Climate Housing
All Stories
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Read a prophetic Ray Bradbury story about car culture
Indelibly important science fiction author and giant of my childhood Ray Bradbury, who died last night, would probably never have described himself as writing about environmentalism — “A lot of lousy novels come from people who want to do good,” he said in an interview. But he did write about the relationship between humans and […]
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Politically conservative cities suck for pedestrians
Walkin’ in politically conservative cities, walkin’ in politically conservative cities, nobody walks in politically conservative citiiiiies. Okay this is not very catchy, but Will Oremus at Slate has noticed that it’s true. The most walkable cities are reliably politically liberal — the 19 most walkable are all in states that voted for Obama in 2008, and […]
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Walmart is bigger than Manhattan and richer than Norway
Mother Jones sized up the retail giant. Here's what they found.
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Lorax statue lifted from Seuss estate
Someone stole a statue of the Lorax from Dr. Seuss’ estate. The sculpture, made by Dr. Seuss’ stepdaughter, weighs 300 pounds, so whoever stole it must have been really strong, brought friends, and really wanted the thing. The Los Angeles Times reports: The thief or thieves apparently rolled the statue and stump down a hill […]
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Plane commutes on the rise
An increasing number of people are commuting to New York jobs from hundreds of miles away or even the other side of the country, according to WNYC’s Transportation Nation. There are about 4,000 regular plane commuters, accounting for more than 1,000 tons of carbon every week. Has nobody told these people about the internet?
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Trainspotting: Transit vote could bring new life to a gritty city
This summer, voters in metro Atlanta will decide whether to plow $8.5 billion into regional transportation infrastructure. The bigger question: Is a suburban nation willing to reinvest in its cities?
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Out of reach: How sprawl jacks up the cost of ‘affordable’ housing
We've poured billions in to low-income housing deep in the suburbs and far from mass transit. The result? Just getting to work and back and paying rent can gobble up half a family's income. Now, affordable housing is getting a facelift.
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If people got rid of their extra cars, they could afford an extra house
The average American family owns 2.28 cars, and even in genuinely car-dependent areas they could probably get away with one. How much does that excess auto capacity cost? Enough that if everyone ditched their unnecessary vehicles, they’d save an average of $186,425.03 over 30 years. In a lot of places, that’s enough to buy another […]
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Nature is trying to reabsorb the exurbs
Great news for folks who have watched the value of their exurban McMansions circling the drain over the past few years: These fringe habitations can be returned to nature to find new life as wildlife habitats. It’s basically the real estate version of composting. Okay, so there's not really an official effort to make subdivisions […]
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Can you say ‘sprawl’? Walmart’s biggest climate impact goes ignored
My, that’s a big abandoned parking lot you have.Photo: Rob StinnettEarlier this year, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance tried but failed to block a permit for a new Walmart supercenter in the small coastal town of Toms River. The development, now moving forward, will destroy habitat for the threatened northern […]