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What Should We Learn From Moses and Jacobs?
There is probably no more beloved figure in urbanism than Jane Jacobs,
who fought to preserve some of New York City's most treasured
neighborhoods and who gave urbanists some of the field's fundamental
texts. As Ed Glaeser notes in the New Republic this week,
Jacobs died in 2006 "a cherished, almost saintly figure," while her
principal antagonist, Robert Moses, remains popularly reviled as a
villain.
September 9, 2009
‘Clunkers’ Consequences: GM Sales Down, Ford Gas-Guzzlers Up
When Congress tripled the size of the "cash for clunkers" program in July, both Congress and the White House
billed the $3 billion program as a boon for struggling domestic
automakers. But when those Detroit car companies released sales figures
today, the numbers didn't quite match up to the hype.
September 1, 2009
Ad Nauseam: Jay Leno Plays Vehicular Manslaughter for Laughs
According to Movieline (via New York Mag), Jay Leno's new prime time show, set to debut on NBC in September, hasn't exactly been generating a lot of buzz. But since nothing says funny like a grisly hit-and-run, this promo, co-starring Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live," should turn things around.
August 21, 2009
“Cash for Clunkers” Coming to a Close?
The Obama administration plans to close the door on the politically popular and environmentally slipshod auto trade-in program known as "cash for clunkers," according to a report this afternoon in the Wall Street Journal:
August 19, 2009
Chief Gascón Addresses Driver Accountability at Swearing-In Presser
At a press conference today immediately after Mayor Gavin Newsom swore in SFPD's new police Chief George Gascón, the city's top cop, responding to a question from Streetsblog, addressed a number of issues central to his command, including, notably, how driver behavior can endanger certain neighborhoods as much or more than violent crime.
August 7, 2009
Wreckless Riding
In 1978 I was a field manager for an environmental group's canvassing operation and was driving "my crew" in an old beat-up Volkswagon from one suburb to the next. From about 3 p.m. we'd visit every house in a given area, knocking on doors seeking donations and support, ending around 8:30 or 9. One time I was in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill or one of those Contra Costa bedroom communities, and I did a typical San Francisco rolling stop at a stop sign in a quiet residential neighborhood. Sure enough I was stopped by a squad car and given quite a lecture on how San Francisco behavior was unacceptable out there in the 'burbs.
August 7, 2009
Extra! Extra! Nevius and Matier Serving Up Steaming Piles of Journalism
A couple of real stinkers over in Mainstream Medialand today.
August 6, 2009
Lobby Firm Behind Climate Forgeries Helped Kill Higher CAFE Standards
The Washington lobbying firm of Bonner & Associates is facing protests and a possible wire fraud probe after it was revealed
to have forged at least a dozen letters to Congress this summer that
claimed to represent local grassroots groups opposed to fighting
climate change.
August 5, 2009
Wade Crowfoot Leaves Mayor’s Office for EDF
Wade
Crowfoot, Mayor Gavin Newsom's Director of Climate Change Initiatives,
quietly transitioned out of his role in city government last Friday to
become the West Coast Legislative and Political Director at the
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a new post created just for him. His
portfolio will be primarily climate, water safety, and oceans.
Transportation and transit won't be as central to his work as it was
for Mayor Newsom, except as it relates to climate change.
July 29, 2009
Kalashnikovs for Clunkers: The Next Stimulus Plan
In case you don't qualify for the federal Cash-for-Clunkers rebate program, Mark Muller of Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, has an offer you might want to consider: get a free AK-47 with a new truck.
July 28, 2009