicely describes how much of an impact people can have on small towns. Even if you're not an urban planner (and how many of us are?), you can make a big difference in a small town.

Normal Community Engagement Ideas

These are some great ideas for getting citizens more involved in local issues and events. The "walkshop" where people walk (or bike!) around town and have conversations about what's right in front of them would be better than having discussions in a conference room. Opportunities for citizens to be creative, such as competitions to develop new ways to address issues, are also ways to involve people who would otherwise not take an interest.
 

Normal: Senior Villages a Possiblity?

Senior villages are offering a new alternative way of life for "older" people who want to age in place. Participants pay a yearly fee and receive fix-it services when they need them, for example, or any services the village decides on. What a great idea! I could see pockets of residential areas in Normal developing these villages.

Normal Plowing

It seems there are many cul-de-sacs in Normal, although I don't know that exact total. These are probably a hassle to plow and I've heard complaints about how poorly they are plowed. Perhaps a how-to-plow-a-cul-de-sac video would help. Or, residents might benefit by being able to consult a FAQ list about town plowing, such as the one Iowa City, Iowa, provides.