Millions of Americans pay dearly for their dependence on automobiles, losing hours a day that would be better spent exercising, socializing with family and friends, preparing home-cooked meals or simply getting enough sleep. The resulting costs to both physical and mental health are discussed in this NY Times story.
A year after the flood, this first-person account by NYC’s top urban designer shows the scale of the storm and the challenges of its aftermath.
A stronger, more resilient NYC — a year after the flood, designing for the next disaster
The next challenge to NYC infrastructure is likely to be heatwaves, not water, and our next mayor will do well if he adopts the lessons from Sandy, as articulated in the SIRR report.
Superstorm Sandy, One Year Later: Rebuild by Design conference at NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge on Monday Oct. 28th 2013
Society needs to realize that growth does not equal prosperity
(essay by James Howard Kunstler)
http://www.ted.com/speakers/steve_howard.html
Mega-retailer IKEA, selling $30 billion worth of products worldwide to more than 690 million customers in 300 stores, is in a good position to make a huge impact and lead the way toward a more sustainable planet. In this TED talk, Steve Howard explains how: helping farmers grow more-sustainable cotton around the world, remaking classic products to use fewer, more easily recylable parts, and investing €1.5 billion through 2015 in renewable energy sources, notably wind and solar.
As he says: “… sustainability is going to shape society and the business landscape over the next couple of decades….”
More here: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/people_and_planet/
One of many delightful illustrations in the archived original essay from Fortune Magazine, way back in 1958 (but still 100% timely today).
From Irving Berlin to Scott Joplin, Fats Waller to Cole Porter, the composers and lyricists of New York’s “Tin Pan Alley” wrote the songs that defined American popular culture from the late-1880s to the mid-1950s. A number of the structures where classic songs were written and published still remain in a stretch of buildings along 28th Street west of Broadway. Yet despite their undeniable significance, these properties sit unprotected and vulnerable, with no legal protection. Some of the most significant buildings are currently on the market as a “huge development site” of prime Manhattan real estate.
This is no way to treat America’s irreplaceable cultural history. The preservation of these row houses is long overdue and now it’s time for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to preserve these important structures for generations to come.
Please cilck the link and sign the petition, and encourage the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to save Tin Pan Alley.
Imagining the new New York City, from Penn Station to Midtown East, smart grids, public housing and the post-Sandy waterfront.
And more — watch live online, or come join the fun. Today and tomorrow (Oct 17 + 18th), at Lincoln Center.
HowCitiesWork 