Paris Metro entrance in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden by BeyondDC licensed under Creative Commons.
Paris as a model for reducing car dependency. Texas Bitcoin mine may be causing health issues for local residents. Japan considers a 310-mile underground freight system.
Paris as a model for reducing car dependency: After New York governor Kathy Hochul indefinitely delayed (de)congestion pricing in New York City, Yonah Freemark argues that Paris, France, could be a model for reaping the quality of life benefits that come with reduced car use in major cities. Paris reduced car traffic by 50% between 2002 and 2022 by implementing a bike network, establishing school streets closed to cars, building new transit options, and establishing car-free zones. (Yonah Freemark | Urban Institute)
Texas Bitcoin mine’s impact on local health: A Bitcoin mine outside of Granbury, Texas, has been generating 70 to 90 decibels of sound daily as the server farm processes cryptocurrency. Many residents and local doctors believe the noise is leading to health problems among residents and their pets. But the mine is largely unconcerned by small fines and regulations and it will likely take a larger legal push to hold them accountable. (Andrew R Chow | Time Magazine)
Japan considering underground freight system: Japan, facing a booming e-commerce sector and a shortage of workers as the country ages, is considering an underground freight transportation system between Tokyo and Osaka that would be roughly 310 miles long. The system will be designed to take 25,000 trucks off the road daily. The idea is part of a trend that is happening in many countries as places try to make logistics more efficient to reduce emissions, address labor shortages, and reduce traffic congestion. (Jesus Diaz | Fast Company)
Manufacturing boom for legacy cities: The federal government enacted several laws over the last few years that have financed a trillion-dollar industrial policy, boosting manufacturing and investment in legacy cities in the Midwest and Southeast. Tax credits and incentives from those bills are fueling growth in the renewable energy and battery industries. But there are hurdles including space-intensive land use, a healthy jobs ecosystem, and regulatory barriers that could hamper a long-term growth trend. (Anthony Flint | Land Lines Magazine)
First solar-covered canal in the US: The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is completing work on a new solar project that covers a half mile of the Casa-Blanca Canal. The projects are beneficial in that they don’t take up farmland or wilderness areas, but provide much-needed shade that slows water evaporation from the canals they cover. (Yale e360)
Quote of the Week
“The Times Square bowtie offered advertisers a perfect showcase — a generous physical space tailor-made for product ads — and it would not take long for the nation’s commercial purveyors to understand its potential, especially after electricity supplanted gaslit signs. Broadway was New York’s first electrified street (1890), and soon the dark, off-putting urban nighttime was being transformed into a sparkling environment of incandescent lights.”
Lynne B. Sagalyn in MIT Press Reader discusses how Oscar J. Gude transformed Times Square into the bright spectacle it is today.
This week on the Talking Headways podcast, I’m joined by SPUR’s Laura Tolkoff to interview Anna Zivarts about her new book: When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency.