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Archive for the ‘Policy’ Category

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We Have the Power: 100% Renewable Energy for a Clean, Thriving America

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016
Figure ES-1: Comparison of Renewable Energy Technical Potential and Current Consumption (Data: NREL)

ENVIRONMENT AMERICA
Our transition to a clean energy system has already begun. But, with the need to reduce the pollution that causes global warming growing more urgent every day, we need to step up the pace. To maximize the benefits of moving to 100 percent renewable energy, leaders at all levels must act to accelerate our progress. America’s energy policy should facilitate mass deployment of clean energy solutions, support research and development of new clean energy technologies, and keep much of our coal, oil and gas reserves in the ground.

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Posted in Clean Air, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Infra Views, National, Policy, Sustainability, Technology

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Bike-Share Stations in the U.S.

Friday, April 8th, 2016
FIGURE 1. Bike-Share Connectivity to Scheduled Public Transportation

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS
Bike-share systems typically operate independently of local transit authorities. However, most bike-share docking stations (86.3 percent) can be found near local public transportation stops (transit bus, commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, and transit ferry). These locations offer modal choice and the opportunity to connect between modes. Transit bus is the most typical connection, with 84.2 percent (2,236) of bike-share stations located a block or less from a transit bus stop.

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Posted in Biking, Equity, Infra Views, National, Policy, Public Transportation, Transit, Urban Planning

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Stalled Out: How Empty Parking Spaces Diminish Neighborhood Affordability

Thursday, April 7th, 2016
2-bedroom apartment vs. parking spaces

CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY
Late at night, when Chicago sleeps, apartment parking lots are at their peak usage. When CNT visited those lots and garages at 4:00 a.m., though, we found one third of the parking spaces sitting empty…This may not seem like a huge problem, but each indoor, underground parking space – one individual space – costs $37,300 to build. Multiply that by all of the spaces in the lot, and the price tag is huge. We think that wasted money and space should be allocated to housing instead.

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Posted in Equity, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Smart Growth, Urban Planning

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Rachel Gutter, Director, Center for Green Schools

Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
Rachel Gutter, Director, Center for Green Schools

Rachel Gutter is Senior Vice President of Knowledge at the U.S. Green Building Council and Director of the Center for Green Schools.

“It’s been 20 years since the federal government published a comprehensive inventory of K-12 public school facilities, and at the time…more than 15,000 schools in the United States had air that was actually unfit to breathe. And then they dropped it for the last 20 years…because of our limited insight into the conditions of the school facilities, we have no sense of just how pervasive the problem is. But just like we know that lurking across these hundred thousand K-12 public schools there are thousands of schools that still have air that’s unfit to breathe, we know that there are likely thousands of schools that have water that’s unfit for drinking. And that’s not acceptable.”

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Posted in Aging Infrastructure, Equity, Guests on The Infra Blog, National, Policy, Schools, The Infra Blog

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Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier

Friday, April 1st, 2016
Four Ways Protected Bike Lanes Boost Economic Growth

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
Active transportation was, until recently, the forgotten mode of travel. However, in recent years, investments in infrastructure that accommodates those who walk and ride bicycles have begun to reshape communities. Sometimes called “nonmotorized transportation,” active transportation involves human-powered activity, primarily walking and bicycling.

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Posted in Biking, Infra Views, Policy, Public Parks & Recreation, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Urban Planning

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AASHTO: State DOTs Using Drones to Improve Safety, Collect Data Faster and Cut Costs

Wednesday, March 30th, 2016

A growing number of state departments of transportation are leveraging innovative drone technology to creatively improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and save money. This Transportation TV Special Report explores the many ways in which state DOTs are using drones. According to a March 2016 survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 33 state departments of transportation have or are exploring, researching, testing or using unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, to inspect bridges and assist with clearing vehicle crashes, among other innovative applications. AASHTO has also prepared an on-line fact sheet that highlights the many benefits of UAVs.

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Key Wind Energy Accomplishments

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
Achieving 35% wind energy by 2050

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Program is committed to helping the nation secure cost-competitive sources of renewable energy through the development and deployment of innovative wind power technologies. By investing in improvements to wind plant design, technology development, and operation as well as developing tools to identify the highest quality wind resources, the Wind Program serves as a leader in making wind energy technologies more competitive with traditional sources of energy and a larger part of our nation’s renewable energy portfolio.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Keith Roe, Incoming President, American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
Keith Roe, ASME

K. Keith Roe, PE, has been selected as the president-nominee of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for the 2016-2017 term of office. Roe, a fellow of ASME, has been an active member of the Society for more than 40 years.

I think one of the biggest challenges in this area is getting people to understand what the issues are…It’s an important thing and it really is so important to our economy. We need to do a better job, all of us, at getting the message across. People need to understand that those roads, those bridges, the highways, the electrical infrastructure, the oil and gas infrastructure, our ports and harbors, these are all vital to our world commerce.

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Low-Income Solar Policy Guide

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016
solar1

GRID ALTERNATIVES
VOTE SOLAR
CENTER FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION
There are many effective policy tools for supporting solar adoption among consumers at large, and nearly all of them help expand low-income access to solar power to some extent. However, fully enabling low-income solar participation requires policies and programs that are specifically designed to address the unique barriers faced by these communities. This guide provides an overview of those barriers, as well as underlying principles for successful programs, existing policy tools that can be used to create programs, and examples of state and local models that have successfully improved access.

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Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016
SHARED MOBILITY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC TRANSIT

AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
This report concludes by presenting recommended actions that public entities—public transit agencies, transportation departments, and other local and regional agencies—can take to promote useful cooperation between public and private mobility providers. It also suggests regulatory enhancements, institutional realignments, and forms of public-private engagement that would allow innovation to flourish while still providing mobility as safely, broadly, and equitably as possible.

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