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The Planetizen News Brief - 9/24/09

24 September 2009 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

They call it the Motor City, but with a hard decline in the American auto industry, the name just doesn’t seem to fit right anymore. Locals are trying to find ways for the struggling city to re-invent itself – and diversify its lackluster economy. One suggestion city planners have dreamed up is fashion, according to a recent article from CNN Money. And while it might seem like a stretch, the crossover from automaking to fashion design is not as far as you might think. Many say that tapping into the creative minds behind car design will make Detroit a new fashion center. And the transition is already underway. Since 2005, the city has hosted its own fashion week, just like traditional fashion cities like New York and London. And in an effort to raise the city’s fashion profile, a second runway event is scheduled for Fall. By highlighting local designers, organizers hope to draw more attention to the local creative economy -- and attract more young people to a city that has for decades seen its young adult population skip town for hipper digs. While it may be true that the city’s industrial days are dwindling, Detroit may emerge with a new, more stylish identity.

Meanwhile, out in sprawling Phoenix, where driving is a major part of the city’s DNA, another surprising shift is happening. The city’s new light rail system is boasting high ridership numbers – much higher than anybody, even supporters, had imagined possible. A recent article from the New York Times looks at the new Valley Metro light rail line, which opened back in December with expectations of about 26,000 riders per day. But now, ridership stats show that nearly 33,000 people are riding the train per day – a figure that has caused many to recant on earlier predictions that the project would be a monumental waste of money. But unlike many of the other transit systems in the U.S., the high ridership numbers in Phoenix aren’t being caused by commuters. The bulk of ridership is coming from pleasure trips on the weekends. Only 27% of riders are using the train to commute, according to transit officials. Whatever their reason, people are riding the rails in Phoenix, which has come as a happy surprise to many transit advocates. And it’s helping to bolster their case for planned expansion of the system over the next decade.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

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As an alternative to burial, cremation is no longer green enough, say some environmentalists, because it releases smoke and mercury into the atmosphere.
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