An article posted last week by the Guardian and highlighted yesterday by Treehugger.com cites recent studies as well as data from maritime industry sources that the combination of quantity and quality of low-grade bunker fuel used in the massive engines of freight vessels may result in more emissions than all the cars in the world! I don’t mean to wax sensationalist here, this is what is stated in the article. If the truth is anywhere near the statement, then the idea of
Technology
Fed Money Announced for CA's National Parks
Twenty-two national parks in California will get a portion of $97 million to repair historic buildings, install solar panels, and fix trails.
San Francisco Chronicle
Vatican Reveals Solar Plant Plans
Vatican City has plans to build the largest solar plant in Europe, which will supply enough power for 40,000 households in a state of 900 inhabitants.
Bloomberg
Inside L.A.'s High-Tech Traffic Control System
Streetfilms goes behind the scenes at Los Angeles' Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control office, which monitors and actively controls L.A.'s signalized intersections.
Streetsblog
Obama Trumpets High-Speed Rail
Quoting Daniel Burnham, Obama announced that America should "make no little plans" as he affirmed his administration's commitment to building high-speed rail across the nation. Ten corridors were highlighted.
Washington Post
Funds Promised to Ease Water Troubles
The state's water supply is in trouble, and its beat-up water system can't hold up much longer. On Wednesday the federal government has promised to step in and help California rebuild its water system.
San Francisco Chronicle
An Unsustainable Industry's Call to Planners
Australian transport official Nick Dimonpoulos has called on better land use and long-term planning to avoid flooding and temperature extremes brought on climate change caused by land transportation-related emissions.
Transport & Logistics News
Flexibility and Integrity
Portland urban designer Arun Jain has released his Urban Design Framework, a vision that requires planners to give themselves more leeway "without giving up core values."
Daily Journal of Commerce
Obama Advisor on the State of Transportation
GOOD Magazine talks with Joseph M. Sussman, an external adviser to the Department of Transportation and professor at MIT, about high-speed rail, intelligent transportation systems, and more.
GOOD Magazine
The Takings Muddle: A Brief Guide
Mon, 04/13/2009 - 10:04
The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment provides that government may not take private property without just compensation. The courts have held that this clause requires government to compensate landowners for losses caused by government regulation in certain situations- most notably when regulation leads to a permanent physical invasion of property (1) or makes property worthless (2).
Thirteen Strategies for Sustainability
How is Kansas City to make itself sustainable? This blog offers 13 strategies, one posted a day, from experts in different fields.
One KC Voice
Boston's Transportation Choices Studied
A draft Environmental Impact Report is now underway to study the proposed routes and power sources for rail extensions south of Boston. Considerations include ridership, wetlands, smart growth benefits, and future development around train stations.
The Boston Globe
Tall Towers Break Records, in Height and Numbers
The number and average heights of skyscrapers erected in 2008 are the highest ever thanks to a “lag effect” in the market and a shift toward sustainability.
Architectural Record
The Birth of the Map of the Cool
Certain parts of the city generate "buzz" -- through events, parties, or other attractions. Just how much buzz they create is hard to nail down. But a new study focusing on L.A. and New York seeks to quantify the cool factor that makes places pop.
The New York Times
Corn Ethanol Industry In The Tank
Low fuel prices, high corn prices, and a new CA regulation that penalizes the energy intensity necessary to convert corn to fuel are hurting the industry.
San Francisco Chronicle
Documenting the History of L.A.
A citywide documentation project is underway in Los Angeles, where planners and preservationists (and the public) are documenting the city's important historic and cultural sites.
Los Angeles Times
A Twitter in the City
Wed, 04/08/2009 - 18:04
Will the red-hot microblogging platform Twitter change the way we live in our cities, how we call for help in an emergency, or even help rally a group to topple the city's government? Or is it a frivolous technology that simply atomizes our thoughts and relationships into 140-character bits?
A Case for LEED-ND: The LEED Platinum Suburban Office Park
A new LEED Platinum building in suburban Minneapolis may be the greenest single building in the state, but what about all those who must drive there? The City of Lakes blog looks at the fallacy of LEED rankings when location is not factored in.
City of Lakes Urbanism
