Friday, January 28, 2011

David Roberts: The War on the Carless

The War On the Carless | PubliCola - Seattle's News Elixir: "It is one of the most longstanding and best-understood findings in urban design that building more roads does not ease congestion. To the contrary, it quickly leads to more cars and more congestion. Yet no matter how bad Seattle’s congestion gets—no matter how long its citizens spend in their isolated boxes, stressed out, wasting time, taking years off their lives—the answer from politicians and vested interests is always the same: more lanes, more roads, another highway."

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

For you to have a car, someone, somewhere, must die.

Thomas Schelling: The Economics of Global Warming - Newsweek: "The most likely consequences of climate change will be severe impacts on food production in the developing world. We can worry about urban heat waves, polar bears, and forest fires, but the worst effects are almost certainly going to be on food production in the poor countries, where half or more of the population depends on growing its own food."

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : Free public transport makes sense

The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : Free public transport makes sense: "A study by the Asian Development Bank in Bangalore shows that a 20 per cent increase in bus ridership reduces the city's fuel consumption by 21 per cent. It frees-up road space equivalent to taking off nearly 4,18,210 cars."

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Kokomo - free trolley service to continue through 2011

The City of Kokomo is announcing that the City-Line Trolley will continue to be free to all riders through 2011. Until 2010, Kokomo was one of the largest Indiana communities without low-cost public transportation.

Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight had pledged to install a public transit system after nearly 40 years when the last City buses stopped running.

“While I was on the City Council, one of the most common complaints was the absence of affordable public transportation,” said Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight. “The trolleys are reliable, convenient and cut down on traffic and emission going into the air.” InsideIndianaBusiness

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Brazil Landslides Wipe Away Homes, Killing More Than 300 - Wall Street Journal

RIO DE JANEIRO—Walls of earth and water swept away buildings in the mountains northwest of Brazil's beachfront pearl of Rio de Janeiro, wiping away homes and killing at least 303 residents, while rescuers scrambled to reach still-trapped neighbors. WallStreetJournal