Climate Cities
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Here’s what a crowdsourced bicycle looks like
This combination bike and scooter is nominally the work of fancypants designer Philippe Starck, but that’s partly because “everyone in Bordeaux, France” doesn’t have as much label cachet. (More than “everyone in Normal, Illinois” or something, but still.) Before Starck got his hands on the brief for the bike, which will be part of Bordeaux’s […]
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Ultimate tiny house is suspended 40 feet in the air
Via the Dish, this art installation in downtown San Francisco is the ultimate tiny house. It’s seven by eight by 11 feet, and it’s suspended 40 feet in the air. Plus, it’s recycled AND green: It’s made of 100-year-old reclaimed barn wood, and powered by off-grid solar. Among other ideas, the project is meant to […]
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Texas lost half a billion trees in current drought
This is what long-term desertification looks like: The state of Texas lost 5.6 million urban trees -- and as many as 500 million forest trees -- in the drought that’s been going on since last year.
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100-year-old sets cycling record
French centenarian Robert Marchand (that’s not him above, we just didn’t have permission to use the Reuters photo) has set a new cycling record: The furthest distance ridden in an hour in the 100-and-over category. Also, the smallest distance. Also, the first hour ride. There’s not a lot of competition in this age bracket.
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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.
