Planning Pool

…the second video is plucked from BestOfYoutube, and while it might be a long way from ever being realized, the idea of a train that never has to make intermediate station stops is pretty intriguing. Of course, it’s not hard to imagine many of the potential dangers, but the concept seems a logical solution to one of the biggest challenges in streamlining commuter rail – minimizing station time. Anyway, take a peek and share your thoughts…
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This post was originally published on Itsgettinghotinhere.org on May 14, 2010. Its message of urgency regarding rebuilding America’s rail transportation seems even more relevant today given the worsening environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. What is the price of not acting to reduce America’s dependence on oil?

The Lower Parel train station on the Mumbai Suburban Railway in a rare quiet moment. Thanks to Rohan Shah on Flickr for licensing this great photograph with Creative Commons.

I am obsessed with trains.  There, I’ve said it. I would even go so far as to argue that I love trains more than Joe Biden does. When I was young, my father used to take me to the train station to watch trains. This is … Continue Reading

A large part of what we’re attempting to do here at the Planning Pool is to implement user-friendly technologies to give people a greater voice in their community.  We’ll be adding/improving a couple of features over the coming months to achieve this goal.  With this in mind, kudos to Eric Gordon and Gene Koo, who have together been awarded a MacArthur grant for their Hub2 project to explore the urban planning applications of the video game Second Life.

Though some old-timers will scoff at the thought that Second Life might one day be a widely utilized planning tool, it (or something similar) will become only more viable in the future.  There are surely large chunks of essential information (like accurate budgeting) that cannot yet be fully captured in video games, but people like … Continue Reading

Autopia has arrived in India.  Yesterday, Tata Motors introduced the long-awaited Nano, a tiny car with an equally diminutive sticker-price.  At just under $2,300US, the idea is to shift urban Indians from motos to four-wheelers.  The cars, which are already in high-demand, get around 55 mpg and produce less CO2 than the average motorcycle.  Still, many are unhappy about this development, primarily because it further embeds the desire for private vehicles and Indian cities are already plenty congested.  Environmentalists might be a little more enthused if the Nano used something other than petroleum, despite its relative efficiency.  Also, Tata has a less-than-sparkling reputation within India.

While I share the reservations many are feeling toward India’s new automotive independence, the Nano represents  an unfortunately necessary step in the country’s rapid … Continue Reading