fossil fuels

[nibot]

Supposing that we have already passed the time of peak oil production, my question for you is this: in what year will we see fewer cars on California roads than in the previous year?

At what point will the Interstate Highways be fossil roads, abandoned relics, like the decaying steel towns of Pennsylvania, like the Erie Canal?

When will Phoenix be Detroit?

Or will someone invent the coal-powered car and doom us all? (The plug-in Prius actually burns coal.)

Comments

[jes5199.livejournal.com]

or, even without that, we could design cities where people could walk to the office.

[chris-acheson.livejournal.com]

We don't even need to design those. Just get rid of zoning laws that prohibit mixed-use commercial/residential buildings, as well as other similar sprawl-subsidizing legislation.

the renaissance plan

[nibot.livejournal.com]

Your comment reminds me of this opinion piece, published in the local paper here today:

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/city-plan-santa-1947873-new-officials

It's sad and funny on so many levels. You lose track of which form of "urban renewal" or "redevelopment" the city is advocating, and which they are mocking as a previous failure. Their project is called the Renaissance Plan, the same name as the same thing in Rochester. How many cities in America have these Renaissance schemes, and how many have failed? The city wants to replace successful light industry with pretty yuppy condos.

The real delicious part is this: while suburban Orange County is expanding as quickly as it ever has, its center has already been subject to multiple redevelopment projects.

Re: the renaissance plan

[chris-acheson.livejournal.com]

Go go gadget gentrification. That's the other reason talk of urban planning/"renewal" arouses my suspicions. When it's not superfluous, it's pernicious.