URBAN DESIGN RANDOM THOUGHTS

A THOUGHT about cars -- On this day in 1895, the first US patent granted to George B Selden for a car

A THOUGHT about linking to current trends in urban design go to the following web sites:

New Urbanism

dot com biz card: tnd towns

dot com biz card: sustainable.design.

Transporation and Urban Design - The New Drea...

A THOUGHT about South African President Nelson Mandela giving his 1994 inaugural address. He said the following:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?…… You playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won’t feel inscure around you…. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

BY Graham Kaye-Eddie – Master Urban Designer.

Makabusi Inc. – Bakersfield – California

Email – makabusi@pacbell.net

Will the mail go the way of railroads?

This is a good parallel article about Mail and Amtrak. This is the only choice for city to city travel. Is this why many States, Regions and Cities all over the USA are considering alternatives to the car?

State air quality board OKs Bay Area smog plan

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted the Bay Area's plan to deal with smog, but it first insisted that Bay Area air-quality and transportation officials find more ways to cut hydrocarbon emissions by creating stricter regulations for refineries, power plants and car traffic. Now that the state has approved the plan, it goes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) next. If the EPA fails to approve the plan, the federal government can withhold transportation funding, thus jeopardizing 100 road, bridge and transit projects in the region.

Not just for Disneyland anymore

Monorail is outlined in this article. For further details one can get involved with Seattle by joining the UrbanMaglev@yahoogroups.com

Drivers Ready To Ride The Train

Two out of three Americans say traffic congestion is awful, and would be willing to take the train.

Two out of three Americans say traffic congestion is awful, with 69 percent convinced it will be worse in five years, according to a new national transportation survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors. The study asked urban and suburban voters to describe their traffic experiences and suggest solutions. Most commuters said they would be willing to use mass transit instead of driving themselves to work if it wereconvenient, safe, and available. Two out of three, 65 percent, said they would be willing to use car pools or ride shares, and 62 percent said they would be willing to commute by train. But only 15 percent said that building or expanding a rail system would be an effective solution, and 13 percent supported expanding bus service in their area; 14 percent suggested that more people telecommute or work from home. Editor's note: The link below is to an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

MIT STUDIES WORLD'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

A report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) examines the impact of transportation systems in developing and developed countries on economic development, social welfare and environmental quality . Nov 02 -- U.S. Department Of State

SUBSIDIZING TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES

Debunking the Myth of Amtrak Socialism

A URBAN DESIGN PROJECT