Sim Van der Ryn: Sustainable Design Pioneer

I’m up here in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco for my interview with Sim Van der Ryn later this morning, and a few thoughts are passing through my head. One is that this part of the world will never be “developed” in the sense of turning it into a homogeneous theme park of Applebees, Walmarts, and tract housing. Of course, “never is a long time,” but, even though I’m only about 40 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge as the crow flies, the terrain up here makes it tough to get to.

When you go to Paris and see McDonalds all over the city, it’s easy to understand why the French resent us. But I think the incredible landscape here in Marin County, replete with its ancient trees and craggy hills, will keep this part of it safe from modernity for a long time to come.

I’ll post more on my talk with Sim shortly after the interview.