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Monthly archive for November, 2009
The Evening Dig: Detroit Rail Depot Revival Edition
Monday, November 30th, 2009
• Nashville and Kansas City both successfully revived abandoned rail depots. Could Detroit be next? (FreeP – pic via) • Historically, money set aside for high-speed rail in the U.S. has not produced trains. More than 50 lobbying groups are Read more ›
Bloomberg Adds $5.3 Billion in NYC Infrastructure (While Subcontracting to China)
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Last week, Bloomberg announced that, despite the recession, he is adding $5.3 billion in new infrastructure projects. New projects on the list include the building of a new police academy in College Point, school renovations, new fire stations, recreation centers, Read more ›
The Morning Dig: What Was High-Speed Rail Missing? Lobbyists!
Monday, November 30th, 2009
• Bring on the lobbyists! The fight is on to distribute that precious $8 billion in HSR stimulus money. (Politico) • A glimmer of good news for a Monday morning? Panama Canal Authority chief executive Alberto Alemán Zubieta predicts the Read more ›
Is The U.S. In A ‘Superproject Void’?
Monday, November 30th, 2009
“For the first time in memory, the nation has no outsize public works project under way.” So says New York Times architecture critic, Louis Uchitelle. America used to do big cool stuff, he says. The Interstates! The Erie Canal! That Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Personal Rapid Transit Edition
Friday, November 27th, 2009
• Personal Rapid Transit frees you of the burden of driving and gets remarkable fuel efficiency. But does it make any sense? In theory, it’s non-stop and on-demand, but it’s not really “mass” transit and it requires, you know, tracks. Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Nuclear Entombment Edition
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
• Take a tour of San Francisco’s Market Street in 1905 with this film of streetcars and busy foot traffic. (Jalopnik) • Is it possible to safely store nuclear waste for a million years? One geoscientist thinks so, but it’ll Read more ›
The Evening Dig: Atlantic Yards Victory Edition
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
• An appeals court will allow the stalled, $5 billion Atlantic Yards project to begin fundraising for the Barclay’s Center arena, which will take up most of the 22-acre development. Community leaders in the opposition, who don’t like hearing their Read more ›
Thanksgiving: The Annual Stress Test for America’s Infrastructure
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Thanksgiving! That classic symbol of Americana, inspiring Rockwellian cheer and excuses for unbridled gluttony. But this warm-and-fuzzy holiday is also a unique test for the country’s infrastructure. Think about it: When else does such a large percentage of a nation’s Read more ›
Meet The Infrastructurist’s New Editor
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
It’s my pleasure to announce that this site has a new editor. Her name is Melissa Lafsky. In addition to being a friend, she’s a very talented writer who I think will do wonderful things here. She’s coming over from Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Nuclear Renaissance Edition
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
• Vive la nuclear! The number of nuclear plants being built around the world has grown to twice what it was five years ago, and the U.S. may be next on the bandwagon — finally, people think climate change is Read more ›
The Evening Dig: “Miss G Train” Edition
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
.A Brooklyn Museum held a beauty pageant for riders of the G Train, and two ladies and a drag queen came out on top. Click through for a slideshow of the contestants. (Village Voice) Highway travel is up 2.5% from Read more ›
A Peek Inside the World’s Biggest Cruise Ship (And How It Manages to Run)
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Cruise lines seem to be in a perpetual race to have the “biggest ship in the world” in their fleets. Though Royal Caribbean has really set a new bar with the Oasis of the Seas, a brand new floating monster Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Big Fat Sewage Dump Edition
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
More than a third of U.S. sewer systems are beyond their capacity and are dumping waste into rivers and lakes — but only a fraction of these violations draw fines from regulators. Meanwhile, as many as 20 million people get Read more ›
The D Train Murder: Why Crimes on Mass Transit Scare Us So Much
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
In case you don’t check the front page of the New York Post every morning to see the latest on the city’s most heinous crimes (ahem, not that we do) the big story today is about a passenger who was Read more ›
Nuclear Leaks! A China Syndrome Redux! Ok Not Really
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
So a story burning up Reuters’s Web site this morning reports that federal officials are investigating a radiation leak at Three Mile Island. Radiation! Ack! And you can’t mention any issue at Three Mile Island without noting that the plant Read more ›
The Daily Dig: High Speed Rail Edition
Friday, November 20th, 2009
. Say it ain’t so! A conference at Berkeley reflected growing concern about the practicality of California’s HSR projects. Projected ridership seems unrealistic, and unless it reaches a certain level, emissions won’t be lower than those from air travel. (Berkeley) Read more ›
Meet The Train Makers, Part 6: China
Friday, November 20th, 2009
. This is the 6th installment in our series on high-speed rail manufacturers around the world. Previous stories looked at: Bombardier Japanese train makers Siemens Talgo and Alstom. **************** Introduction More than any other country, China has taken advantage of Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Army Corps GUILTY Edition
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
. A federal ruling says the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in its maintenance of a navigation channel in New Orleans and therefore is to blame for the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. 100,000 people could receive billions in Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Killer Beemer Edition
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
. The Energy Dept says the US can get 20% of its electricity from wind by 2030. That is, if between 2018 and 2030 we install as much wind power each year as we have in total right now. (EnviroCapital) Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Bogus Car Study Edition
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
. Speaking to students in Shanghai, President Obama expressed optimism about the future of Chinese-American relations and spoke of the “burden of leadership” that bore on both nations with regard to climate-change policy. He also called China’s high-speed rail development Read more ›
