James Howard Kunstler ponders our built enironment and our insatiable thirst for cheap foreign oil.
"Now, six months into the 'War on Terrorism' our denial level concerning how we live -- and the peril this places us in -- remains sky-high. This is especially true concerning oil, the commodity underlying all of our current living arrangements and economic relations. Except on this subject, denial devolves into delusion."The truth is, we are nearly up against the wall where oil is concerned. As I write, the big cheese of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has proposed a one-month oil export boycott by Islamic nations against the US. Suicide bombers happily give their lives up for the chance to injure Americans and Israelis; do you suppose that members of that culture would not give up some revenue, too?"Alternative fuels are not going to solve these problems... I wish my fellow ex-hippies and environmentalist friends would give a little less of their time to projects like hybrid vehicles and concentrate instead on the walkable community side of the equation. That is where the big payoff in conservation lies for this nation."
Thanks to Dan Zack
Read the full story: Maul of America
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop
New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.
Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan
The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association