Posted on Thursday September 10th by Jebediah Reed | 65
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- The IPO market has gone dead. But two Silicon Valley venture capitalists say that a green infrastructure boom will be the next great investment opportunity and could save American’s economy. Why, for instance, do we still make cement and drywall the same way we did 150 years ago? (WSJ)
- Jim Oberstar concedes that passage of a new transportation bill this fall is unrealistic — or, at least, it would be “very very difficult.” (Dow Jones)
- It might sound crazy to New Yorkers or Washingtonians, but the LA subway has long operated on the honor system—that is, without turnstiles. That’s changing though. Tired of freeloaders, LA’s transit authority has begun installing them in hopes of capturing millions in lost revenue. (Next American City)
- The Buckminster Fuller Challenge is a competition that awards $100k to someone with a potentially world-changing idea. Last year the loot went to some kids from the MIT’s Smart Cities group who have a plan for lightweight electric vehicles (e.g. The RoboScooter). The deadline for entries this is Oct 30. (BFI)
- A lovely set of photos over at Good samples the diversity of environments—from the very stuffy to the very rough—of the learning institutions in this country (or at least in the northeastern part of it). Quite a contrast between a grand hallway at Phillips Academy Andover and a shabby girls bathroom at public school in Dorchester… Sample pic after the jump
- An architect is proposing turning a discarded span of the SF Bay Area’s old Bay Bridge into a park along the lines of NYC’s stunningly successful High Line transformation. A tad far-fetched, but we like his moxie… (Streetsblog SF) Image after jump
- An hero of American high finance, Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack, has just bought a new house. Congrats, Mr Mack! It’s on Manhattan’s upper east side. And get this: it has a 12-car garage. In the middle of Manhattan. A 12-car garage. But that’s only appropriate given how much wealth and financial innovation he’s created for us, The Little People. (Business Insider)
Auditorium I, Bunker Hill Community College:
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A rock climing wall and green promenade, part of a proposed park on SF’s Bay Bridge
September 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am
They have converted a rail bridge across the Hudson into a park. $35 million. Should be a nice amenity for the Poughkeepsie peeps. Opens next month.
September 11th, 2009 at 9:25 am
[...] UES Home of Wall Street Genius Includes 12-Car Garage (Biz Insider via Infrastructurist) [...]
September 12th, 2009 at 10:00 am
The LA turnstile thing sounds like a bad idea from a politician. Lots of research has been done on transit ticketing. Research has shown, over and over again, that the gains made by allowing free access far out weigh the losses from ticket sales. In fact, free loaders aren’t even that big of problem. Think about it, when ever you see a random sweep on a train, how many people don’t have tickets? I live in Dallas, and I’ve never actually seen a cop write a ticket. The vast, vast majority of people purchase their tickets honestly. I can’t imagine this saving LA “million of dollars”. In fact, it probably won’t even pay for the installation of the turnstiles.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Dallas, you are absolutely right. Many of us in L.A. are upset over Metro’s decision to spend $100 million (!) on a gating system.
There’s also research that has shown that fare barriers are only marginally better than proof of payment, and both systems had very high rates of compliance. The study said that both systems are highly effective, and agencies would be best to stick with what they have as switching costs outweigh any gains or savings.
L.A.’s system has 94% compliance. Our problem isn’t that 6% are not paying their fares, it’s that our riders are too honest. Fare gates won’t push compliance to 100%; no system achieves that. At best, $100 million would only get us 96% compliance.