• Check out the new PBS special, “Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City” tonight at 8 pm ET, for a fascinating discussion of how to save Detroit by reviving its now almost-nonexistent public transportation system.
• Behold the Power of LaHood! The Transpo Secretary caused a firestorm when he issued a statement suggesting that consumers stop driving Toyota vehicles until they had been repaired altogether — a remark that also caused Toyota’s stock to plunge 5%. (Oz)
• La Hood has also come out against the increasing numbers of gadgets and gizmos that are popping up on new car dashboards. (Wired)
• Alas, football season is over. But transportation plans are already underway for the 2011 Super Bowl, according to the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee. And yes, commuter rail will play a heavy part. (DallasNews)
• So Las Vegas (And Nevada in general) missed out bigtime on high speed rail. What should they do now? (LVSun)
• And do densely urban cities necessarily equal more sustainable cities? Let’s hope so, for high-speed rail’s sake. (CUNYSustainable)
February 8th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
As I think back over the past few years, there have been many a recall by near enough every major vehicle manufacturer. I had one just last year on my 07 Chrysler Sebring. This Toyota recall should be no different. Why the huge uproar and public apologies?
Telling people to stop driving Toyotas also won’t solve the problem. what are they going to do, take the fantastic public transit system that awaits them at the corner of the street? Oh….wait….there isn’t one.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Bravo to Blueprint America.
It is good to see a positive view on something presented rather than a ‘why we can’t’ perspective. Though it hints as to some of the problems that are being faced. Still a good program showing the current state of American versus foreign (in this show - Spains) views on infrastructure
Still it is frustrating as someone who has worked in design for nearly 20 years and had 2 interviews in 16 months to hear about all of this ‘infrastructure funding’ and ‘infrastructure emphasis’.
What are the future Blueprint shows going to be on? Hopefully one concerning an infrastructure bank and how to fund anything in the next half century. I have seen something on Denver on thier website. That might be interesting as I have read ‘20th Century Sprawl’ by Owen Gutfreund and Denvers development was one of the three case studies he used in writing it.
Also anything on the Gallitin Plan out there? It is interesting in that conceptually it looks almost like what I have read about China’s recent development, in that the primary emphasis is on linking the coasts with the hinterlands in Western China