Blueprint America

10/10/2008 :: 05:09:29 PM
Streetsblog » PBS Exposes the Joys of Transit Says:

[...] latest episode of NOW is surely the most effective takedown of car-dependent planning ever broadcast in news magazine [...]

10/11/2008 :: 08:58:26 AM
dm10003 Says:

i’d like to hear an estimate of how gm impacts this financial crisis by way of gas prices by way of car dependency by way of buying up and tearing up streetcar lines across the country!

i’d like to hear how that expert that favors airports and buses feels about a not-so-distant future that surely will include clogged streets and air corridors!

10/11/2008 :: 03:29:02 PM
MIchael Ek Says:

This episode shows clearly that the future lies in light rail, mass transit, bike paths, walking. Our current dependence on cars is so utterly unsustainable, both economically, socially and not least environmentally. It gives me hope to see smart growth even in the middle of Los Angeles. “Driven to Despair” is like an inspiring epilogue to “The End of Suburbia.”

10/11/2008 :: 06:34:45 PM
Bob Dorrough Says:

If you do the math, you’ll see that this homeowner drives 144 miles each workday in a hybrid car that gets 45 mpg and splits the cost with a carpool buddy, so at $5 a gallon he spends less than $10 a day on gas. If gas prices fell by half, he’d only save $5 a day. Do you think he could ride a bus or train 144 miles roundtrip for less than $10? These economics seem to undercut the PBS premises that high gas prices are responsible for these people’s problems, and that mass transit is the answer to their high commute costs.

10/14/2008 :: 03:24:03 PM
T Says:

I believe that PBS is also trying to highlight the point that people should and can live closer to work. I think that the transportation planner travels about an hour to work and per month spends $160 (still potentially better than driving a hybrid 144 miles- not to mention the free time that public transportation allows for an individual). I really hope that this is the direction that America will go in- of course for public transportation to work we need to start creating more comprehensive system to allow for door to door travel, so that the car can finally be left at home.

01/10/2009 :: 02:42:36 PM
Jeff Says:

United States has one of the most inefficient use of urban space. How many shopping centers, malls, grocery stores only has 1~2 floors? The parking lots stretch on for miles. Instead of going up, we go horizontal! There is a reason why American drive so much and rely so much on gasoline and diesel. Living in Michigan, I had to drive 5 to 6 miles just to do my shopping. That is not including going to the post office, library, office, schools etc. Furthermore, in China, they have special lanes on the local roads for scooters, bicycles, electric motorbikes;albeit the danger of riding these vehicles, the Chinese government at least gives options to the commuters who wants to decrease their transportation cost. Finally, USA has one of the most deficient use of rail transport. To this day, I am still appalled that most California’s largest cities do not have extensive, safe and excellent subway infrastructure. It is absolutely embarrassing when Japanese, Chinese, Europeans, Russians are ahead of the curve and we Americans still jam ourselves to death on highways.

02/14/2009 :: 12:02:05 AM
Joshua Says:

Great, great show as always! However, taking the issues a step further (mass transit, people living further and further out from cities, etc.)…could NOW take a look at what’s being done with the Transition Movement? NOW has touched on issues at the core of the Movement (peak oil, climate change, economic crisis in the US and abroad)…but if they dedicated an entire segment on this current, worldwide movement to bring economies more local (again, leap frogging the topic of mass transit by bringing back the ideas of LOCAL business, food, trade, etc.), focus on Permaculture, population growth, etc…it’s like rolling all these issues of the past few years all in to one with communities all across the world, and finally here in the US, who are already taking steps to plan for what’s next. Thanks!

03/21/2009 :: 06:08:20 PM
How We Drive, the Blog of Tom Vanderbilt’s Traffic » Blog Archive » If You Rented, You’d Be Home by Now Says:

[...] in light of the link between foreclosure rates and commuting times, as explored in this documentary, this article about Contra Costa County, among other [...]