The Obama administration has pumped $2.5 billion in stimulus funds into the advanced battery industry, with the goal of creating manufacturing jobs. But will supporting green cars mean supporting sprawl in the long-term?
Several urbanist writers have been remarking on a recent New York Times article titled "Does America Need Manufacturing?" The article focuses on the Obama administration's embrace of the lithium-ion battery industry, which it sees as a win-win because of job creation combined with green technology. But commenters wonder if creating batteries that extend the life of the car industry is a good thing.
Matt Yglesias writes:
"As long as the federal government remains formally and informally committed to the proposition that "what's good for General Motors is good for America" it's not really possible to have sound transportation policies writ large. You can try to take this cars/oil/steel industrial policy and nudge it in a greener direction with subsidies for electric cars, but no car-focused industrial policy is going to be as green as backing away from having the most energy intensive possible built environment of roads, homes, and offices."
FULL STORY: Automobile-Focused Industrial Policy

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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