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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Galbraith says what he really thinks
Economist goes over to the dark side |
biodiversivist |
15 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Some facts to hang your hat on: Good governance might save the day. Bad governance could just make things worse. I generally agree with Galbraith's opinions. However, there is always a reasonable probability that some of his opinions are wrong (as is true of anybody's opinions, including my own). He's quoted in David's post: 'Planning' is a word that too many in this debate are trying to avoid, fearful, perhaps, of its Soviet overtones. But the reality of cl ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Idle oughts
We still heart Rocky Anderson |
Kate Sheppard |
15 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Rocky Anderson is in the news again, reminding us why we all love him. Now he's taking on idling autos, calling for city-owned vehicles and personal vehicles on city business to limit their idling to five minutes, except in emergency situations. Fifty percent of air pollution in Utah comes from cars and trucks, and Rocky wants the city to do their part in cutting down on the smog-creating emissions. His environmental adviser, Jordan Gates, says this latest executi ... |
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| Topics: cars, energy, fuel efficiency, placemaking, politics, Utah (all these topics) |
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Feds fund Bloomberg's congestion plan
But still no actual decision on whether it will happen |
Kate Sheppard |
14 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The federal government has agreed to allot $354 million to New York City to help it launch its congestion pricing plan. Yeah, that one where state legislators were first like 'Hmmm, I dunno,' and then they were all like 'no way,' and then some enviros were like, 'Eh, maybe it's not that great anyway.' Not that federal funding guarantees that the state will approve the plan, so stay tuned. |
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| Topics: cars, New York, New York City, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Damn Environment, It's Always Getting in the Way
Partisan eco-impasse stalls budget vote in California |
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09 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Damn Environment, It's Always Getting in the Way Partisan eco-impasse stalls budget vote in California California's massive state budget is nearly six weeks overdue, and a partisan eco-impasse is a major factor. The state Assembly passed a spending plan in late July, but it's stalled out in the state Senate. The current sticking point: the 37-year-old California Environmental Quality A ... |
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| Topics: California, news, placemaking, politics, regulation, state politics (all these topics) |
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Congestion pricing saves more than it costs
Bloomberg’s law: Environment equals economic growth |
Grist |
28 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This guest essay comes from Steven Cohen and Jacob Victor. Steven Cohen is executive director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and director of its Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs. Jacob Victor is an intern at Columbia's Earth Institute. After overcoming numerous obstacles in Albany, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial congestion-pricing plan finally appear ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, New York, New York City, placemaking, politics, public transportation, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Make me change my ways
Individuals support policies they don't live by voluntarily |
David Roberts |
23 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Over at the New Yorker, James Surowiecki draws our attention to this oddity: The curious fact is that many people buying three-ton Suburbans for that arduous two-mile trip to the supermarket also want Congress to pass laws making it harder to buy Suburbans at all. This is, he notes, not an isolated phenomenon: individuals often support policies that will force them to make different choices -- choices they're not willing to make of their own volition. Furthermore, ... |
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| Topics: green living, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Bloomberg's congestion fee plan ...
Dead |
David Roberts |
17 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ... killed by lawmakers in Albany. |
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| Topics: cars, New York City, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Post-vacation links
Stuff I missed |
David Roberts |
16 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| There are a gazillion things I missed over vacation, or meant to post about before vacation, that I'll never have time to return to. Thus: a link post! I missed the MoveOn town hall on climate and energy. You can watch the candidate presentations here. Bill Scher has a pretty good rundown of who said what, here. Our guide to the candidates on these issues is here. FYI, MoveOn members voted John Edwards the winner. I doubt I'll have a chance to read Chris Mooney's ne ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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No Rush Hour
New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees |
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16 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| No Rush Hour New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees Today is a make-or-break, do-or-die, fish-or-cut-bait, poo-or-get-off-the-pot, we-wish-we-could-think-of-more-hyphenated-clichés day for New York, as state legislators, Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrestle over Bloomberg' ... |
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| Topics: climate, health, innovation, New York City, news, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Restoring rural roots
How legislators can help the rural |
Steph Larsen |
16 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| In a recent trip through the small town of Walthill, Nebraska, the phrase 'rural revitalization' took on a whole new meaning. In this case, it was the lack of any kind of prosperity that made it obvious to me why rural communities are in need of revitalization. Main Street looked painfully deserted, with two recent arsons adding fresh scars to the once-active storefronts. As we drove around the residential area, most houses looked to be in some state of disrepair -- ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, legislation, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Summer property rights update
A smorgasbord of campaigns in various states |
Eric de Place |
15 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| There's something energizing about midsummer. If it's not the camping trips, or the afternoon concerts in the park, it must be the flurry of property rights campaigns gearing up for the fall election. Here's the latest: In Oregon, the 'Yes on 49' campaign kicked off yesterday. (Measure 49 is the state legislature's referendum that will trim back some portions of Measure 37.) I can't find a website for the 'No on 49' campaign, so no link today. But if you want the ... |
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| Topics: business, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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The real cost of property regulations
Regulations may increase rather than decrease property value |
Eric de Place |
01 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| UPDATE 6/8/07: The study I mentioned in this post was was based on data collected and analyzed by two researchers at Oregon State University. Those researchers, William Jaeger and Andrew Plantinga, have produced a more complete report (pdf) containing a full economic analysis and no editorializing. The conclusion, however, is basically the same: there's no evidence to support the claim that Oregon's growth management protections have harmed property values, at least i ... |
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| Topics: legislation, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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In the green building trenches
Developing ideas on development |
Kif Scheuer |
09 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Hats off to GreenbuildingsNYC, who beat me to the punch on a couple of items that seem important to future green development. First, there's a piece by Professor Charles Kibert that critiques a recent report on the benefits of green schools. It is notable for a couple of reasons. First, his analysis asks some important questions about this particular report's benefit claims. Second, through this analysis he critiques the lack of critical review and high research stan ... |
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| Topics: green building, Nevada, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Giuliani v. Bloomberg
Who's the biggest fattest liberal? |
David Roberts |
23 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Over at National Review, Deroy Murdock is eager to assure his fellow right-wingers that Rudolph Giuliani is no liberal! What's his evidence? Why, when he was mayor Giuliani doused the city with toxic insecticide! He built dirty power plants in poor parts of town! He privatized the management of Central Park! No liberal would ever do that stuff, right? Meanwhile, current NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg just unveiled a visionary plan to make NYC the 'the first environme ... |
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| Topics: elections, New York City, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Smart grid baby steps: smart meters (metres?) in the U.K.
Helping homeowners monitor electricity use |
David Roberts |
17 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| One piece of the smart-grid puzzle is home electricity monitoring -- allowing homeowners (and eventually business and factory owners) to track their electricity use in real time. As the old saw goes, what gets measured gets done. Simply making people aware of energy flows is the first step to helping them modulate those flows efficiently. On that note, it's fantastic to see this: soon, every household in the U.K. will be able to request a smart meter and have it insta ... |
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| Topics: electricity grid, energy, hybrids, placemaking, politics, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Conservatives for rail transit
Um, overseas |
David Roberts |
17 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| 'As part of efforts to shed its image of closeness to the motoring lobby, the party wants the government to commit immediately to key rail expansion projects ...' That's the conservative party. The dawn of hope and sanity? Yes. In the U.K. |
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| Topics: cars, green living, placemaking, politics, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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The pro-enviro solution that dare not speak its name
Trains are the forgotten mode of transport, at least in the U.S. |
JMG |
06 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| 'Because if your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down their throats.' Take electrified rail, for instance. Here's a sad report from Dean Baker of The American Prospect, one of the best reporters going today: I was shocked to discover in a conversation with a congressional staffer that rebuilding the country's train system is a topic that is strictly verboten on Capitol Hill. I was reminded of this when I read that a French train had set a new speed record of 35 ... |
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| Topics: placemaking, politics, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Seattle's difficult decision: Cary Moon
She prefers a 'people's waterfront' |
David Roberts |
12 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Seattle is facing a difficult decision: what to do with a crumbling highway that serves as a major north-south corridor through the city? Below, we hear from Cary Moon. Cary is a landscape and urban designer and co-founder of the People's Waterfront Coalition. The PWC's No-Highway option won second prize in a national design competition sponsored by Metropolis magazine, called 'Next Generation: Big Idea.' ----- Faced with a maddening choice between two miserable hi ... |
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| Topics: local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Seattle's difficult decision: Erica C. Barnett
She says no and hell no |
David Roberts |
11 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Seattle is facing a difficult decision: what to do with a crumbling highway that serves as a major north-south corridor through the city? Below, we hear from Erica C. Barnett. Erica is the senior news writer for Seattle's alternative newsweekly, The Stranger, where she covers City Hall and transportation, writes a weekly politics column, and serves on the paper's editorial board. She also has a blog. ----- Voters in Seattle are being asked to take up-or-down ... |
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| Topics: local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Seattle's difficult decision: A mini-series
Because local transportation choices aren't local any more |
David Roberts |
11 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As Bradley noted below, the citizens of Seattle face a dilemma. The Alaskan Way Viaduct -- an elevated highway that enters Seattle on its west flank, offering stunning views (to drivers) of the city and the waterfront -- is falling apart. There's real danger that an earthquake, or just Father Time, could send it tumbling down, along with lots of cars. Nobody wants that. That's where the consensus ends. The question is: what should we do about it? In some sense th ... |
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| Topics: local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Detroit Should Get an Award for Ending Every List
New report ranks U.S. cities on environmental and social realities |
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23 Feb 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Detroit Should Get an Award for Ending Every List New report ranks U.S. cities on environmental and social realities A new report ranks 72 U.S. cities on their greenness -- but we're not talking just parks and bike paths. The Urban Environment Report, put out by the Washington, D.C.-based Earth Day Network, includes a "vulnerable population index" that takes into account the segment of a city's ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, news, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Merkel, May I?
E.U., Germany duke it out over auto emissions standards |
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01 Feb 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Merkel, May I? E.U., Germany duke it out over auto emissions standards Once upon a time, the European Union proposed a carbon-dioxide emissions limit on all vehicles made or imported there. But Germany -- home of Volkswagen, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, and Porsche -- has yanked on the e-brake. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country would not suppor ... |
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| Topics: Angela Merkel, cars, European Union, Germany, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Coffee, Tea, or Big Three?
Detroit CEOs meet with President Bush, discuss energy concerns |
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15 Nov 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Coffee, Tea, or Big Three? Detroit CEOs meet with President Bush, discuss energy concerns Since lunch with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) didn't kill him, President Bush cozied up to another foe: the Big Three automakers. Yesterday, Bush met with the CEOs of Ford, GM, and the Chrysler Group, a trio he ruffled earlier this year by saying they'd improve financially if they made "relevant" products. Eager to show their rel ... |
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| Topics: news, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Greg Nickels and global warming
This climate hero may be more of a Forrest Gump |
David Roberts |
06 Nov 2006 |
Gristmill |
| I've been waiting for someone to write this article. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is rightfully lauded for kicking off the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which now has 326 mayors committed to helping their cities meet Kyoto emissions targets. It's a BFD, and Nickels will earn a small place in history for it. Still. It's always been my sense that the initiative was cooked up by clever and persuasive staffers in the mayor's office, and that Nickels was, in For ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, placemaking, politics, Seattle, urban planning (all these topics) |
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'Hood Intentions
LEED is expanding to neighborhoods, and Doug Farr is leading the way |
Charles Shaw |
12 Oct 2006 |
Main Dish |
| Doug Farr was heading into The Grind, a local fair-trade coffee spot in Chicago's swanky Lincoln Square neighborhood, when he ran into Peter Nicholson, the organizer of the city's monthly Green Drinks. The two well-heeled unofficial flag-wavers for the local green scene exchanged enthusiastic greetings, and began discussing the latest goings-on. Doug Farr. "Ugh. I'm really over ... |
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| Topics: Chicago, consumerism, green living, greening biz operations, innovation, placemaking, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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