Climate Cities
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Brian Hayes’ Infrastructure offers a tour of the “unnatural” side of America
Transmission accomplished. The unprecedented hurricane season that flooded New Orleans and flattened much of the Gulf Coast this summer brought both catastrophe and an historic opportunity: building more-sustainable cities and infrastructure has suddenly become a hot topic. New Orleans doesn’t need only restored wetlands and stronger levees to offer protection from future hurricanes and rising […]
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In which we ask a mess of smart people what should happen in New Orleans
Unless you’ve been living under a rock — and these days, we can’t say we’d blame you — you’ve probably put at least a smidgen of thought toward the fate of New Orleans. It’s a rare thing to reconstruct an American city from scratch (though we can think of a few more cities we’d put […]
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School choice could be an answer to sprawl
Imagine a country — we’ll call it Hobsonia — that requires all its residents to shop at officially assigned supermarkets based on where they live. Now, Hobsonians care passionately about food, and since the law allows them to move if they wish, citizens decide where to live based largely on where they can buy groceries. […]
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We Like Bike
Gas prices push U.S. bike sales to near-historic peak Glory be: More bicycles than cars have been sold in the U.S. in the past 12 months. That’s about 19 million bicycles — nearing the 20 million sales peak during the early 1970s oil embargo — and roughly $5 billion to $6 billion in business, according […]
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Umbra on used cars
Dear Umbra, With rising — OK, skyrocketing — gas prices, I would like to invest in a car that gets good mileage and is reliable. However, I can’t afford a new Toyota Prius. Do you have any suggestions for environmentally friendly used cars that those of us on a budget might be able to invest […]
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Sacrificial Sham
Bush asks Americans to avoid unnecessary car trips and save energy President Bush yesterday called on Americans to drive less and conserve gas. “We can all pitch in,” he said. Of course, “all” is relative: Though the president directed federal agencies to reduce energy use, Republican congressional leaders were meeting even as he spoke to […]
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Central Dark
New York City dims skyscraper lights to help save birds Love cities? Love birds? Wish the former would stop killing the latter? Audubon wants to help. Its “Lights Out New York” effort is encouraging Big Apple building owners to turn lights down or off above the 40th floor, from midnight to daylight, during spring and […]
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Off by a Mileage
EPA to revise tests of new cars’ gas mileage The U.S. EPA has announced plans to overhaul its current method for estimating the fuel economy of new automobiles — the miles-per-gallon numbers stuck on the windows of every new car. The method now in use has changed little since the mid-1970s, even though driving conditions […]
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Umbra on speed limits
Dear Umbra, I was babbling about the ’70s energy crisis, gas rationing, and the nationwide 55 mile-per-hour speed limit at work the other day, and found myself explaining to a group of younger people how you save gas if you drive slower. They had never heard such a thing! Could you refresh my memory about […]
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What New Orleans could look like the second time around
I heard that George Bush told New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin the city could be remade into “a shining example for the whole world.” If Bush did say that, it surely wasn’t an environmentally sound renaissance he had in mind. But that is precisely what is needed. Call it Eco New Orleans. It should encompass […]
