mass transit

Think you can afford more house in the exurbs? Think again.

Posted August 15, 2008 - 02:37 by Philip Brewer

Real Estate and Housing, Cars and Transportation

Condos for sale--Live in the energy of downtown

Many people who live in the far-out suburbs move there because they can buy more house for the money than they can in town. As an example from where I live, a house in Champaign-Urbana would cost about $60,000 more than a comparable house in one of the nearby towns or villages. If you do the math, though, $60,000 is a pretty small sum, compared to the cost of owning one extra car.

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The good life on less energy--even in the US

Posted July 10, 2008 - 04:18 by Philip Brewer

Green Living, Real Estate and Housing, Cars and Transportation

Bicycle on rural road

Whenever I write a post about energy, I point out that we know it's possible to have a high standard of living while using less energy--people in European countries do, so it must be possible. That always draws comments from people who say that things are different here. When it comes to opportunities for saving energy, that's simply not true.

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High tech for mass transit

Posted August 5, 2007 - 10:50 by Philip Brewer

Life Hacks, Cars and Transportation

CUMTD Bus
The local bus company where I live has started providing a bunch of high-tech aids to riders. The coolest one is sophisticated trip planning. In a web browser, enter your starting point, desired destination, and departure time. Get back a list of possible bus routes. You can get them sorted by fewest transfers, quickest arrival, or least walking. The results turn out to be fascinating, even if you already know how to reach the destination, as it finds all sorts of serendipitous routes:

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