A few highlights from the around the world of Urban Gondolas and Cable Propelled Transit: London mayor Boris Johnson requests government funding for the proposed Thames Cable Car. Johnson joked that he would name the system after – get this – business secretary Vince Cable, should Mr. Cable come through with the funding. Home Vaganza has...
Over at Strong Towns Blog, Charles Marohn has a wonderful post entitled “Confessions of a Recovering Engineer.” In it, Marohn argues that the current state of civil engineering is built around mindlessly applying bible-like standards passed down from generation to generation. It doesn’t matter if those standards have the exact opposite effect than intended (as in...
I don’t know if this is insane or inspired . . . Swedish architect Mans Tham recently proposed we enclose highways with solar panels. Specifically exploring the concept as it pertains to Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Freeway, Thams’ idea “would see 24km (15 miles) of LA’s Santa Monica Freeway covered in solar panels – with...
Recently I was in Zurich, Switzerland and stumbled across this: What you’re looking at is Im Viadukt, a new commercial and shopping district built into the stone mason arches of Zurich’s Wipkingen Viadukt. Originally the Viaduct dates from 1894 and was used to ferry passenger trains into the core of Zurich. Like most elevated infrastructure, the...
From the TED Blog: Fifty percent of traffic accidents happen at intersections. Gary Lauder shares a brilliant and cheap idea for helping drivers move along smoothly: a new traffic sign that combines the properties of “Stop” and “Yield” – and asks drivers to be polite.
The elevator is the world’s most used form of transit. Full stop. Arguably, it defines contemporary urban culture even more than the private automobile. It is so common, so normal, we never even think about it. It is ubiquitous to the point of invisibility. According to a wonderful article about elevators in the New Yorker, there are...
A quick look at some of the statistics that make your cities work (or not): Star-gazing transit style: Grand Central Terminal Earthquake + train tracks: Spaghetti tracks Beijing cabs attached with GPS device: 33,000 Days to build hotel in Shanghai: 6 Days expected to build Sagrada Familia (ongoing): 52,560 Cost of transit service for transit...
(Note: Due to a scheduling glitch in WordPress today’s Roundup went up a day late. Sorry!) A few highlights from the around the world of Urban Gondolas and Cable Propelled Transit: New York Daily News reports that the refurbished Roosevelt Island Tram will open to the general public on November 30. CNET News has an...
Planners rely on Literature (capitalization intentional). It is the lifeblood of the profession. Problem is, Literature isn’t always right, accurate or current. It’s like that boss you have to seek permission from even though he knows absolutely nothing about what you’re asking permission for. Consider the Hercules Aerial Tram Study by Reconnecting America. Written in 2007,...