michigan Archives - The Handbuilt City

Energy Efficiency Policy Energy Utilities

“Electrification Is Not Enough For Decarbonization” – Consumers Energy

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments building decarbonization, carbon transition, decarbonization, demand response, demand-response, distributed generation, electrical grid, electrification, energy efficiency, energy policy, energy transition, energy waste reduction, EWR, Gretchen Whitmer, just transition, michigan, michigan public service commission, MPSC, photovoltaics, policies, policy, pv, rooftop solar, solar panels, state of michigan, utilities, utility, utility infrastructure, utility policy

A new workgroup seeks to address some questions about the future of infrastructure in a state that continues to lag in regulatory and technical innovation.

Public transit Transit infrastructure Energy Utilities

BUILD GREEN Act Charges Forward With Electric Transit. Is It The Right Move?

March 22, 2021March 23, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments alexandria ocasio-cortez, andy levin, AOC, build green act, DC fast charger, decarbonization, decarbonizing transportation, distributed generation, electric buses, electric charging infrastructure, electric vehicles, electrification, electrification of vehicles, electrifying buses, fleet electrification, fleet vehicles, fossil fuels, grid infrastructure, grid modernization, House of Representatives, IOU's, IOUs, michigan, microgrid, modernizing the power grid, power generation, power grid, power grids, public utilities, rashida tlaib, transit, transit electrification, US Congress

Public utilities are apprehensive about vehicle electrification because it’ll require a huge amount of investment in grid infrastructure. A new legislative proposal to electrify transit systems might make this a bit easier by delivering a big economy of scale.

Detroit Public transit Michigan Transit infrastructure

What If We Can’t Wait? Public-Private Partnership Solutions for Infrastructure

February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments amtrak, Amtrak NEC, augean stables, austerity, ben stupka, brooks patterson, BRT, bus, chicago parking meters, dave coulter, Detroit, economic development, FRR, l. brooks patterson, macomb county, MBA, mba capstone, megan owens, metro detroit, michigan, mikel oglesby, mobility infrastructure, new york fear city, oakland county, philanthropic capital, PPP, private sector, public sector, public transit, public-private partnership, regional infrastructure, regional planning, regional transit, regional transit authority, robert moses, RTA, ryan friedrichs, stephanie farmer, transit, transit infrastructure, transportation, transportation riders united, TRU, why is macomb county awful

The RTA is planning on returning in 2022– again- to revisit a ballot measure to fund regional infrastructure investment in Southeast Michigan. Can we wait for 2022? Should we explore alternatives in the meantime?

Sustainability Poverty Energy Housing Utilities

MPSC December Meeting: Neighborhood-Level Equity and Energy

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments affordable housing, Brad Banks, Briana Parker, CMS, Consumers Energy, Detroit, DTE Energy, economic justice, Elevate Energy, energy, energy justice, housing, Indiana Michigan Power, mary templeton, metro detroit, michigan, michigan public service commission, MPSC, public utilties, racial justice, racism, redlining, SEAS, segregation, SEMCO, Sharonda Williams-Tack, Sierra Club, Tim Skrotzki, Tony G. Reames, Tony Reames, utilities, water justice

Dr. Tony G. Reames of the University of Michigan, Briana Parker of Elevate Energy, and others presented at an MPSC meeting on some approaches to the question of equity in energy efficiency for low-income communities and communities of color.

Policy Poverty Utilities

Facing A Crisis of COVID, Evictions, and Utility Shutoffs

December 1, 2020December 1, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments CARES, covid, COVID19, energy audits, energy efficiency, energy insecurity, energy poverty, eviction defense, eviction diversion, evictions, housing insecurity, legal aid, maureen taylor, michigan, michigan welfare rights organization, Poverty, PUA, public utilities, UCHC, united community housing coalition, utility, utility bills, utility policy, weatherization

COVID19 is exposing a particularly ugly nexus between energy insecurity and housing insecurity, referred to in a few separate presentations at a recent workgroup meeting of the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Burgerbanism Michigan Travel

On This Day in History: John and Nat Enjoy an Oakland County Moms Saturday

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments apples, autumn, cider, fall, fall foliage, john good, macomb county, michigan, michigan agriculture, michigan tourism, Nat Zorach, oakland county, rochester hills, southeast michigan, tourism

Two city planners stuff their faces with donuts, think about the future of the region, and enjoy some fall color.

Policy Public transit Transit infrastructure

Gretchen Whitmer: When We Say “Mobility,” We Really Mean “Cars”

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments cars, chrysler, decarbonization, fca, Ford, general motors, GM, governor whitmer, Gretchen Whitmer, infrastructure, infrastructure funding, market transformation, michigan, mobility, policy, transit, transit infrastructure, transportation, whitmer

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Council on Future Mobility is not about mobility, it’s about cars. That’s got to change if we’re serious about decarbonizing transportation– or building an equitable future of any kind.

Urban Planning Mobility Transit infrastructure

Transportation Bonanza 11: The Rural, The Urban, And The MDOT

February 17, 2020February 20, 2020 Nat Zorach 0 Comments conferences, field trips, green stormwater infrastructure, lansing, mdot, michigan, mobility, planning, stormwater, transit, transportation, transportation engineering, transportation planning, Urban planning

Nat takes a snowy Thursday trip to the capital to attend the Transportation Bonanza in Lansing with other planners, engineers, and nerds.

Michigan Transit infrastructure

It’s Not Infrastructure If It’s Just Roads

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 Nat Zorach 0 Comments brian calley, Bridge Magazine, gas tax, Gretchen Whitmer, HOV lanes, infrastructure, lee chatfield, matt maddock, michigan, mike shirkey, NUMTOT, public finance, road funding, roads, Sprawl, tolls, transit, transit infrastructure, UN Agenda 21 Globalist Conspiracy, user fees, VMT tax

I spoke with Brian Calley on proposals to fix the damn roads– and to understand whether Republicans might consider transit a good complement.

Business & Economics Culture & Language YouLam

YouLam No. 2 – February 2020

February 10, 2020February 11, 2020 Nat Zorach 0 Comments black history month, civil rights, coronavirus, current events, detroit regional chamber, Donald Trump, global economy, michigan, news, ontario, pennsylvania, rockvale square, state of transit, stock market, thurgood marshall, transportation riders united, w.e.b. dubois, youlam

Happy February. It is Black History Month! It’s also Leap Year, which means we have the opportunity to enjoy 3.6%

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