Grist | Topics | 141 Results

RESULTS		Results 51 – 75 of 141
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
All close together now A post-petroleum American dream	Jon Rynn	13 Mar 2008	Gristmill
'This craziness is not sustainable,' concludes The New York Times op-ed columnist Bob Herbert, and he's talking about the economy, not the environment. He continues: Without an educated and empowered work force, without sustained investment in the infrastructure and technologies that foster long-term employment, and without a system of taxation that can actually pay for the services provided by government, the American dream as we know it will expire. And without pet ...
Topics: agriculture, cars, energy, placemaking, public transportation, urban planning (all these topics)

Fun with numbers If we want to create jobs, why aren't we spending on mass transit?	Sarah K. Burkhalter	12 Mar 2008	Gristmill
The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities (PDF): Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on defense: 8,555 Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on health care: 10,779 Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on education: 17,687 Number of jobs created by spending $1 billion on mass transit: 19,795 (via Yes! magazine)
Topics: placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

The Way You Move Climate change has it out for transportation infrastructure, says report		11 Mar 2008	News
Posted at 5:08 PM on 11 Mar 2008 Climate change is likely to wreak havoc on U.S. transportation infrastructure, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Research Council. Think bridge joints weakened by too-high temperatures, flooded tunnels, shipping disrupted by heavy storms, roads threatened by erosion, and much, much more! Coastal regions are likely to be especially hard hit, as more and ...
Topics: climate, climate change impacts, news, placemaking, public transportation, urban planning (all these topics)

Gas up The next generation of infrastructure should help more Americans go carless	Ryan Avent	04 Mar 2008	Gristmill
It appears that oil has reached a new all-time high in real terms. Given that gas prices normally peak during the summer season, the stage could be set for some ugly pump prices this year, although expensive oil may not be the most painful part of the current commodity price boom for consumers (an honor which may go to the exploding cost of grain). With oil so expensive, commuters may wish they had better transportation options. Some of them may even begin to wonder ...
Topics: energy, oil, placemaking, public transportation, urban planning (all these topics)

Zipcar merges with Flexcar, effs it all up Has the east coast car-sharing company screwed up the west coast car-sharing company?	David Roberts	29 Feb 2008	Gristmill
Late last year, the country's two major car-sharing companies, west-coast Flexcar and its larger east-coast cousin Zipcar, merged and became, um, Zipcar. Flexcar fans were concerned about the effects of the merger. Sadly, Flexcar fangirl Erica Barnett reports that they were decidedly negative: more expensive, fewer cars, less friendly service, etc. Zipcar, what hath thou wrought? Any Gristians have car-sharing experiences to share?
Topics: public transportation, placemaking, cars, business (all these topics)

Governors drink the Kool-Aid State govs embrace the range of 'alternative fuels,' from nukes to clean coal to biofuels	Tom Philpott	27 Feb 2008	Gristmill
The National Governors Association has linked up with 'a team of Wal-Mart energy experts' to 'green the capitols.'That's fantastic -- and I'm sure it will draw well-deserved huzzahs in certain green circles. (It's touching to see Wal-Mart giving back some of what it has been siphoning off in state taxes!) But read a little deeper into the press release, and you see what the National Governors Association means by 'green.' Turns out that when it comes to energy, the go ...
Topics: energy, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics, Wal-Mart (all these topics)

Public investment: the counterargument Geek humor	Gar Lipow	22 Feb 2008	Gristmill
Volker Weber provides a strong counterargument to my posts favoring public investment (very funny, if you are a certain kind of geek):
Topics: placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

A climate for old men Spearheading transit for livable cities at 93	Charles Komanoff	11 Feb 2008	Gristmill
I recently ended 100 days without Grist. And wouldn't you know, the title of the first post I saw, 'No climate for old men,' spoke directly to the reason I was away. No, I wasn't with the McCain campaign. Rather, I was immersed in a project, spearheaded by a really old man, that could become a terrific tool for beating back the climate crisis. That man is 93-year-old Ted Kheel, legendary New York labor-lawyer-turned-environmentalist. His project is a study o ...
Topics: climate, energy, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Ride, Sally, Ride Mexico City encourages transit ridership with women-only buses		25 Jan 2008	News
Posted at 10:29 AM on 25 Jan 2008 Women in Mexico City have long been deterred from riding public transportation by the very real possibility of being groped or verbally harassed while packed in with other passengers. "A woman could enter a metro car a virgin and come out pregnant," says one female rider. The subway system has female-only cars during rush hour to address the problem, but now city officials ...
Topics: Mexico, news, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Can we tax for transit? New transportation proposals to ease energy dependence	Eric de Place	16 Jan 2008	Gristmill
This is one of those weeks when it feels like things are changing fast. Here are two stories that caught my attention: A panel organized by Congress -- the melodically-named National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission -- just called for higher federal gas taxes. In fact, they recommend a 40-cent-per-gallon hike. It sounds like the tax would go mainly to repair and maintain current road infrastructure rather than road expansion. The pa ...
Topics: carbon tax, climate, energy, oil, politics, public transportation (all these topics)

No joke Land-use policy is not a laughing matter	Ryan Avent	14 Jan 2008	Gristmill
It was just a fleeting moment amid the hours of presidential debate that have taken place through this longest of election cycles, but it nonetheless warmed my heart. No-longer-a-candidate Bill Richardson, in response to a question on climate policy, said of the fight against climate change: It's going to take a transportation policy that doesn't just build more highways. We have to have commuter rail, light rail, open spaces. We've got to have land-use policies where ...
Topics: cars, politics, public transportation, sprawl, urban planning (all these topics)

High-speed rail	David Roberts	12 Jan 2008	Gristmill
High-speed rail, already kicking ass (in Europe), is set to kick much more ass (in Europe): Last July seven operators banded together to form Railteam, an alliance that is working to create a seamless, high-speed network across a large swath of Western Europe. Functioning much like an airline alliance, Railteam is setting up a common reservation system that's set to begin operations in 2009. It is also helping member railways coordinate their schedules to reduce lay ...
Topics: placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

WCI and transportation fuels Why the West should worry about transportation emissions	Eric de Place	08 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Well, Clark and I are traveling to Portland for a batch of meetings related to the Western Climate Initiative. On the off chance that you'll miss us, I thought I'd share some of what we're working on with WCI. Our biggest obsession right now is transportation fuels. Namely, we believe it's critically important that transportation fuels be covered by an 'upstream' cap in the first phase of the program. Here's more: Why should the WCI cover transportation fuel ...
Topics: carbon trading, climate, economy, energy, politics, public transportation (all these topics)

A desire named streetcar Transportation planning with people in mind	Eric de Place	12 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Say what you will about streetcars, they have an unmatched appeal. I mean, there must be a reason why it's hard to imagine a smoldering love affair between Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh with a bus theme. Or, as the inimitable Dan Savage says: Why is this so hard to understand? ... People like trains. People hate buses. To wit, the Seattle P-I recently interviewed folks about the new Seattle streetcar and elicited what I imagine are fairly ...
Topics: Seattle, public transportation, placemaking (all these topics)

Mass transit in D.C. is a triumph Metro is succeeding, but like all public transit systems, it needs our support	Ryan Avent	19 Nov 2007	Gristmill
It was a bad headline and a bad take on an important issue from a writer at a publication that ought to know better. Last week, M.J. Rosenberg, writing at TPM Cafe, penned a quick post entitled 'Question for Paul Krugman: Why Does the DC Metro Suck?' In the space of a few short words, Rosenberg revealed that arguments in favor of increased public transit shouldn't just be directed at environmentally negligent conservatives. There is a lot of work to be done winning over w ...
Topics: placemaking, public transportation, Washington DC (all these topics)

Tracking Lieberman-Warner: Senate Environment Committee hearing Cardin wants more money for public transit	Brian Beutler	13 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) says he can support the bill if it provides more funds for public transportation, including at the state level.He said this in the context of a response to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who wants the bill changed to a sector-by-sector (as opposed to economy-wide) cap-and-trade system. Cardin suggested that Senators shouldn't be demanding extraordinary changes to the legislation and threatening to withhold support unless their demands are ...
Topics: climate, energy, politics, legislation, public transportation (all these topics)

Hear some trains a-comin' Public transit will be necessary for CO2 reductions	Jon Rynn	12 Nov 2007	Gristmill
At the end of October, both New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg and, believe it or not, Mississippi Republican Senator Trent Lott, passed their cosponsored bill in the Senate to allocate $1.9 billion per year for six years to expand passenger rail in the U.S. According to Parade magazine (yes, the one that's inserted into Sunday newspapers), the main goal is 'to develop high-speed, short-haul rail corridors modeled on the European city-to-city routes. They could ...
Topics: public transportation, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, legislation, politics (all these topics)

Transportation and climate get hitched Seattle-area voters tied the knot	Eric de Place	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
In the Seattle metro region, voters just sank an $18 billion transportation megaproposal that would have built more than 180 lanes miles of highway and 50 miles of light rail. But so far, the mainstream press has missed one of the most important stories of the year. The real story isn't tax fatigue, it's this: perhaps for the first time ever in the U.S., a critical bloc of voters linked transportation choices to climate protection. In the run-up to the vote, a surpr ...
Topics: cars, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics)

Clinton's climate and energy plan Some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary's new proposal	David Roberts	05 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Efficiency and permit auctions and R&D, oh my! Hillary Clinton released her comprehensive energy and climate plan today. It is thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others. With the release of Clinton's plan, all three Democratic frontrunners for the presidency now have visionary, far-reaching energy plans that would fundamentally reorient the country away from carbon-intensive energy ...
Topics: biofuels, business, carbon trading, climate, climate equity, coal, elections, energy, energy efficiency, Hillary Clinton, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics)

Baby got Amtrak Could intercity public transit finally be getting some support from Congress?	David Roberts	01 Nov 2007	Gristmill
I don't have time to do this justice right now, but it's quite exciting to hear that Amtrak may finally be getting some support from Congress. I've never understood why Amtrak is supposed to be self-financing, and money to Amtrak is considered "subsidies." Nobody says that about roads, on which we spend exponentially more taxpayer money. Here's the WSJ's helpful summary: The Bill: The Senate passed legislation boosting Amtrak funding, as passenger rail ...
Topics: public transportation, politics, legislation (all these topics)

Maui-Go-Round Hawaii legislature allows Superferry to resume voyages		31 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 3:01 PM on 31 Oct 2007 The Hawaii legislature has approved a bill allowing resumption of voyages by the Hawaii Superferry, halted by court order in August because a state-required environmental-impact assessment had not been completed. The new legislation, backed which is backed by Gov. Linda Lingle (R), will allow the ferry to make its Oahu-to-Maui and Oahu-to-Kauai treks while the assessment is being made. The ferr ...
Topics: Hawaii, legislation, news, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics (all these topics)

A hopeful letter from 2034 An electrified transit advocate tries soothsaying	JMG	28 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Maybe too optimistic, but very little untried technology in here, so it's at least a possible future.
Topics: placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Congestion Is the cure worse than the disease?	Clark Williams-Derry	15 Oct 2007	Gristmill
The ever-geekalicious Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute had a great take on traffic congestion a few weeks back on Planetizen. As Litman explains, most congestion studies (such as this annual study, which always gets a lot of press) consistently overestimate the costs of congestion. But even using these relatively high estimates, the costs of congestion are pretty modest, compared with the comprehensive costs of owning and operating ...
Topics: cars, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Velib' liberates Paris A Parisian tries out the city's new rent-a-bike program	Jon Rynn	05 Oct 2007	Gristmill
The following is a guest essay from my sister, Margie Rynn, who has lived in Paris for seven years. ----- It took me awhile to be willing to try Velib', the new rent-a-bike program now available all over the streets of Paris.I love the idea: anyone can pick up a bike at any metro station or anywhere there's a 'borne' (stand) of bikes, ride around for half an hour, and then leave it at any Velib' stand. That first half hour is free, and not only that, the bikes themsel ...
Topics: bikes, France, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Roads with transit? No, thanks The RTID package doesn't give Seattle voters a fair choice	Erica Barnett	30 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Those of us who live in and around Seattle will vote this November on a huge package that's being sold as "roads and transit." Stay with me -- it's complicated but important, and it could have implications for transit projects around the US. Of the $18 billion in the package, about $10 billion will pay for 50 miles of new light rail; the rest will pay for roads projects, including 152 new miles of general-purpose highways (and 74 miles of HOV). Because ou ...
Topics: politics, public transportation, Seattle, urban planning (all these topics)

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