I captured this from a screen shot today on Bloomberg News. Production is moving closer to home. Why? The price of oil has been on the increase. When the cost of transportation (both in the materials and the final product) makes up a larger percentage of the total cost of a product, it makes sense to make it closer to markets. It could also weigh on internet retailers like Amazon, which recently reported a decline in profits.

From Misc

Eric Miller on 02.02.12 @ 10:10 AM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

You may have noticed a change at the top of our web magazine. The New Colonist began in the early days of the Internet, in 1999. The name was chosen in part to symbolize a move back to the cities from the suburbs and exurbs.

Back then we didn't think much about search terms and keywords. We just knew what we wanted to write about and wanted to get to it.

Today we realize that our name may not allow us to spread our message as far and wide as we like. We wanted something more descriptive. So we chose Sustainable City News.

We're not getting rid of The New Colonist, which is still the term for our group of writers, and the people around us in our neighborhoods as they become more dense, more diverse, more lively and more livable. The url www.newcolonist.com will still be live. But soon you will also be able to get there using www.sustainablecitynews.com

We're still the same. But with the new name, more people living in and moving to cities and smart growth neighborhoods will be able to find us, and they'll know, without question, what we're all about.

Eric Miller on 02.01.12 @ 03:39 PM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

The good news is more people are walking in Dallas. The bad news is there have been more pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities on bustling McKinney Avenue, on the Jefferson Boulevard bridge and elsewhere. And this trend has also played out recently on Cedar Springs Road.

Read More

Eric Miller on 01.24.12 @ 04:46 AM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

A couple of weeks ago, Gina pedaled over to LA's "Original" Farmers Market for a few odds and ends, and somehow bought a large, heavy bookcase while she was there. When she got home, she said we could fire up her Mini Cooper and pick it up the next day.

I said, "Why don't we try the bike trailer instead? If that doesn't work, we'll come back for the damned car."

As it turned out, the bookshelf--even though still disassembled in its shipping box--wouldn't have fit into the damned car, at least not without sticking out of the back a considerable distance, which would have necessitated leaving the hatch open. The aerodynamics of cars results in this causing the cabin to fill with exhaust fumes, never pleasant. (Though of course those same exhaust fumes go on to fill the atmosphere....)

So I hooked the bike trailer to the big orange fixie and pedaled over to the shop.

The box was big and heavy, marked, "Caution--Heavy--Team Lift Required." The tall and muscular warehouse guy rolled it out on an industrial-strength dolly, and I tilted it gingerly onto the little trailer (the cheapest one we could find at the time we bought it, and frankly no more than adequate).

A couple of bungee cords and some straps salvaged from an old laundry bag, and off we went, with Gina pedaling along while filming with her iPhone.

As you see in the clip, no problem at all.

The car does not need to be the default mode for every urban movement. Far from it. In fact, given the weight of the box, we had an easier time with the little (and low to the ground) bike trailer!

Richard Risemberg on 01.19.12 @ 06:28 AM PST [link]   [1 Comment]

That question has been on my mind lately. The answer more often than not has been no.

Take the position of several of the candidates on creating a national language. Despite sending campaign emails in Spanish, Newt Gingrich wants to make English the official language of government. Is this a business-friendly move? It would seem to me the tourism industry for one should be opposed. If you've spent some time at customs with people getting into the wrong lines because they can't read the signs, you'll know the importance of having signs people can read. More languages are better. Multi-lingual classes will make more employable citizens. English-only is bad for business.

Then take the housing market. Ending Fannie and Freddie was a theme repeated in the Republican debates. That's not what some trade groups want to hear. In fact, industry experts say that's exactly what's not needed. If the business groups are right, a recovery in the housing market will be hampered by the GOP and its potential actions.

Then there's immigration. The candidates are cowering with fear that they'll be tied to the buzzword of amnesty. Yet major business groups promote immigration reform. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says endorses the creation of an effective and streamlined temporary worker program so that employers can hire immigrant workers when U.S. workers are unavailable; and provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented workers. More, the business group advocates for continuing and expanding temporary worker programs for highly skilled workers and securing additional workers to be responsive to regional and local labor market needs or shortages, including the expansion of existing worker visa programs.

Then there's this whole state's rights thing. Are 50 insurance regulators really better than one? Is that bureaucratic mess pro-business? More, how can candidates like Rick Santorum advocate a state's right to limit personal freedoms and civil liberties? If as Richard Florida says local economies succeed when they have three t's- talent, technology and tolerance, it makes you wonder if a party which would like to enable the restriction of one or more can be considered pro-business. Especially when many major businesses are out in front on these issues.

Eric Miller on 01.03.12 @ 01:43 PM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

Eric Miller on 01.01.12 @ 01:10 PM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

If drivers and airline passengers look for other modes of transportation, what choices do they have? I thought I'd take a look at Megabus and Amtrak on some random routes and see what I come up with. For both I chose a trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia on January 5. Amtrak had two trains available, one leaving at 7:20 a.m. and arriving at 2:50 p.m.- seven and a half hours. The second, leaving at 4:50 a.m., changing in Washington, and arriving at 4:57 p.m. has a required endurance of nearly ten hours. The 7:20 train has wireless, and the second leg of the 4:50 a.m. train has wireless. The cost is $52-$64 each way.

As for Megabus, there are three departures, 6:20 a.m., 11:05 a.m. and 4:35 p.m., each lasting six hours and 35 minutes. All have wireless and cost $43 each way.

Given everything is equal, I would prefer a train over a bus. The schedules, pricing and amenities rarely seem to be equal, however. Only in the case where you need overnight accommodations does it seem to make sense to choose the train.

Eric Miller on 12.27.11 @ 01:21 PM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

Just spotted an article in Yahoo News about airlines retrenching. In the article, Michael Boyd, Boyd Group International, says simply "The cost of flying airplanes across the sky has eclipsed the ability to support it at many communities." Ok, but then what? The article makes the leap to train travel, which may be nice, but hardly readily available and in many cases not at all reliable. A more-likely alternative in the short term is Megabus and the like. A recent article in Bloomberg suggested drivers are giving up the wheel for a bus trip where they can surf the web. I do believe Amtrak has yet to provide free wireless, and I don't think it's poised to pick up the slack from airlines or drivers. It's the unfortunate reality.

Eric Miller on 12.27.11 @ 07:11 AM PST [link]   [2 Comments]

The Olson Company, the leading developer of in-town urban living, announces plans for two new residential communities in the Los Angeles area. Closing on two plots in the areas of Westchester and El Segundo for the planned communities of Gateway Walk and Pacific Walk Olson plans to complete construction by 2012.

Olson Homes plans to create a 14 unit single family detached residential community in Westchester, with homes between 1,800 and 1,821 sq. ft., featuring 3 bedrooms with additional loft space, 2.5 baths, and 2 car garages. The new El Segundo community will consist of 12 attached townhomes, ranging in size from 1,597 to 1,622 sq. ft., with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 2 car side-by-side or tandem garages.

Expected to be completed in 2012, both new home communities will offer desirable commutes to the nearby employment centers in the South Bay - including Los Angeles, Hawthorne, Manhattan Beach, and Marina Del Rey, as well as close proximity to the nearby beaches, and many retail, dining and entertainment options. With simultaneous construction, potential home owners interested in the South Bay will have the choice of townhome or single family detached living.

Eric Miller on 12.22.11 @ 03:56 PM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

Eric Miller on 12.22.11 @ 09:24 AM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

Today presented the first evidence of something I have suspected was occurring. People linked to technology don't want to drive because time in the car is time (properly) spent disconnected. Today a Bloomberg report revealed Megabus.com and BoltBus led U.S. curbside bus companies that boosted trips by 32 percent this year. Travelers, the report says, would rather search than drive. The Inter-City Bus is returning. Joseph Schwieterman, director of DePaul’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development in Chicago, which has done several reports on the return of the Inter-City bus says in the article that U.S., bus travel is now attracting more affluent riders, students and women traveling alone. A visit to the Megabus Web site will reveal just how much the routes and cities service has expanded.

Eric Miller on 12.21.11 @ 07:18 AM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]

From Pittsburgh

If you believe the results of a resent survey on retirement havens, seniors have traded sun for snow. Minneapolis is the best city in the United States for senior living, with Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Denver rounding out the top five, according to a new survey conducted for the Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center For a Secure Retirement.

Criteria in the areas of senior issues and gerontology identified the qualities for optimal senior living. Major categories were: healthcare, economy, health and longevity, social, environment, spiritual life, housing, transportation and crime. Each category was statistically weighted to reflect the needs of the senior population.

"Most surprising is that the survey results contain many cities we don't often associate with senior living," says Scott Perry, president of Bankers Life and Casualty Company, the national life and health insurer. "We weren’t interested in another study on where to enjoy your retirement, but instead wanted to find cities that did the best job in providing the services and support that seniors need. The top ranked cities aren't what come to mind when you think about where to spend your golden years, but they scored high in the criteria most important to the 65 and up bracket."

The Categories

The Healthcare category includes physicians per capita, gerontologist to senior ratio, hospitals per capita, hospitals with special care, nursing homes per capita, nursing home beds per capita, continuing care retirement communities per capita and average nursing home rating.

Economy includes consumer price index, sales tax rate, the unemployment rate and the stability index.

Health and Longevity includes life expectancy, age 85 expectancy, depression rate, heart mortality and cancer mortality.

Social includes percentage of seniors, social and emotional support, satisfaction with life rating, art and museums, education level, recreation, four-year colleges and libraries.

Environment includes number of sunny days, clean air levels, clean water measurement, natural disaster risk index, ocean coastline miles, river and lake square mileage, and local/state park number and size.

Spiritual Life includes percent of population belonging to organized religions and the number of religious congregations.

Housing includes cost of living index, housing price, property taxes and apartment rentals.

Transportation includes public transportation, special access and mass transit percentage.

Crime includes violent crime rate and property crime rate.

Eric Miller on 12.20.11 @ 11:22 AM PST [link]   [No Comments Yet--Add Comment]