car culture Archives - The Handbuilt City

August 10, 2023August 10, 2023 Nat M. Zorach

Ford Loves New Mobility So Much, Their Exec Keeps Bragging About Driving His Truck To Buy A Cup Of Coffee.

A Ford executive went to town on urbanism this week, bragging about the great fuel economy in his car that most people can’t afford, which he drove to a coffee shop that most people can’t afford, and mocking the authors of both academic research and urbanist discourse on the question of automotive safety. It’s a really bad look for a company that is struggling to differentiate itself.

car truck and bicycle speed traffic fatalities

Cars Public Safety

July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 Nat M. Zorach

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.

Cars Culture & Language

June 6, 2023September 5, 2023 Nat M. Zorach

Top Douchemobiles, Rated

A completely unscientific list of the most douchey cars, ranked and with commentary of the kinds of people who drive them.

wrecked-car-crash-accident-highway-towing-trailer-freeway

Mobility Public Health Public Safety

September 21, 2022 Nat M. Zorach

NTSB: Breathalyzers in All Cars?

A recent release from the National Transportation Safety Board is suggesting that the federal government is considering developing new requirements

Urban Planning

August 30, 2022August 30, 2022 Nat M. Zorach

Getting Rid Of Your Car Could Make You Happier

A new research paper assesses the perceived happiness of households that have gotten rid of their car. Turns out that it might actually be good for your brain! There is a catch, though, and it’s not going to work for everyone.

Business & Economics

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 Nat M. Zorach

Everyone And Their Mom Is Making An Electric Car. Few Will Prevail.

Sony makes great headphones and great gaming consoles. Will they be able to make a great EV? Will everyone wading into the increasingly muddy waters of the “blue” ocean of electric vehicles be able to compete? Probably not.

Business & Economics Energy Mobility

November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 Nat M. Zorach

GM Vision Zero: Joe Biden and Mary Barra, Fiddling While The World Burns

As British Columbia excavates houses, roads, and, tragically, bodies, from the aftermath of catastrophic flooding, the President was in Detroit yesterday to tout the virtues of a 9,000-lb. electric car that, liberals apparently believe, will solve climate change.

Mobility Public Safety

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021 Nat M. Zorach

“We’ve Got A Delegation, Bro”: Exemptions to DC Law, If You’ve Got The Money

Car culture sucks. Even in the nation’s capital, where the city doesn’t seem able to prevent cars from parking all over sidewalks, at bus stops, and its drivers from telling you that they’re allowed to, because.

ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-car-parking-garage-washington-dc

Urban Planning

November 2, 2021November 1, 2021 Nat M. Zorach

But Weight, There’s More: The Achilles Heel of Electric Vehicles

Electric cars are generally far more efficient than gas-powered ones, as a matter of thermodynamics. But a new article looks at one huge problem with electric cars, and one that is often entirely disregarded in policy, regulation, and consumer economics, and that’s the factor of how much they weigh.

Government Michigan Mobility Public transit Transit infrastructure

October 28, 2021October 28, 2021 Nat M. Zorach

MDOT: Rebrand And Replace. Some Ideas From The MAP Conference.

Nat is attending the Michigan Association of Planning’s annual conference. It’s going great– especially with regard to figuring out new ways to refashion state agencies that aren’t doing their jobs.