Overview
Many readings, old and new, inform my thinking about this project. The subjects are diverse: environment, suburbia, cities, urban development and decay, urban planning, urban studies, race relations, bicycles and cycling, public transportation, railroads, street railways, automobile culture, blues music, to name just some.
Here are some readings that I recommend. Not all are weighty or academic: some are fun but all have some interest to me.
I will add to this list as I am able to. Please feel free to give me your suggestions on your favorites as well.
And enjoy the reading. After all, it’s summer.
Articles on Related Topics, such as Environment, Walkable Neighborhoods
How Walkable is Your Neighborhood? Yahoo/New York Times http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105543/How-Walkable-Is-Your-Neighborhood?
Save the planet by cutting down on meat? That’s just a load of bull, Telegraph of London http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/09/do0901.xml
Take a walk with us, Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/explore/chi-walks-cover-0904sep04,0,7407013.story
Population growth and climate change, British Medical Association Journal http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/jul24_2/a576
Bicycles and Cycling
- Chicagoland Bicycle Federation: http://www.biketraffic.org/
- Turin’s Winter Bike Challenge Winners, 2008: http://turinbicycle.com/page.cfm?pageID=334
- Caltrain Bicycle FAQs: http://www.caltrain.com/caltrain_bike_FAQs.html
- Bike Pittsburgh http://bike-pgh.org/resources/bikesontransit/
- A trail that’s ‘worth the wait’ moves ahead, The $6 million bicycle pathway from Point State Park along Mon River wharf to open spring of 2010 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08244/908374-53.stm
Bikes on a roll in suburbs http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1077290,CST-NWS-ride28.article PEDAL POWER | As more cyclists hit the streets, towns respond with racks, trails, lanes July 28, 2008 Biking To Bensenville by Ben Joravsky on July 11th 2008 - 6:16 p.m.
From the Blog of Ben Joravsky. http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/politics/2008/07/11/biking-bensenville/
Critical Mass Listserve Samplings:
Being in a car makes people act worse than they generally would http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chicago_critical_mass/message/10023
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/27/germany.gas.ap/index.html Man torches [his] BMW to protest gas prices, police say * Story Highlights * Unemployed 30-year-old douses [his] BMW with gas, sets fire to it in Frankfurt, Germany * Man tells police that he could no longer afford to drive vehicle due to high gas prices * Man’s name being withheld because he hasn’t been charged with a crime * Police investigating whether man can be charged with violating environmental laws – Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA http://geocities.com/maschwab/ for software links ————————————————————- The CHI-CRIT-MASS list is for discussion of chicago’s critical mass. It is a public list and postings are not confidential. Absolutely no commercial spam permitted. Unsubscribe by sending a message to: listserv@uic.edu in the body of the message say: unsubscribe CHI-CRIT-MASS If you have subscription problems or other CHI-CRIT-MASS concerns, please contact the CHI-CRIT-MASS list owner at: CHI-CRIT-MASS-request@UIC.EDU.
This week on Vote With Your Feet,http://votewithyourfeetchicago.com A walk down the length of Grand Avenue in Chicagoreveals a cross section of the city’s terrain and transportationsystems, as well as a tamale wholesaler, purple martin bird feeders and a giant Radio Flyer. Vote With Your Feet is a new blog covering biking, walking,transportation and politics. Fresh stories are posted weekly. John Greenfield
Blues
- http://www.chicagobluesfestival.org/
- http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Blues+Festival&entityNameEnumValue=1
Suburbia:
Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States by Kenneth T. Jackson
I cannot say enough about this interesting book that introduced me to many new ideas and concepts, despite my long interest in urban development and public transportation.
Street Railways: Last Days in Chicago
- http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-chicagodays-laststreetcar-story,0,5968955.story
- http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1019141,CST-NWS-ride23.article
Transit Agencies Who Accommodate Bikes
Here, I’m only saying they accommodate bikes to some degree, more or less. In some cases, there’s room for improvement.
- Chicago Transit Authority: http://www.transitchicago.com/
- Caltrain: http://www.caltrain.com/
- Port Authority Transit (Pittsburgh): Rack ‘n Roll http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/RacknRoll/tabid/267/Default.aspx and bus bike rack how-to video http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/Portals/0/Rack_30_7.avi
Movies and Films
Motormania, Walt Disney, 1950 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZgiVicpZGk
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Silly, you say? Not so the dark backstory of the plotting that signalled the end The Big Red Cars of the Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles While slightly fictionalized for this animation, the real story is true and was repeated across America in the 50’s and 60’s. Look up stories on the company, “National City Lines” for considerable intrigue in real life.
Environment and Automobiles
Why Bother?
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Published: April 20, 2008
Get Ready for the Post-SUV World!
By Stan Cox, AlterNet. Posted July 10, 2008.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/90962/?page=entire