ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of August 6, 2021
Nora's Note
Ready, set, comment. Starting now, New Yorkers can share their ideas about what the upcoming Environmental Justice for All Report will cover. Here's why your voice counts: comments will inform the scope of the study, which will produce a citywide plan for addressing environmental justice in public engagement processes. Scoping is the baseline for significant civic planning projects and the comment period is when stakeholders and the public add their thoughts about the issues that should be considered. The comment period is now open and ends September 5. You can share your ideas in multiple languages online, on the phone or in-person at a Summer Townhall or at The People's Festival in five boroughs. How you contribute doesn't matter, that you contribute does.
Transportation
Wider doors, more seating — MTA announces future accessibility upgrades. Last week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority committed to several updates that will make New York City transportation more accessible across modes. Some of the new features will include wider subway cars and bus doors, more priority and flexible seating options and adjustments to the position of the passenger emergency intercom systems. Additionally, the MTA plans to add additional cars and modernize the scheduling system for its Access-A-Ride service. Read on to learn more about the planned improvements to make New York's public transportation safer and easier to use for all.
FHWA Public Roads: Looking to Aggregates to Improve Pavement Sustainability
CNBC: Are electric cars ‘green’? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated
Bloomberg CityLab: Traffic Crashes Are Getting Worse. Car Ads Are Part Of the Problem.
The City: NYC Bridge and Tunnel Traffic Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels as Mass Transit Lags
Health Affairs: Public Transportation in the US: A Driver of Health and Equity
Transport Topics: DOE Awards $60 Million for Zero-Emission Truck, Car Projects
NextCity: Gas Taxes Pay For Our Roads. What Happens When Cars Go Electric?
Governing: Can Americans Learn to Love – and Ride – Bus Transit?
Energy/Environment
New Yorkers: It Might Be Time To Get Yourself an Air-Quality App. Throughout the end of July, the smoke from West Coast wildfires traveled east and negatively impacted New York's air quality for several days. With severe wildfires in the West anticipated for the rest of the season, even those living thousands of miles away should become familiar with air quality trackers, like the Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow tool. The tools provide valuable information about a range of pollutant levels and advise when it's best to stay indoors. Read on to learn more about how West Coast wildfires might continue to impact East Coast air quality in the coming months.
Grist: A different kind of solar technology is poised to go big
The Hill: Climate change, conflict are driving world hunger, inequality: UN chief
Power Grid International: New York creates $5M fund for communities facing fossil fuel power plant closures
PV Magazine: Renewables generated a record amount of electricity in 2020, EIA says
The Atlantic: America Is Bad at Building Power Lines. We Can Fix That.
Good News Network: Hydrogen is Powering the Olympic Village – Heat, Electric, and Lights That Are a Model of Japanese Innovation
ArchDaily: Future-Proofing Cities Against Climate Change
NJ.com: N.J. takes steps to double its solar power
Economic Development
As state announces new mandates, NYC will pay $100 to newly vaccinated. As New York City continues to reopen its economy, the City has come up with a plan to incentivize residents and employees who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine. Any New Yorker who received their first COVID-19 vaccine at a city-run site will be awarded a $100 debit card. The program comes as the City evaluates other ways of keeping New Yorkers safe, including updated mask recommendations, throughout reopening. Read on to learn more about the city's plans to address the Delta variant outbreak while continuing economic recovery efforts.
Governing: An Opportunity for Long-Term, Equitable Local Economic Vitality
Financial Times: Vaccine inequality threatens global economic recovery, IMF warns
Pew Stateline: Awash in Cash, State Lawmakers Ask How Long the Boom Will Last
Journal News: Want to tell your county how to spend COVID funding? Surveys, forums and meetings used
Gothamist: More NYC Businesses And Restaurants Will Require Vaccinations Of Employees And Customers
TIME: Big Tech Is Coming to Small-Town America, But There's a Catch
PBS Newshour: Why keeping delta variant in check is so important to our economy
Route Fifty: It's a Pivotal Moment for Expanding High-Speed Internet Access
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