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Monthly archive for September, 2010
The Morning Dig: Is Dubai on the Rebound?
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
• Almost a year after needing a bailout from its neighbor Abu Dhabi, Dubai is beginning to start building again, although experts caution the city-state should not try to get in a property-bubble economy again. (NYT) (Reuters) • The Regional Read more ›
Are We Building New Roads and Highways Based on Incorrect Data?
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
CLICK TO ENLARGE Just how accurate is the data we rely on to justify billions of dollars of spending on new roads? A report from CEOs for Cities took a hard look at the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report Read more ›
The Morning Dig: How Italy is Embracing Wind Power
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
• An interesting article examines how some small Italian towns are using wind-turbines for electricity, and even making money off the surplus. (NYT) • A recent string of false alarms about airplanes has raised the issue of how to balance Read more ›
The Morning Dig: How to Build a Green City in the Arabian Desert
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
• A piece by the architecture critic for The New York Times looks at the rising city of Masdar in the United Arab Emirates, which promises to be a sustainable metropolis. (NYT) • Some people in Lebanon are trying to Read more ›
The Survival of U.S. High-Speed Rail All Comes Down to November
Monday, September 27th, 2010
Billions of dollars have been allocated for high-speed rail projects around the U.S. And every cent of it could wind up being a colossal waste if the major HSR projects underway get stymied by newly-elected political leaders who’ve cast HSR Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Why Some Federal Safety Recommendations Are Ignored
Monday, September 27th, 2010
• Two investigative articles examine why and how federal agencies either delay or don’t implement some of the thousands of recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board — and how those delays often have deadly consequences. (WashPost) (WashPost) • A Read more ›
The Week in High Speed Rail: Will Freight Rail Kill U.S. HSR?
Friday, September 24th, 2010
• Freight railroads are putting up serious opposition to Obama’s national HSR plan. (WSJ) • A new study found that a HSR system in Michigan and the Midwest will create nearly 58,000 permanent jobs and reduce highway and airport congestion. Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Want to Die? Try Texting While Driving
Friday, September 24th, 2010
• A new study suggests that 16,000 people in the U.S. died between 2001 and 2007 as a result of distracted drivers who texted behind the wheel. (Reuters) • An article looks at what trains one can take to catch Read more ›
Why Are We Still So Scared of Nuclear Power?
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Scientific American, in partnership with Nature, has done an extensive online survey on the way the general public feels about science (and scientists). After polling more than 21,000 online readers worldwide about their views on their attitudes, concerns, and fears Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Washington, D.C. Embraces Bike-Sharing
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
• Washington, D.C. has launched a new bike-sharing program for its residents and those of suburban Arlington, Va. (WashPost) • Also, a growing number of U.S. college campuses are adopting bike-sharing programs for their students. (USA Today) • Fifty-nine New Read more ›
The Tragic Artistry of Sprawl
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
The New York Times Opinionator blog has a fascinating slideshow of the work of Christoph Gielen, a German-born photographer who has been shooting various landscapes — particularly, sprawl — from a helicopter for the past five years. His subjects include Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Intercity Buses on the Rebound
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
• Intercity buses, especially on the East Coast, are becoming more popular with many travelers. (USA Today) • India is showing that it is not ready for the Commonwealth Games starting in early October; its infrastructure is not impressing athletes Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Are Electric Cars the Future of Automobiles?
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
• An article takes an interesting look at Shai Agassi’s company Better Place, and how it is trying to make battery-powered cars a reality. (FT) • Although there have been recent accidents, information on gas pipelines in the U.S. are Read more ›
Does Driving to Work Make You Crazier Than Taking the Bus? A Clinical Trial
Monday, September 20th, 2010
Americans — and commuters in general — are experiencing ever-greater hurdles during their trips to and from work. Human beings spend an unholy number of collective hours sitting in cars and other vehicles, and pay for it in the form Read more ›
The Morning Dig: A Conversation with Ray LaHood
Monday, September 20th, 2010
• New Yorker staff writer Ryan Lizza has an interesting interview with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; the video is above. • A proposition to be voted on in November is threatening the progress of climate change stoppage in California. (NYT) Read more ›
The Week in High Speed Rail: Construction Officially Underway!
Friday, September 17th, 2010
• Construction has begun in Illinois on the high-speed rail line joining St. Louis and Chicago. (KWQC) • California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned from his trip to Asia filled to the brim with support for California’s HSR plans. (CN) Read more ›
How Much Do You Really Spend on Transportation?
Friday, September 17th, 2010
How much is your transportation to and from work really costing you? As we’ve discussed before, most Americans really don’t have an accurate idea of how much they’re paying for their commute — be it through parking and insurance fees, Read more ›
The Morning Dig: How DC Mayor Fenty Lost His Primary Election
Friday, September 17th, 2010
• A fascinating tick-tock article examines how Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrien Fenty, despite improving his city in many ways, lost his battle for re-election. (WashPost) • Because of its bankruptcy, General Motors is confronted with trying to clean up and Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Why Congress Isn’t Helping Renewable Energy
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
• An article looks at why Congress has not passed a mandate for utilities to use renewable energy. (AP) • The proposed light-rail line between Tampa’s airport and downtown may be finished in 2015 — three years early — if Read more ›
Is the National Infrastructure Bank a Slam-Dunk Win?
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
The Obama administration has officially put its weight behind the creation of the long-discussed National Infrastructure Bank. So will the formation of the bank save American infrastructure? We’ve gathered a few opinions on the matter. The New Republic‘s Christopher Leinberger Read more ›
