tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:51:50 +0000design, strategy, and values for a world of limitations<br> —a weblog by robert a. seeley</br>http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/bobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)Blogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-1428363624588960351Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +00002009-09-09T12:45:00.662-04:00strategypolicyclimate changewarClimate change, with its disruption of traditional farming and living patterns, its effects on food and water supplies, and its economic repercussions, has always posed a strategic threat to all nations. The world's dependence on fossil fuels has also been a problem in its own right, regardless of its effects on the environment. Commentators, including some in the Pentagon, agree that ignoring http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/09/strategy-and-planet.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-939275901903276504Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:50:00 +00002009-09-02T10:22:03.168-04:00automobileseconomicspolicysolutionsclimate changetransportationBuildings and transportation are the sectors of the U.S. economy that generate the most greenhouse gases. Refitting our houses, public buildings, and neighborhoods to make them sustainable will take time. It will create new industries and jobs, but it is a long-term, not a short-term solution.Transportation is both a long-term and a short-term problem. The Cash for Clunkers program, which http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/08/three-modest-proposals.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-6129025121877701934Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:20:00 +00002009-08-11T09:20:00.306-04:00automobileseconomicspolicyclimate changeThe City Fix has a good roundup of reporting on the environmental effects of the popular "Cash for Clunkers" program. The conclusion? That the program will have little or no effect on overall emissions.The clearest presentation of the arguments is in a Washington Post article by Lee Schipper, founder of EMBARQ, and his colleagues.On the evidence so far, the program is helping car dealerships a http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/08/cash-for-clunkers-not-very-green.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-7469459196901218147Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +00002009-07-24T09:54:00.550-04:00automobilesclimate changeland use planningvaluesenvironmentalismfoodThe climate change bill that passed the House earlier this month is predictably full of compromises. Climate change deniers, of whom Congress has more than its full share, wanted no bill at all. House members who supported the bill were under pressure from energy companies, mining interests, and car manufacturers to preserve jobs and industries. The result was a cap and trade approach to http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/07/best-worst-and-good.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-3407121553126029467Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:20:00 +00002009-07-17T18:27:12.694-04:00automobilessolutionsurban planningtransportationThe City Fix reports that Zazcar, a Brazilian company,has launched a car-sharing service in Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo thus becomes the 1,000th city in the world to have a car-sharing service, and the first in Latin America.http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/07/car-sharing-reaches-new-milestone.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-9042183739726061210Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:15:00 +00002009-07-02T15:15:00.965-04:00automobileseconomicsurban planningtransportationThe City Fix reports that a Portland, Oregon, firm has begun producing streetcars—a type of transit vehicle not produced in the U.S. for 60 years, yet common in many other developed countries.The posting includes links to United Streetcar, the manufacturer, and its parent company, the Oregon Iron Works. Also included is a link to a history of streetcars in the U.S.Those who think the bankruptcy http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/07/fixing-transit-creating-jobs.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-3225205597295967960Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:47:00 +00002009-06-19T10:00:58.899-04:00automobilesland use planninggreen designsuburbiaurban planningtransportationA few weeks ago, I had a business appointment in Springfield, Pa. From my neighborhood to my appointment in Springfield it is just under 15 miles. There is no practical public transit route, so I reserved a car from PhillyCarShare for the journey.Google Maps was handy for finding a route, but its estimate of travel time was, to put it mildly, overoptimistic. The computer estimated a 27 minute http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/06/two-suburbsan-american-journey.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-5866309790017355321Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:30:00 +00002009-06-10T09:30:06.408-04:00automobilesland use planningurban planningtransportationThe City Fix, an excellent blog on cities, has just posted two major articles on transportation policy. One, Call for Wholesale Reform, Not Just Reauthorization, of Transportation Bill, is particularly timely with so much stimulus money going to infrastructure repair. The second posting is a summary and link to a good overview of transportation policy posted on the WorldChanging blog.Both items http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/06/two-good-articles-on-transportation.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-6883531131631762517Thu, 14 May 2009 13:28:00 +00002009-05-16T07:35:00.835-04:00automobileseconomicsland use planningfuel pricesgreen designsuburbiaThe May 12 New York Times blog, Room for Debate. features "Car-Free in America?", a wide-ranging and enlightening discussion on whether, and how, the developed world can reduce or eliminate its heavy dependence on private automobiles. The issue is particularly important in the United States, where most households support more than one car, walkable suburban neighborhoods are unusual, and public http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/05/going-car-free.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-2794613326537417867Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:40:00 +00002009-04-21T10:00:14.672-04:00automobilesoilpolicysolutionsrailroadsland use planningfuel pricesvaluestransportationFirst in an occasional series on the ethics and practicalities of mobility.How, in a finite world, can we get from here to there? Should we even be traveling at all? How much, and how freely?For most of us most of the time, broad questions like these do not come up. We worry about getting to work, keeping the car fueled and running, getting to the train on time, and similar problems. Underlying http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/03/getting-there-from-herepart-i.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-3558805580449992645Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:07:00 +00002009-02-05T09:52:13.880-05:00automobilessolutionsland use planningbuilding designsuburbiaurban planningAlison Arief has now posted a followup note on the suburbs in her By Design blog. Based partly on comments from readers, it is enlightening not only for Arief's analysis and resource recommendations, but for what it reveals about the attitudes of urban dwellers toward suburbanites and vice-versa.Since the suburbs as they now stand are becoming less viable every day, it is up to all of us to find http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/02/recycling-suburbsfollowup-notes.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-6586793263974772097Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:59:00 +00002009-02-05T09:51:53.404-05:00automobilessolutionsland use planningbuilding designsuburbiaThe American suburb—fuel-intensive, automobile-based, and without walkable neighborhoods—is coming to the end of its useful life. Rising fuel costs and the collapse of the mortgage market mean that some planned developments will not proceed, some developments that have begun will never be finished, and many suburban residents will have to move to smaller and less expensive houses.Those who, like http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2009/01/recycling-suburbs.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-8588007823976442791Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +00002008-12-13T09:00:00.958-05:00valuesThis is a time of paradox in our lives. For all of us, in the United States and around the globe, it is a season of hope—for change and for a better day to come. The recent election, though not the ultimate victory over our tragic past, has moved us many steps closer to the beloved kingdom that, each in his or her own way, we all seek.Yet this is also a time of near-despair. Our livelihoods and http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-letter-2008.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-4008321567657784050Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:05:00 +00002008-12-12T10:07:20.880-05:00automobilesland use planningbuilding designurban planningJust over two years ago, I posted a three-part series on a proposal to build a ten-story parking lot (instead of the originally proposed condominium) in the heart of Philadelphia's downtown. The series can be found at "Design for What," Part I; Part II; and Part III.In the intervening two years, the developer has found enough tenants to justify building the full condominium, and the building's http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/12/follow-up-note.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-7824454865453898907Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:07:00 +00002008-12-16T15:38:58.641-05:00automobilesstrategyeconomicsrailroadscoalurban planningtransportationPresident-elect Obama's economic recovery program includes a great deal of funding for infrastructure repair and green development. Herewith a few suggestions for infrastructure repair that would also be green development—and good strategy as well.Rebuild the Railroads: The United States was once the leader in developing railroads. Now, as its rail system has been allowed to decay, it has fallen http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/12/sugggestions-for-rebuilding.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-206646813027736355Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:30:00 +00002008-11-21T08:30:01.094-05:00land use planningbuilding designgreen designwaterAlison Arieff's latest By Design column gives a good summary of possible solutions to the problem of water. Well worth reading.http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/11/alison-arieff-on-water-management.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-1002600031263458353Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +00002008-11-20T11:06:44.656-05:00automobileseconomicsoilfuel pricestransportationAs anyone who follows the news knows, the United States automobile industry is in trouble. Sales are down, particularly among sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which appeared to save the industry for a few years and are now killing it. So the Big Three, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, are seeking a government loan. Ford claims that it has enough cash to keep going, but supports the bailout http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/11/bailing-out-futility.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-4016178557726624694Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +00002008-12-12T09:51:22.939-05:00land use planningbuilding designbig box storessuburbiaIf you set out to deliberately build an unsustainable retailing structure, you could hardly do worse than the big box store. Unattractive, surrounded by acres of parking lots, and closed off from the outside world, the big box store comes close to violating every rule of sustainable and beautiful building. It is a sad legacy of the move to the suburbs.It becomes even worse when it fails. Stores http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-to-do-with-big-box-store.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-8777702974770009571Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:18:00 +00002009-08-10T10:27:41.791-04:00strategyoilpolicyclimate changecoalenergyClimate skeptics set great store by the argument that science has not "definitively proved" that human actions are the cause of global warming. The chief problem with this argument is that it goes against the scientific consensus and the evidence, but there is another criticism, less-noted but equally compelling: It does not support the policies that the skeptics think it does.Skeptics, among http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/10/argument-to-nowhere.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-4584910299955475471Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:55:00 +00002008-09-22T13:45:08.660-04:00economicsland use planningbuilding designvaluessuburbiaAmid all the commentary on the housing bubble and the banking crisis of 2008, few have asked what kind of houses and communities the real estate boom was helping to create. This is not surprising; the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the threat to the U.S. and world financial system, and the Bush Administration's bailout plan have pushed all such questions into the background.It is important, howeverhttp://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/empty-houses-and-toxic-loans.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-7628258864054926852Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:34:00 +00002008-09-17T10:50:03.104-04:00biofuelsvaluesfoodFor those who missed it, there is an excellent article by Andrew Martin in the May 18 New York Times on how U.S. consumers, supermarkets, and the food distribution system waste food (about 1 pound per day per person). The photo above, which accompanies the article, gives readers a feel for the scale of the waste.The demand for grain for biofuels, it appears, is only one among many reasons for http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/waste-of-good-food_17.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-2049915815547203651Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:06:00 +00002008-09-17T10:04:08.186-04:00automobilessolutionsfuel pricesenergyurban planningtransportationFor just over a year now, I have been using a Toyota Prius from PhillyCarShare (see my short description) when only a car would do the job—for hauling items too heavy for a hand cart, a long trip to a place with no public transit, and similar tasks.The Prius is unquestionably a fine piece of engineering. On a 200-mile trip with city and highway driving, it averaged about 45 miles per gallon of http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/smart-cars-hybrids-and-our-spaceship.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-639373401499720388Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:53:00 +00002008-09-11T16:52:05.931-04:00strategyterrorismoilpolicywarvaluesenergyIt is the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the places where the attacks took place, in a field in central Pennsylvania, and throughout the country, Americans will remember those who died in the attacks. This is fitting and proper, even for those, like me, who disagree with the strategy and tactics of the military operations, thehttp://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/good-way-to-remember.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-217582758111115605Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:32:00 +00002008-09-10T07:39:10.053-04:00limits to growthclimate changeland use planningenvironmentalismwildlifeThe latest post in Andrew Revkin's New York Times blog, Dot Earth, reports on a new manifesto from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a network of conservation groups. The book, Transition to Sustainability: Towards a Humane and Diverse World,says wildlife groups need to help encourage communities to shift mindsets, not just park boundaries. One goal should be helping to http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/broader-view-of-conservation.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26330880.post-2681926422187196840Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:52:00 +00002008-09-03T11:57:13.817-04:00climate changecoalurban planningBrief notes from three weeks in England. More will follow on one of them.North and South: The biggest and most entertaining flap during the three weeks I was there came when Policy Exchange, a favorite think-tank of Conservative Party leader David Cameron, published a study declaring that nearly all major cities in the North of England were failures and that the best idea for residents of the http://survivingthefuture.blogspot.com/2008/09/notes-from-england.htmlbobseeley@givewings.com (rasphila)1