Did you chuckle when the WSJ's Dorothy Rabinowitz said "the bike lobby is an all-powerful enterprise”? Well, "[t]he bicycle lobby is real," say Byron Tau and Caitlin Emma, who explore the increasing clout of those fighting for bike infrastructure.
Yesterday Politico
Portland cement doesn't come close to matching the resiliency of the concrete created by ancient Romans. After years of research, scientists believe they've unravelled the ingredients and production techniques that made Roman concrete so superior.
Yesterday Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Despite record levels of greenhouse gas emissions, global surface temperatures have risen at a much slower rate over the past 15 years than the 20 years prior. Scientists are struggling to explain a warming plateau.
Yesterday The New York Times
To the chagrin of many state legislators, Gov. Terry Branstad opposes new revenue measures to fund transportation projects, as he believes he is following the wishes of his constituents. Tax cuts, not increases, are on his agenda.
Yesterday Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
As Wellington 'Duke' Reiter notes, for the past several decades Phoenix has shown it expertise in horizontal growth. But, as development heats up again after the Great Recession, he says the city's growth must be managed to increase density.
Yesterday azcentral.com
Gated communities were once confined to specific neighborhoods or suburban areas, but as the global financial sector grows, entire cities are becoming gated enclaves where the 'one per cent' network and drive national policies, says Simon Kuper.
Yesterday The Financial Times
As Toronto's condo building boom has transformed the city, it's also helped to transform Canada's housing market. There are warning signs, however, that a surplus of housing in the city threatens to destabilize Canada's entire economy.
Yesterday CBC News
Greg Hinz tours the unfinished 'superstation' under Block 37 in the central Loop, built by the Chicago Transit Authority at a cost of $218 million. It would cost an estimated $150 million to complete, a sum that's unlikely to be raised anytime soon.
Yesterday Crain's Chicago Business
Ian Johnson explores a pivotal moment in China's development, as the country seeks to migrate 250 million rural residents to cities in the next 12 years. Observers speculate on how a comprehensive urbanization plan will achieve this transition.
Yesterday The New York Times
The Telegraph compiles a list of the fastest train trips in the world, from the 90 minute journey from Brussels to Paris at 186 miles per hour to Shanghai's 268 mile per hour maglev train. A new service is poised to join them.
2 days ago The Telegraph
