Yesterday, we brought you numbers 10 through 6 of the top 10 infrastructure stories of the decade. Today, we bring you the top 5. Have your own top stories? Tell us in the comments.
5. Dubai
Can a city that barely existed half a century ago build some of the world’s most incredible infrastructure and then nearly go bankrupt, all in a single decade? Dubai proved it: The answer is a resounding “yes.” From the marvel of the world’s tallest building to the architectural achievement of the Burj Al Arab to the dazzling metro, Dubai threw billions of dollars — and thousands of hours of near-slave labor — into creating a modern oasis of infrastructure. And then watched as the financial crisis sent its tourism and shipping revenues, and property values, spiraling downward. Now Abu Dhabi has agreed to step in and save the flashier emirate from financial disaster — but the extremes of Dubai’s position at the beginning and end of the aughts should be a valuable lesson to any city looking to expand at such a massive rate.
4. Terror in TransportationSeptember 11th, 2001 defined the decade, and ushered in a new chapter in American history and politics. But it was far from the only world-shaking act of terrorism involving transportation. Later came the commuter train bombing in Madrid, and the London Tube bombing, to name a few. While acts of terrorism on mass transport have been commonplace for years in countries like Israel, the aughts saw the terror go mainstream, affecting every industrialized nation. The costs, both tangible and intangible, of the public fear and the security measures that this new reality demands are incalculable, but we do know one thing: Transportation has become a tool for political aggression, and public perceptions and use of it will never be the same.
3. ChinaRarely has the modern world seen it: A newly-industrialized nation building itself into superpower-dom at record-breaking speed. When an explosion in economic growth led to the expansion of the middle class and mass industrialization, China was hit with the unique challenge of creating infrastructure that matched its new status in the world. And they met this challenge head on. There was the ambitious high-speed rail system (which we can only view with envy) and the transformation Beijing for the Olympics, all done at speeds — and prices — that leave most U.S. projects in the dust. But all that success doesn’t come without repercussions: Beijing tore down 10,000 homes for its expanded business district, and projects like the Three Gorges Dam and the deep water port in Shenzhen — which were massively successful in terms of implementation and building speed — displaced millions of people without compensation. Not to mention the environmental implications…
10. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel Opens
9. Water Water, Not Everywhere
8. Wind Farms
• What to do with all those big gleaming spaces that once housed (now-closed) car dealerships? Many are being repurposed as restaurants, schools, day care centers, and even yoga studios. (
• In Germany, high-speed rail lines have led to the grounding of hundreds of short-haul flights. Just imagine what HSR could do for the Northeast Corridor. (
• The Transportation Department has 
• Big week in HSR. New numbers from CAHSR say the Bay Area-LA fare will rise from an estimated $55 to about $105, or 83% of an airline ticket. The Authority hopes to get $17 billion in federal dollars, $4 billion in local grants, and $10-12 billion in private funding. (
I arrived in Copenhagen last night expecting a different scene, perhaps something more like the tent cities and angry protesters that greeted Bradley Whitford in last year’s strikingly relevant TV mini-series 
Over at The Independent, Holly Williams 
• ‘Tis the season for year-end roundups: Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the The New Yorker, has published his list of the ten most positive architectural events of the year. (
Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Tunnel
Alaska Highway2Highway Project
• Among the New York Times Magazine’s ninth annual “Year In Ideas”: Bicycle highways and fake car noise. And yes, we fully support the former (though the latter we’re not sold on). Also on the list: suburban cul-de-sac bans. (
• South Korea’s President wants to remake the country’s four largest rivers, both for environmental reasons and to encourage development. He’s known as the “Bulldozer”; critics say it’s a “political boondoggle.” (
It seems that U.S. infrastructure has a new friend in Washington. The Center for National Policy, a think tank focused on national and global security, has named Dr. Stephen Flynn as its newest president. Former presidents of the group include Cyrus Vance, Edmund Muskie, and Madeleine Albright, while its list of board members has included former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Speaker of the House Thomas Foley, and Leon Panetta.
