Archive for July, 2008
Transit needs some creativity
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Despite rising fuel prices, agonizing congestion, and depressingly large portions of lives wasted in commutes, public transit is typically not viewed as a desirable choice in the United States. And most cities transit systems are woefully incapable of handling a significant increase in demand anyway.
The present situation presents a challenge and an opportunity for […]
Rise of cities, decline of national park visitation
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 Fewer people are visiting America’s national parks, reports the Economist. Instead, the Economist believes more tourists are visiting cities, which have become cool.
This leads to the question of the relationship (if any) between urban revitalization and lower national park patronage.
Indeed, there seems to be a correlation between the cleaning up of cities […]
Two lessons from a massive CBD power outage
Monday, July 21st, 2008Last week in downtown Vancouver a main electrical cable underground caught fire. At approximately 10 AM, Monday morning, half of the CBD lost power including the building where I work. BC Hydro could not fully restore the power for several days, although some buildings were back on the grid within about 6 hours.
In perspective, this […]
Tougher home ownership credentials: better for cities?
Saturday, July 12th, 2008Over the past few years, home ownership became easier than it had been in decades in the United States and in many countries around the world. 40 year mortgages and buying with little or no downpayment made purchasing easier. A US practice of loaning 103% of the value of a house made it seem […]
Is urban living in conflict with the US Constitution?
Friday, July 4th, 2008The American constitution was written to serve a new country’s new citizens who were hard-working, independent-minded and primarily rural.
If over the next few decades more Americans (not all, just more) move into higher density, “urban” neighborhoods, I’m wondering if some long-held American values and customs will be challenged.
A CEOs for Cities post this week was […]
Celebrating North American history — Happy 400th to Quebec City
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008The best, the worst, and the most defining aspects of North American history have roots in Quebec City.
July 3, 2008 marks the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s historic landing on the shores of the St. Lawrence River in 1608 to establish a fir trading fort and settlement that has been occupied ever since (unlike […]