As you may be aware, trees mitigate carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. As such, tree planting has gained popularity as a form of carbon offset, with some cities and states providing incentives to plant trees as an offset activity. This 2015 study of the Twin Cities suggests that trees can help, but that they […]
The recent smattering of afternoon thunderstorms has served as a reminder that even at the high point of summer in Minnesota, outdoor activities are beholden to the whims of Mother Nature. Being prepared for the weather makes life a whole lot easier when you have places to be (though I recommend against biking during severe […]
New streets are being built every day, mostly in the exurbs, where forests and farmland continue to give way to new subdivisions. Here in Saint Paul we pretty much stopped building new roads half a century ago. The problem is, there seems to be a law of nature that once those roads are built, they […]
Here’s a map from Saint Paul’s draft Climate Action Plan, which is out right now for comment. It shows a composite of vulnerability to poor air quality, extreme heat, and flooding, as well as some other social factors that vary by neighborhood. Here’s the overall big picture for the city: The plan has the […]
I think we can all mainly agree that the things that, correctly, cause us the most concern in the world are traffic and parking. Sure, there are other things that are minor issues (little things like war and human suffering), but none really give rise to the same level of existential dread as having to […]
Here’s a lovely bit of data visualization for you, via the Information is Beautiful blog, that shows the CO2 footprint of our society and how it needs to change. First, the bad news, from this plan from New Internationalist Magazine: At least in the transportation and housing sector, the authors of this particular data viz […]
Boulevards endure the abuses of road salt, foot trampling and snow piles, yet with some planning, they can host beautiful, climate-friendly, low-maintenance gardens.
There are many reasons to oppose Tim Walz’s proposed gas tax increase. When a DFL governor last tried to increase the gas tax in 2015, Charles Marohn of Strong Towns wrote two excellent pieces detailing all the ways that The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s road building policies are hurting Minnesota’s cities and towns, fueling suburbanization […]
The three basic questions you can ask yourself when considering whether to take a risk could inspire more consistent action against climate change.
Every day at The Overhead Wire we collect news about cities and send the links to our email list. At the end of the week we 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 DC region. […]