Saturday, September 27, 2025

Cities & Urban Planning

Artificial IntelligenceEventsUrban Planning

Musings from Up North: Are Planners Pragmatic Dreamers? Or Just Jaded Bureaucrats?

Michigan has a ton of professional talent. It’s also got a lot of planners who are stuck in the passenger seat in a vehicle driving 85mph in the left lane, headed toward Sprawl City. Can we fix the worst politics of the profession and still keep our jobs? Or, is it simply incumbent upon us to figure out better, more sustainable solutions wherever we can?

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EnergyTransit infrastructure

Is Bus Electrification Economical or Environmental? Possibly Both.

City buses have historically been powered by dirty diesel engines. Upgrading to CNG improves emissions and reduces smog, but doesn’t improve efficiency. Electrification, on the other hand, could drastically improve efficiency, drastically reduce emissions, and reduce operating costs to boot. There is a higher capital cost up front, which can potentially be amortized over a longer lifespan.

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