Canada

Keystone XL pipeline builder TransCanada is in the business of transporting oil to its customers, preferably by pipelines, but it's CEO has stated for the first time it will turn to "more costly and and controversial rail" to fill the pipeline gap.

May 26, 2014 - Reuters

Notwithstanding an emergency order DOT issued on May 7 that railroads must provide cities oil train information, secrecy continues to cloak the transport of hazardous oil shipments leaving first responders ill-prepared to handle fiery explosions.

May 24, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

In Montreal, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough unveiled an ambitious plan to make streets safer for people on foot and bikes by securing pedestrian crossings, and creating new bike paths as well as two "cycle streets" — where bikes have priority.

May 23, 2014 - The Gazette

Reports from Beijing are that Chinese officials are considering a high speed rail project that would connect China to North America. The project sounds like science fiction—but the question remains whether China would or could pull off the project.

May 11, 2014 - China Daily

In what is being billed as the first emergency order of more to come, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the federal regulator of transporting crude oil by rail, hopes to quell the growing national furor over what some call 'ticking time bombs'.

May 9, 2014 - The Tribune

The derailment of the CSX oil unit train in downtown Lynchburg, Va. on April 30 and subsequent fire and oil spill into the James River caught Lynchburg, Va. officials off-guard, who were unaware of the oil shipments, let alone how to handle crashes.

May 3, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

What is the best height to promote good urban living? It needs to be high to attain necessary density but not so high that it detracts from the quality of life, particularly for existing residents. In short, what is the Goldilocks height level?

April 26, 2014 - The Guardian

Transport Canada jumped past U.S. DOT on April 23 by taking decisive action on "exploding" oil tank cars that are traveling throughout North America due largely to an insufficient oil pipeline network. Within three years, the older cars must go.

April 25, 2014 - The Olympian

A California legislator warns that if the Keystone XL pipeline is rejected, expect tar sands to be transported by rail to Calif. refineries and ports. Increasing oil production would reduce oil imports, but a fracking moratorium bill has advanced.

April 22, 2014 - Engineering News Record

Richard Florida joins the chorus calling for the United Nations to make “cities the centerpiece of its forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.”

April 17, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

The Port of Albany is thriving as a major hub for CBR shipments from the Bakken field in North Dakota and Saskatchewan province. But we learn there are limits to further growth after the city slapped a moratorium on expansion to oil sands from Canada

March 17, 2014 - Climate Progress

With cities seeking to involve diverse voices in city-making to get beyond “the usual suspects,” Vancouver urbanists Brent Toderian and Jillian Glover examine how cities in their region are finding new ways to increase civic participation.

March 5, 2014 - Brent Toderian

Ernest Moniz weighs-in on the exponential, and at times, explosive (literally) growth of moving crude oil by rail (CBR). His main point: pipelines are safer than rail. Science magazine editor Marcia McNutt points to pipelines' environmental benefits.

February 24, 2014 - Capital

Vancouver’s reputation as a beautiful “mini-Manhattan” is well documented and well earned. But how did the city manage to fend off regrettable fashions in planning over the years, and how prepared is it to continue its success in the future?

February 18, 2014 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

As housing prices increase on the post-recession wave, many experts are asking people to reconsider the dream of buying and owning a home, especially if that means sinking too deeply in debt or sacrificing mobility.

February 5, 2014 - CBC News

Andrew Cuthbert responds to a few of the recurring accusations leveled against cyclists as posted on the ‘comments’ section of a Vancouver-based news story involving a cyclist-motorist conflict.

February 5, 2014 - Spacing Vancouver

The National Transportation Safety Board called on federal regulators on Jan. 23 to approve several measures in light of a rash of oil train derailments and crude oil explosions as did their Canadian counterparts, the Transportation Safety Board.

January 28, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. DOT brokered a deal with energy and rail industries whereby both would take immediate steps to prevent the recent explosions involving the more volatile Bakken crude. While voluntary, actual regulations will take more than a year to approve.

January 20, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Some 5,000 properties in the picturesque lakeside town of Port Hope, ON, once home to a nationally owned uranium and radium refinery, will undergo testing for radon and gamma radiation as part of a cleanup effort scheduled to continue until 2022.

January 17, 2014 - The Toronto Star

Call it the Lac-Mégantic effect - the July 6 conflagration that leveled the downtown, killing 47 people, has implications for all jurisdictions where oil and freight trains run. Cities must recognize that rail insurance policies are woefully lacking.

January 14, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal