I want to take a second and call attention to a couple events that may be marking the change of everything from city planning to wars for oil: yes, I'm taking about breaking the dependance on the automobile. Like most people, I grew up getting driven from place to place; got my own car when I was 17 and thought about buying a Porsche Cayman S as soon as I got that high paying job after graduation. But unlike most people, I spent some time studying in Italy where cars are a relatively new concept and most streets, plazas, etc are based around the human scale. What I learned from my experience is that the car is not and should not be something to depend on. It should be used and taken for exactly what it is: a product. A product that a handful of manufactures have been cramming down our throats for the last 60+ years. A product that is not needed and has not been needed for society to function safely and efficiently.
All I can say is that if gas prices continue to rise at the rate they are currently, a good number of people in the US are screwed. My advice is to move to a city on a river with a functioning port. That and start writing your congressmen, mayer, city council, etc for bond money for light rail and streetcar projects. That's where we're heading to a place we've been before but rejected: the 1930's. Enough ranting for one night. Where'd I leave my fedora? I'm going out to see my favorite orchestra play at the club. If I'm lucky I'll meet a nice dame to dance with while I'm there.
Oh yeah, the events I meant to mention are Sunday Parkways in Portland, OR, Manhattan BLVDs, NY, and Ciclovia, Bogota, Columbia. These are all events where the streets are going to be shut down for a period of time in order to let cyclists, joggers, walkers, etc have access to the roads without fear of cars or inhaling of exhaust fumes. Look up both events and attend them if you live nearby. If not, write your city council, etc and ask for a similar event to be held in your town.
