Every day, The Overhead Wire collects news about cities and sends the links to their email list. At the end of the week they take some of the most popular stories and post them to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to Streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region. They are national and international links, sometimes entertaining or absurd but often useful.
Japan considering underground freight system: Japan, facing a shortage of workers as the country ages alongside a booming e-commerce sector, is considering an underground package transportation system between Tokyo and Osaka. The system will be designed to take 25,000 trucks off the road daily. The concept is part of a trend happening in many countries in an effort to make logistics more efficient in a new e-commerce environment. (Jesus Diaz | Fast Company)
Manufacturing boom for legacy cities: Multiple bills passed over the past few years have financed a trillion-dollar industrial policy, boosting manufacturing and investment in legacy cities across the Midwest and southeast. Tax credits and incentives from those bills are fueling growth in new industries such as renewable energy and energy storage. But hurdles — including land use, a healthy jobs ecosystem and regulatory barriers — could hamper a long-term trend. (Anthony Flint | Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
Texas bitcoin mine’s impact on health: A bitcoin mine outside of Granbury, Texas has been generating 70 to 90 decibels of sound on a daily basis as server farms process the cryptocurrency. Many residents and local doctors believe the noise is leading to health problems among local residents and their pets. But officials at the mine are largely unconcerned by small fines and regulations, and it will likely take a larger legal push to hold them accountable. (Andrew R Chow | Time Magazine)
Paris as a model: After New York Governor Kathy Hochul paused (de)congestion pricing in New York City last month, the hope of copying the idea in other cities has been put on hold. Another possible way to reduce automobile use and improve quality of life, however, is to follow Paris’ lead. After implementing bike lanes and school streets, closing certain streets to cars, building new transit and establishing car-free zones, the city has seen a 50% reduction in auto use. (Yonah Freemark | Urban Institute)
First solar-covered canal in the U.S.: The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is completing work on a new solar project that covers a half mile of the Casa Blanca Canal. The projects don’t take up farmland or wilderness areas, and they provide much-needed shade that slows water evaporation from the canals they cover. They will also generate power for local tribes. (Yale e360)
This week on the Talking Headways podcast, I’m joined by SPUR’s Laura Tolkoff to interview Anna Zivarts about her new book: “When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency.”
Quote of the Week
“The Times Square bowtie offered advertisers a perfect showcase — a generous physical space tailor-made for product ads — and it would not take long for the nation’s commercial purveyors to understand its potential, especially after electricity supplanted gaslit signs. Broadway was New York’s first electrified street (1890), and soon the dark, off-putting urban nighttime was being transformed into a sparkling environment of incandescent lights.”
— Lynne B. Sagalyn in MIT Press Reader discussing how Oscar J. Gude transformed Times Square into the bright spectacle it is today