I'm Published!

Some time ago, I submitted a summary of my Master's Capstone project for publication. I had met one of the editors at a GIS panel discussion at DU and he'd seemed interested in what I was working on. I submitted the text, but had never gotten word that it had been posted.

Well, in doing a Google search for something today, what should be the first hit? My publication!!! What a crazy world we live in sometimes.

The full capstone is linked over on the right under "Personal Links", but this posting summarizes the document fairly well. Read on if you're interested!

Culture War over Auto Choices?

I have to admit, I had never thought of people's choices in automobiles as a culture war. Typically, when one sees that phrase, it's usually homosexuality or abortion that are being discussed (or argued very, very loudly, as the case may be). However, this article on CUNY's Sustainable Cities Blog has helped me see this in a new light.

Leaving aside for a moment the idea of abandoning the car entirely (another culture war, perhaps?), our choices in cars do show how we perceive our relationship with our world and it's resources. It's also reflected in a former White House Press Secretary's answer to a reporters question about energy and American lifestyles.

Take a read and see what you think.

What was I saying?

In my last post, I pointed to some articles about the end of the American car culture.

Today, the national average for gasoline hit $4.02 per gallon.

While I hate to see it come to this, I've long had  a feeling this is what it would take to get people to start changing their habits. The pain in the pocket book is certainly getting people's attention. Now, to get people to stick to these new habits even if prices go down; that will be the true challenge.

America's Car Culture: Is the End Near?

This post here on the Spatial Sustain blog serves as a great introduction to this article here from the Philadelphia Inquirer on what might very well be the end of the American car culture.

I've been wondering for awhile now when this might happen. We've known for too long that our car culture was creating problems for the natural environment as well as creating problems for public health and social cohesion. For some reason, we've been too unwilling to explore the alternatives necessary to move in more sustainable directions. It finally looks like the daily increasing gas prices are going to force the issue. Public transit ridership is up across the country, and there's no end in sight for these ever-increasing gas prices. It will be interesting to see where this goes. I think we're in for a huge paradigm shift and a re-imagining of what American culture is all about.

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog! During my studies at the University of Denver, I developed an interest in the areas of urban sustainability and the role geographic information systems (GIS) can play in assessing and developing urban sustainability policy. I became interested in this topic when I discovered that by the end of 2008, over 50% of the human species will live in urban areas. This blog is a way for me to continue those studies, develop my thoughts, and share them with others. Please feel free to leave comments; I would love to have conversations with people who share these interests.

For more information on me and my background, please click on the "My Resume" and "My Capstone" links in the links list on the right.