Jarrett Murphy writes of a single but significant line in Mayor Bloomberg's recent State of the City address which offers a potential solution to the city’s intertwined fiscal, garbage and energy problems.
"Toward the end of his 7,500-word speech the mayor said the city will, over the next year, 'explore the possibility of cleanly converting trash into renewable energy.'" With this short but meaningful indication of a potentially significant policy shift for city government, Mayor Bloomberg returns to an idea his administration explored as early as 2002.
What has changed in the interim? According to Murphy, "The Iraq war, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' Deepwater Horizon and Fukashima Daiichi have transformed intelligent conversation about energy use." Furthermore, technological advances over the past decade have introduced new waste-to-energy options such as "'thermal processing,' which involves heating garbage to a point where its organic ingredients release a gas that can then be used like natural gas, and 'anaerobic digestion' that uses microbes to decompose garbage, releasing vapor for burning."
FULL STORY: Hope and Hesitation as Waste-to-Energy Gets New Look
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
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The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America
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Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal
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Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)