Climate Cities
All Stories
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Bouncing off the walls: Can parkour boost urban economies?
A sport born in the urban environment, parkour has been banned in many U.S. cities. But this fall, the states will see their first international parkour competition, and organizers hope it will be good for both the sport and the local bottom line.
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Kid-powered school bus
Leave it to the Dutch to figure out how to replace even school buses with a conglomerate of bicycles. The buscycle, used to transport kids to day care, turns elementary schoolers’ boundless energy into a source of renewable fuel.
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This guy invented a manure-powered car … in 1971
According to this 1971 article from Mother Earth News, British chicken farmer Harold Bate invented a car that runs on animal droppings 40 years ago. Why the hell are we still using oil? Bate invented a converter that reportedly recycles animal (or human) waste into methane gas — and he ginned it up from “odds […]
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The ecology of addiction: Tracking drug dependence in the urban landscape
In a groundbreaking study, drug researchers are literally mapping the ecosystem of addiction. Their findings, along with smart treatment and policy, could help treat one of urban America’s most persistent and politically fraught problems.
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Non-starter: Republican transportation bill is dead on arrival
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, seemingly intent on driving the country into a ditch, have thrown together a “uniquely terrible” transportation bill. A growing chorus of critics says the legislation is far from roadworthy.
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Glamour trip: Real snobs don’t ride the subway
When conjuring the image of liberal high society, Newt Gingrich often points to the subway. His compadres in Congress want to obliterate designated funding for mass transit. Here’s the real reason they hate trains.
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Build a side-by-side bicycle for Valentine’s Day
Nothing says “I love you” like a bicycle that forces you and your partner to cooperate to the point of absurdity, so Instructables user Carlitos has posted specs for a bike modification that places two riders side by side. If you have access to a welder and a good source of junker bike parts, you […]
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House transit bill so bad even Republicans don’t like it
The transportation bill currently making its way through the House of Representatives sure does suck. It strips funds from safe streets projects and public transit, and dumps that money on highways instead. Which is all more or less what we’ve come to expect of GOP-sponsored bills — except this one’s so bad it’s even alienating […]
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Urban outfitters: The Nature Conservancy goes to the city
The world's biggest conservation group is making forays into urban areas. Some say it should shift its focus entirely. But can these nature muffins survive in the urban jungle?
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Sky’s the limit: How two average Joes created NYC’s High Line
When Robert Hammond heard about plans to demolish the High Line, an abandoned aerial train line through his New York City neighborhood, he decided to look into it. In a new book, he and his partner in crime tell of discovering “a mile and a half of wildflowers running right through the city,” and their fight to preserve it.
