Belief in pseudoscience is a significant problem today, particularly in the U.S., where a 2022 study reports that 10% of people believe the Earth is flat (there is even a Flat Earthers movement). Wired magazine is combating pseudoscience with a series of videos by the authoritative and smart (not to mention camera-ready) biomedical scientist, Dr. Andrea Love.
Did you know that 40-45% of your behaviors every day aren’t the result of decisions you’ve made? They’re habits. Habits are automatic behaviors you’ve engaged in so often you can do them automatically. Habits are when you’re acting on autopilot without conscious thought or direction. Habits are a kind of memory for behaviors the brain uses to conserve energy, because thinking burns lots of energy. This intro to habit formation summarizes the groundbreaking neuroscience research that has taken place with respect to habit formation from the 1990s to the present.
American cities are experiencing a major transportation shift from car-centric policies to people-oriented streets, with increased bus and bike lanes, bike-sharing, and public spaces. A TransitCenter report credits local civic groups, city leadership, and transportation agencies for these lasting changes. The report recommends strategies for reinforcing such innovations, including political support and internal advocacy, acknowledging a societal move towards walkable urban areas and the need for continued local action to sustain this trend.
American Cities’ Biggest Transportation Innovation is Decidedly Low-Tech More »
With public-transit use riding a 58-year high of 10.8 billion trips last year, it only makes sense to ask: why? Technology may be partially responsible for public transit’s record ridership, but probably not in the way you think.
Transit’s Surprising Advantage is Sitting Right in your Pocket More »
Uber has fundamentally changed the taxi industry, but its biggest disruption may be yet to come. The ride-hailing company has invested in autonomous-vehicle research, and its CEO Travis Kalanick (pictured above) has indicated that consumers can expect a driverless Uber fleet by 2030.
Uber’s Plan for Self-Driving Cars Will Make its Taxi Disruption Look Quaint More »
Dispersed, car dependent land use patters — sprawl for short — is more expensive for cities than a pattern of development favoring density. That’s the takeaway from a report by Smart Growth America.
New Research Reveals the Cost of Sprawl to Municipal Coffers More »
The deciding factor in Panasonic’s move of its North American headquarters from Secaucus, New Jersey to Newark was public transportation, according to Jim Reilly, Vice President of Corporate Communications.
The conventional wisdom is that living in the city is much more expensive than living outside of it. Taxes, entertainment, and groceries all add up to a slightly higher cost of living in the city. Housing, though, is the expense that tips the scales decidedly in favor of the suburbs. Or does it?
Capital Bikeshare’s 2014 Member Survey indicates that even as Washington D.C.’s bikeshare service has grown by leaps and bounds, its users have become older, whiter, and wealthier.
The Good and the Bad of the Capital Bikeshare Member Survey More »
Sharing-economy companies like Uber, Lyft, and AirBnB continue to disrupt industries as they create services that are incredibly appealing to consumers. Whatever your opinion on these companies, the decision regarding if, and how much, they should be regulated is important. It will help determine the speed of technological innovation in the U.S. and the direction our economy takes.
File this one under “lists you don’t want to appear on.” Consumer finance website NerdWallet has released a list of the top 10 Worst Cities for Car Drivers. Washington D.C., number two on the list, proves once again that the term “gridlock” doesn’t just apply to the city’s politics.
Is Washington D.C. One of the Worst Cities for Drivers? More »
A new study from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) says people use bikeshare more when a given area has more stations. But the study makes a density recommendation that’s going to be hard to ever meet, and not everyone agrees it’s a good idea in the first place.
If the 20th Century was the era of America’s honeymoon with the car, the 21st has given way to the reluctant realization that this suitor has come with some baggage – air pollution, urban sprawl, obesity, and traffic congestion, to name a few. It is not just the U.S. that is contemplating a car “divorce.” The same scenario is playing out in other parts of the developed (and developing) world, just at varying paces and in different degrees.
If you were born after 1980, you’re a Millennial. But if you live in an urban area, you probably think like one, regardless of your age. That is the takeaway from the fifth annual survey of Millennials from Zipcar. Released this month, Zipcar’s report confirms something many of us have expected for quite a while: that city dwellers across all generations have a Millennial mindset.
Americans took a record 10.75 billion trips on public transportation in 2014, according to annual ridership statistics released this month by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This is up from 10.65 billion trips in 2013, with the number of trips outpacing population growth. In a year of low gasoline prices, the increase is welcome news for the public transportation industry.
Two Main Reasons D.C. Transit Ridership is Decreasing More »
