Author Archives: Keon Monroe

Transforming urban space as energy sources

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Solar panels line the parking lot outside of Dell Headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. (Photo credit: Envision Solar)

This New York Times article, “The Parking Lot as ‘Solar Grove’”, proposes a fascinating idea for urban development. An architect with Envision Solar sought to transform parking lots into more than just open, wasted space for vehicles. The idea was to build solar panels over parking spaces, which makes sense as a means to generate electricity for nearby urban infrastructure, especially with an enhanced smart grid system that could regulate power during peak demand hours. A major criticism of electric-powered cars, the article explains, is that manufacturers will create a huge demand for more energy — which would likely be powered by fossil fuel burning. Solar expansion over parking lots is a step in the right direction, adding the ability for drivers to charge their cars while shopping or at work. Panels can be implemented in other ways too. I think we need to begin thinking how smart developments like this can propose new ways of turning the traditional “concrete jungle” into useful, environmental spaces.

The virus crisis

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This National Geographic video highlights how deadly rainforest viruses have transported from their animal hosts, and across continents. West Nile Virus is an example of how the world’s increased globalization has made people more vulnerable to deadly diseases. The virus is native to a very specific ecology of birds and streams in Africa. “No one could have imagined it [West Nile] could have emerged in the concrete jungle of Manhattan and Queens,” said Laurie Garrett, a science writer featured in the video.

StreetsBlog: A Detailed Blog on Transportation and Development

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Photo by Nicholas Kibre/Wikipedia

StreetsBlog, a website that opened in 2006, features daily news coverage of sustainable transportation and sustainable development.  New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco are the website’s niche locations, but its coverage in New York is most expansive. StreetsBlog is sponsored by a larger nonprofit called OpenPlans, and receives its funding from reader donations, advertisements, and grants. Posts feature a variety of subjects about road and rail, such as the convenience of a bike-sharing membership, a review of a study examining obesity and car use, rail transport use in Zürich, Switzerland, and others.

I think StreetsBlog does a great job in its purpose of analyzing sustainable transportation developments because domestic and international efforts are featured. Its coverage also closely follows relevant legislation that could affect transportation or community development, such as this post criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget. StreetsBlog is biased in the sense that it already has a set agenda on covering transportation and development issues, and the blog’s writers seem to be fairly well educated and critical on many issues. StreetsBlog does not feature a lot of coverage on rails, and I think it should try to.

Overall, the material on StreetsBlog could be very useful in analyzing case studies on road and rail anywhere. Readers get a good sense on the real projects that exist, and the possibility of expanding others.