Archive for May, 2011

New School for the Auto Industry

Except for the superstar electrics and plug-in hybrids who will earn As, cars are going to be going gradeless. You’ll just have to do a little homework in determining which wheels take you the farthest without filling up.  The WSJ has the story:  http://tinyurl.com/3cutoaq


America’s most walkable cities

What is it about Paris, Savannah, and New York if you don’t mind excessive dirt that inspires romance and magic? In case you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, it’s about urban planning — the scale and walkability and sense of community that can come from thoughtful design. I heard Andrés Duany, a.k.a. “the father of New Urbanism,” make these remarks a couple of years ago at a conference on creating “Lifelong Communities” that was produced by the Atlanta Regional Commission and backed by AARP. Led by the wildly witty and incisive Duany, the conference gave voice to what I’ve been feeling for years but never quite had a name for. New Urbanism or what I’d like to call “Duh?” means green cities, walkability, and a wide range of great transportation options — including green cars.  We need all of that. And I’ve been hooked ever since that event on the sheer logic of these imperatives.

Yes, we should have communities that allow people to age in place and not be shipped off to sad, age-segregated Siberian zones. Yes, we should encounter the vibrancy and joy of public spaces that naturally draw neighbors together. And yes, doing these things will green our cities and pocketbooks and restore public health by cutting pollution and encouraging physical activity.

Anyway, The Atlantic has an interesting article on the most pedestrian-friendly cities in America. Among the “top 11” are Arlington, Va., Austin, Tex. and Decatur, Ga.

Check it out:

http://tinyurl.com/6zpeqbm


Volt and Leaf win top safety honors

The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf nab the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick” in the first U.S. crash tests of mainsteam EVs.

“GM and Nissan have demonstrated that you don’t have to sacrifice safety for fuel economy” — IIHS.

Check out the press release and video here:

http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr042611.html