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The Lesser Evil
<p> Due to the collapse of local tax revenues caused by the national economic downturn, many transit systems may face shortages of money over the next year or two. Assuming this is the case, transit providers will have to either raise fares or reduce services by eliminating bus routes or otherwise reducing transit service. </p> <p> It seems to me that raising fares is generally the lesser evil, both from the standpoint of an individual rider and from the standpoint of the transit agency itself. </p>
Totally In My Backyard
A Corona del Mar couple have been battling the Coastal Commission over the placement of their shower, tables, and barbecue, all right on the sand. Even though those and other items are within the property line, the Commission isn't having it.
Air Resources Board Weighing Climate Plans
At a crucial two-day meeting, the California Air Resources Board may adopt, reject or modify two separate, landmark, controversial plans - one on climate change, the other on diesel emissions from trucks and buses.
From Edge-City to Real City
Its way of life no longer en vogue, the auto-centric suburb of Tysons Corner, VA plans to undergo a large-scale transformation into a walkable, "real" city over the course of the next 30 years.
BofA Ends Financing for Mountaintop Removal Mining
Rainforest Action Network and Natural Resources Defense Council enjoyed a huge victory when Bank of America decided last week to end its financing of controversial, destructive mountain top removal coal mining in Appalachia.
Recycling Through Underground Tubes
London's Wembley City development is the proud owner of the first automated waste collection system in the U.K. Recycling or garbage are deposited in bins, then sucked underground, eliminating the need for trucks or garbage collectors.
Uncertain Times See Cities Planning for Peak Oil
With energy and the economy both causing headaches, 2008 has been a big year for local governments recognizing and planning for peak oil. Finding a way forward in a future of constrained energy will require much of planners.
Obama Announces Energy Team
Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, will be the President-Elect's pick for Secretary of Energy, and Carol Browner (formerly head of the EPA) will take on the newly created role of Energy Czar.
Patches of Grass Attract Unexpected Users
In Abu Dhabi, medians and 'leftover spaces' are attracting unanticipated users playing soccer, exercising or just hanging out. Planners are grappling with why people use these spaces and the public parks they've designed are less successful.
Ethnic Integration Up in Greater L.A. Suburbs
Many residents can still recount when their neighborhoods were far less ethnically diverse than their are now, which is backed by new census data showing that in most cities, the white population is down.
$1/Gallon Gas Consumption Tax Proposal
In this Mercury News Op-Ed, San Jose State University Professor Larry Gerston proposes this bold tax for mass transit and alternative energy programs. It yields $175 billion annually and creates green jobs, enabling us to determine our destiny.
Can Dallas Densify?
The Dallas City Council ponders a form-based code, designed to encourage neighborhoods where driving isn't required to get around.
Crackdown on Continuous Riding on Chicago's Trains
The Chicago Transit Authority is cracking down on 'continuous riders', people who sleep or hang out in the subway through the winter nights to keep warm. Advocates worry the crackdown will hurt the homeless.
Obama's Stimulus Package Disappoints
Columnist David Brooks warns that the Obama stimulus package fails to build on the current social movement to enliven existing suburbs and instead appears to follow a traditional roads, bridges, and refurbishing existing infrastructure approach.
Not Your Typical Brick
Bricks have been a building staple for a long time, but the sky's the limit for their aesthetic uses.
The Sick Days of the Condo
Housing starts in Canada are down dramatically, but no more so than in the condo market, which accounts for half or more of the housing construction in such cities as Vancouver and Toronto.
German Suburbs: Look Familiar?
According to Kirk Rogers, European suburbs are not all that different from American ones--they indulge the need for space, good schools, and cars-- and they're there to stay.
New York City More Diverse Than Ever
New census data has given some insight on how New York City has been changing in the past eight years or so. Diversity is on the rise, as is the number of children being raised in Manhattan.
On Molokai, A Development is Stopped
The plan: 200 luxury homes on Molokai's waterfront, in exchange for jobs and preserving thousands of acres of land. Locals fought the compromise, and the economic shift brought an abrupt halt to the project- dragging other businesses down with it.
Gas From Ice
Methane gas hydrates are flammable ice crystals packed with hydrocarbons. Until recently, it was too expensive to recover the fuel trapped in the ice, but new technology and demand are opening up possibilities.
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