Every Monday, we post links to articles and blogs that you may have missed from last week. Enjoy!
World’s High-Speed Train Makers Set Sights on U.S. (NY Times)
"Central Japan Railway and China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock are competing for the $8 billion that President Barack Obama has granted for 13 high-speed corridors across the United States, including a line between Tampa and Orlando in Florida that may include a station at the Walt Disney resort near Orlando."
Letter from Baltimore: The Humanitarian-Design Debate (Metropolis Mag)
"Nothing—not even well-intentioned design—is above reproach. The confluence of organizations and individuals working to bring design practice to those who might not normally get it seems to have hit a critical mass, and with it comes the inevitable backlash."
White House Releases Climate Change Adaptation Report (NRDC)
President Obama’s Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force releases Climate Change Adaptation Interim Report.
Climate Change Problems hit Native Americans (Carbon Based Climate Change Adaptation)
Studies show that mountain snowpack in Montana is melting an average of three weeks earlier in the spring, threatening native fish and putting pressure on agricultural use of water. On the Flathead reservation hydropower and electricity generation is threatened by low water levels, potentially hurting business.
We Will Take Transit if it Meets our Needs (NRDC)
Discusses the use of transit from the perspective of availability and cost rather than a subjective opinion that touts environmental contentiousness.
Midwest gets a jump on high-speed rail (Christian Science Monitor)
"Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, center, announced on Jan. 29, 2010, in Chicago's Union Station that Illinois will receive more than $1 billion of stimulus money for the development of high-speed rail in the state. In preparation, Union Station itself will be renovated."
Africans 'take blame for climate change' (BBC News)
"Many Africans blame themselves for climate change even though fossil fuel emissions there are less than 4% of the global total, a new survey suggests."
Best of Inhabitat: 6 Super-Cool Floating Homes and Habitats (Inhabitat)
"While we're working on actually mitigating global warming, architects, designers and visionaries are one step ahead, imagining homes, buildings and entire cities situated above or even beneath the surface of the world's oceans. Check out our favorites that we've seen 'floating' around."
The Non-Legacy of the 2010 Expo (Next American City)
"Ever since Prince Albert invited the world to London’s Hyde Park in 1851 and dazzled them with the Crystal Palace, grand expositions have been seen as one of the premiere forums for daring, inventive architecture. The temporary nature of these events and the spirit of (ostensibly) friendly competition that fuels them creates an environment in which architects are encouraged to experiment. In more recent decades, expos have, at least in the United States, taken a back seat to Olympic ceremonies when it comes to international competition; and, like expos, these events are seen as plum opportunities to show off daring, high-profile designs."