Infra Views

Indirect Benefits of State Investment in Public Transportation

Thursday, April 9th, 2015
Figure 1 Direct and indirect benefits of public transit investments.

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
An additional, indirect impact that has seen less consideration in transit program and project planning is the potential cost savings to other government programs that result from the benefits provided by transit. These indirect benefits can result from improved access to jobs, health care, and education, which can reduce the demand for government services.

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Fracking’s Most Wanted

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015
Top Five Violators in Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
NRDC and the FracTracker Alliance (FTA) launched an investigation to determine what information about oil and gas company violations is publicly available, how accessible it is, and whether it provides an adequate understanding about the practices of different companies. We looked at whether information could easily be found on the internet, rather than having to make official requests for information in writing.

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Reducing Airport Wait Times: Automated Customs Kiosks

Monday, April 6th, 2015
Table 1: JFK All Terminals

GLOBAL GATEWAY ALLIANCE
Automated Customs kiosks have dramatically reduced wait times for arriving international passengers at both JFK and Newark Liberty airports, the busiest international arrivals airports in the country, according to a new study today by the Global Gateway Alliance.

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The Growing Distance Between People and Jobs in Metropolitan America

Friday, April 3rd, 2015
Map 1. Measuring Job Proximity in Chattanooga

BROOKINGS INSTITUTE
METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM
For local and regional leaders working to grow their economies in ways that promote opportunity and upward mobility for all residents, these findings underscore the importance of understanding how regional economic and demographic trends intersect at the local level to shape access to employment opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged populations and neighborhoods. And they point to the need for more integrated and collaborative regional strategies around economic development, housing, transportation, and workforce decisions that take job proximity into account.

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Where Do People Prefer to Walk?

Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
Sidewalk with construction barriers to crossing

ACTIVE LIVING RESEARCH
The study’s main objective is to estimate a model of pedestrian route choice preference. The results of the model can be used to understand the willingness of people walking to go out of their way to avoid negative features and experience positive features along a route. The model is estimated in a way that would allow incorporation into traditional regional models of travel demand to better represent walking options.

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Record Airline Traffic In 2014

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015
Passengers on All Scheduled U.S.-Based Flights, Domestic and International, 2003-2014

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States carried an all-time high of 848.1 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in 2014, 2.5 percent more than in 2013 and 1.2 percent more than the previous record-high of 838.4 million reached in 2007.

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Renewables Are Driving Up Energy Prices–Wait, What?

Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
Electricity Prices in States Across the Renewable Generation Spectrum

DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE VENTURE CAPITAL (DBL INVESTORS)
Has increased reliance on renewable energy in the United States meant expensive electricity in the United States? This question has pervaded debates on renewables and fossil fuels, and this paper sheds light on this critical issue, including a look at the top and bottom 10 renewable states… It reveals that states with the greatest share of electricity generation from renewable sources have often experienced average retail electricity prices that are cheaper than both the national average and also states with the smallest share of electricity generation from renewable sources.

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Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States

Friday, March 27th, 2015
The Study Scenario results in cumulative savings, benefits, and an array of additional impacts by 2050.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

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Drilling Is Tragic For Marine Life

Thursday, March 26th, 2015
Top: Bottlenose dolphins. Middle: Right whales. Lower: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill containment effort.

ENVIRONMENT NORTH CAROLINA
Our coasts are home to stunning wildlife and incredible beaches, from the Jersey Shore to the Outer Banks to the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately offshore drilling is putting our natural heritage and marine life at risk. On ‘good’ days, drilling kills and injures wildlife and threatens human health and the economy. When they happen (which is all too frequently) major disasters such as the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout are catastrophic.

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Safer Streets, Stronger Economies

Tuesday, March 24th, 2015
Change in automobile trips after Complete Streets improvements.

SMART GROWTH AMERICA
In this study of 37 projects, Smart Growth America found that Complete Streets projects tended to improve safety for everyone, increased biking and walking, and showed a mix of increases and decreases in automobile traffic, depending in part on the project goal. Compared to conventional transportation projects, these projects were remarkably affordable, and were an inexpensive way to achieve transportation goals. In terms of economic returns, the limited data available suggests Complete Streets projects were related to broader economic gains like increased employment and higher property values.

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