A quick look at some of the things that make urban redevelopment work (or not): Definition of a “Spike”: A holdout threatening a larger development plan Percent of world’s population now living in urban areas: >50% Urban growth in Seattle between 2005-2008: 10,600 housing units Number of urban villages: 38 Ms. Edith Macefield: Seattle’s infamous...
A few highlights from around the world of Urban Gondola Transit and Cable Propelled Transit: Simon Fraser University’s The Peak is reporting that Burnaby city council gives the go-ahead to the Burnaby Mountain gondola transit system in suburban Vancouver. Advocates are quick to point out that this does not ensure the construction of the system...
Now this makes sense . . . Japan’s Willer Express is offering plush first class seats that look more like business class pods on an airline. Equipped with wireless internet, reclining seats, LCD screens and blankets this could actually make long-distance bus travel palatable. Of course these are the premium coaches; Willer Express also has...
Right now, there are two groups looking at urban gondola transit solutions: Developing World cities and Developed World cities. Pretty broad classification, I know, but bear with me. Curiously, in the Developed World the technology gets little attention from the public sector. Typically it’s the private sector that pushes these systems as little more than...
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Sony and JVC waged a war between their respective Betamax and VHS video cassette formats. Early consensus (my dad included) favoured the Betamax format and its superior image and picture quality. Beta also had the advantage of a two year head start over the VHS format. And yet,...
Last week I wrote about London Assembly member John Biggs and his problems with the London Cable Car (Gondola). In that post, I questioned three central assumptions that underlined Mr. Biggs’ concerns. Rather than leave it there, I thought it would be interesting to solicit a response from Mr. Biggs as per those questions....
A quick look at some of the things that make rising gasoline prices work (or not) for public transit: Cost of driving in 2008: 71 cents per mile Cost of driving in 1950: 9 cents per mile Percentage decrease in gasoline purchased as correlated to a 10% increase in gasoline prices between 2001-2006: <1% Percentage decrease...
Thanks so much to Benjamin for letting me post this image. You can check out his flickr page here or some of his other work at www.levarwest.fr.
The following is a guest post by Jeff Sparksworthy, the founder of the Lake Tahoe Tram proposal. You can read more about his ideas at www.tahoetram.com. Note: The opinions expressed below are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Gondola Project. The greater Truckee / North Tahoe...