The Evening Dig: 3-D Motor City Edition

• The Google SketchUp team has added a 3-D rendering of Detroit to Google Earth. Definitely worth a look. (SketchUp Blog)

• Jet fuel from coal? The company responsible says it produces fuel with lower carbon emissions, because waste CO2 will be used to help squeeze oil from the ground. It’ll also insulate airlines from the volatility of oil prices. (GreenInc)

• A report from the Veep says that Obama’s clean-energy initiatives will create more than 700,000 jobs, and that they’re “solidly on track” to meet the goal of creating or saving 3.5 million jobs (less than half the number that have been lost since Dec. 2007). (Bloomberg)

• An international survey finds that about 20% of commuters worldwide have considered quitting their jobs because of their trip to work. China is the worst; how do you think the U.S. ranks? (Economist)

• Chicago’s ambitious plan to revamp passenger rail is threatened by its aging freight rail system, which uses the same tracks; massive upgrades are necessary, but the funding has been slow to trickle in. (Sun-Times)

• Archaeologists have found an extensive network of canals and fields dating to 1200 B.C. in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, which helps solve an age-old puzzle: How did ancient societies irrigate desert crops? (Archaeology)

• An editor’s 10 favorite homes of the year represent a nice array of American architectural styles. (Builder)