Government Archives - The Handbuilt City

MDOT rendering of a ten-lane boulevard that will replace I-375.

Nat M. Zorach September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 0 Comments city planning, detroit greenways coalition, highway removal, i-110, induced demand, interstate, interstate highways, interstates, mdot, michigan department of transportation, road engineering, road engineers, shortest section of interstate highway in the united states, traffic, Urban planning

MDOT: “An I-375 With Fewer Than Ten Lanes Would Take Away People’s Right To Get Around”

Our favorite road engineering agency is finally again talking about replacing the useless stretch of interstate that is I-375. Unfortunately, the plans just keep getting worse and worse.

public power, electrician installing solar panels, electric utility

Energy Government Utilities

Nat M. Zorach September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 0 Comments accountability, chicago parking meter deal, ComEd, electrification, energy, enery, exelon, investor-owned utilities, municipalization, nationalization, pepco, public utilities, public utility companies, rural electric cooperatives, strategic communication, the commonwealth edison, the potomac electric power company, transparency, traverse city power and light, utilities

Southeast Michigan Dreams of Public Power

Municipalization of public utilities, transportation systems, and distribution systems for gas and electricity was all the rage about a century ago. Is it time to bring it back into vogue? A symposium looked at this question.

Cycling Public Safety

Nat M. Zorach September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 0 Comments bicycling, car horns, cars, cycling, cycling in detroit, cycling safety, cycling safety in detroit, Detroit, mike duggan, new york city, noise exposure, nyc, street safety, vision zero

Drivers: Please Don’t Honk At Cyclists. Ever.

Car horns are dangerously loud, and dangerously loud sounds are not only deleterious to health, they’re also scary for cyclists– who are already occupying a precarious position on the streets of American cities.

abandoned warehouse moroun crown enterprises detroit ilitches

Economic Development Government

Nat M. Zorach September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 0 Comments cass corridor, ilitch, Ilitches, lca, Little Caesars Arena, mike duggan, moroun, olympia development of michigan, Red Wings, southwest detroit, vacant property ordinance

City of Detroit: Just Kidding, We Do Have A Secret MOU With The Ilitches and Morouns.

The City of Detroit responded to a long-outstanding FOIA request and conceded that, yes, they do have a secret memorandum of understanding with a couple of the city’s most delinquent landowners. It’s not surprising. It’s just obnoxious that they told me the exact opposite before.

us capitol building in ruins trump administration

Energy Government Policy

Nat M. Zorach August 15, 2023August 15, 2023 0 Comments administrative state, bernard mcnamee, fascism, federal government, heritage foundation, project 2025

The GOP Released Their Policy Blueprint For 2025. It’s A Mess.

The Republican Party has drafted its “policy” plans for 2025, when they at this point seem unlikely to be able to retake the White House. While there are some valuable points in critiquing the structure of the federal regulatory apparatus, most of the over-arching objectives include dismantling federal agencies and applying theocratic and corporatist dogma to American public policy.

Detroit Government Heavy Industry Urban Planning

Nat M. Zorach August 1, 2023August 1, 2023 0 Comments billionaires, blight tickets, BSEED, city of detroit, department of administrative hearings, detroit police, enforcement, fines, FOIA, freeway, freeways, highways, industrial development, millionaihs and billionaihs, PMB, property maintenance code, regulatory enforcement, vacant property ordinance, VPO, warehouses

City of Detroit: “You’re good– if your last name is Moroun or Ilitch.”

A months-long saga to try and clean up a lot being used for long-term storage of inoperable vehicles finally gets a response from a persnickety FOIA coordinator, who points out that, well, we don’t care about the problems here, because it’s not a residential neighborhood.

Consumer Products Environment Policy

Nat M. Zorach July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 0 Comments cannabis, cannabis in michigan, cannabis industry in michigan, cannabis regulatory agency, drugs, electronic waste, ewaste, lithium ion, lithium ion batteries, michigan cannabis industry, vape, vape recycling, vapes, weed

Vape eWaste Recycling: Showing The Business Math

The question I’ve gotten a lot in the process of planning this eWaste recycling program is, of course, “how much

Climate Public Health

Nat M. Zorach July 27, 2023July 26, 2023 0 Comments albedo, doggies, dogs, dogs and climate change, heat safety, heat wave, hydration, moona, puppies, summer, urban heat island, wolves

Dogs & Climate Change: Minding The Safety Of Our Fur Children

I bark, you bark, we all bark for dog parks– and other places canines and humans alike can go to stay cool, even on the hottest days. Other tips for keeping our furry friends happy in extreme heat.

Consumer Products Environment Policy

Nat M. Zorach July 26, 2023July 26, 2023 0 Comments cannabis, cannabis regulatory agency, drug, drug regulation, drugs, electronic nicotine delivery system, ENDS, FDA, gold, jeremy moss, lithium-ion batteries, michigan politics, nicotine, nicotine vape, recyling vapes, sean mccann, tobacco regulation, tobacco vape, vape, vape recycling, vapes, vapes as ewaste, weed

Vape Recycling: Handbuilt Lobbies State Senators To Regulate eWaste

Michiganders throw out hundreds of thousands of vapes each year, if not more. This is an environmental disaster, but one we can mitigate with better eWaste recycling.

car truck and bicycle speed traffic fatalities

Cars Public Safety

Nat M. Zorach July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 0 Comments adderall shortage, automotive safety, car crashes, car culture, cycling safety, mdot, NACTO, nonmotorized transportation, pedestrian, pedestrian safety, public safety, road safety, safe streets, safety, safety ratings for cars, safety ratings for trucks, speed, speeding, street safety, streets, streets for whomst, streetsblog, traffic fatalities, traffic safety, traffic violence, transportation planning, whose streets

It’s Time To Talk About Speed. No, Not The Adderall Shortage.

A society with 40,000 deaths each year from traffic violence can’t claim to be virtuous, progressive, or innovative– at least, not when we have plenty of proven solutions to reduce the rates of traffic fatalities.