FW: San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center Project Epitomizes Smart Growth

With initial funding from the 2009 Recovery Act, redevelopment of San Francisco’s 71-year-old Transbay Transit Terminal into a mixed-use multimodal Transbay Transit Center is now underway. ''This project is the ultimate manifestation of smart growth,'' said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at the recent groundbreaking event. The first phase of the project is slated for completion by 2017. The $4.2 billion transit center will include two underground levels – a shopping concourse, and both Caltrain commuter tracks and the future high-speed line below – and two higher levels, a bus connection platform, and a 5.4-acre rooftop park. Flanked by a first-phase 100-floor residential tower, and many other skyscrapers planned for the whole new neighborhood later, the center will link services of 11 transit agencies, serve up to 45 million people a year, and cut the area’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by some 36,000 tons.
www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7756

FW: If Cities Focus on Walkable Communities, Economic Development Will Follow

With a third of metro area populations eager for pedestrian-friendly settings, a key path out of the recession leads through urban infill and walkable mixed-use redevelopment of car-dependent suburban malls and strips. Meeting that pent-up market demand will take a generation, said Christopher Leinberger with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. Speaking at the fifth annual Louisiana Smart Growth Summit, Leinberger advised cities to combine transportation and affordable housing strategies to ensure the viability of walkable neighborhoods. ''Plan for your walkable future. Economic development will follow," he said.
www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7768

Article courtesy of Smart Growth News

FW: New York City Plans Major Street Improvements to Reduce Pedestrian Fatalities

New York City is planning to redesign more than 60 miles of streets for pedestrian safety next year. ''It's unprecedented re-engineering of our streets,'' said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, to make them ''safer and better to walk around on.'' The plan involves installation of countdown pedestrian signals at 1,500 intersections, overhaul of 20 intersections on key two-way streets, and several safety programs, including a 20-mph neighborhood zone test.
www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7766

Earthquake strikes off Southern California coast

August 23, 2010 11:11 pm

A 4.0-magnitude quake struck Monday night off the Channel Islands.

The quake was recorded about 10:42 p.m., 32 miles northeast of San Nicolas Island and 39 miles south-southwest of Malibu, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage.
ARticle courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Robert J.Lopez

No additional details were available.

Woods Hole says oil trapped deep, degrading very slowly

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers have mapped a snaking, 22-mile-long underwater oil plume from the BP PLC well in the Gulf of Mexico, work they say provides strong evidence that oil from the disaster could remain trapped deep in the ocean for a prolonged period.   Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/08/20/woods_hole_says_oil_trapped_deep_degrading_very_slowly/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Beth Daley

Power to the People

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is convinced it has a solution that is win-win. For the DWP, more solar panels means a further reduction in the use of fossil fuels and an increase in renewable energy in its portfolio. For customers, there would now be an achievable alternative to traditional power, one that reduces their carbon footprint and saves them money. Add some healthy federal tax credits for individuals and private companies that enable customers to convert to solar, and you have the ingredients for a successful formula. Read more:  http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2010/07/power-to-the-people.html

Courtesy of LA Times

BEIJING —

China struggled to cope with widespread storms that left dozens missing and presumed dead Thursday as rescuers cleaned up a mudslide-stricken town, while two passenger train cars plunged into a river after crossing a flood-damaged bridge.

Read more:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012664618_apaschinafloods.html

Article Courtesy of the Associates Press