The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the most significant shifts in transportation since the early 20th century when automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages. Unlike the past transition, which occurred in a developing America with minimal infrastructure costs, today’s shift from fossil fuels to electricity involves a complex overhaul of existing energy systems, requiringContinue reading “Cities and EVs: A Perfect Match”
Category Archives: Cities
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: Why Cities Need Local Power Solutions
Cities rely on extensive and interconnected power grids to support daily life, including transportation, healthcare, communication, and commerce. While these grids are marvels of engineering, they are also fragile systems with significant vulnerabilities. Cities that depend on long power grids—those that span vast distances to deliver electricity from power plants and solar and win farmsContinue reading “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: Why Cities Need Local Power Solutions”
Building a Decentralized America: The Role of Redlining, Racism, and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
Abstract This paper explores the interconnected roles of government-supported redlining and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 in the decentralization of American cities. While these policies were justified by economic growth, urban renewal, and national defense, they entrenched systemic racial and economic inequalities. Both Black Americans and poor whites faced displacement and disinvestment as redliningContinue reading “Building a Decentralized America: The Role of Redlining, Racism, and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956”
Tokyo Is Still Not Safe
While the risks may seem exaggerated to some, Tokyo faces real vulnerabilities to catastrophic events that leave it wide open to a Carrington Event, EMP attack, or pandemic. A Carrington Event (a powerful solar storm) or an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack would devastate Tokyo. Either event would disable GPS, electronics, communications, and the electrical grid,Continue reading “Tokyo Is Still Not Safe”
Energy-Efficient Buildings: A Growing Health Concern
By Arnold Roquerre As American cities adopt energy-efficient building designs, an unintended consequence is emerging. While these structures successfully reduce energy consumption, they also create environments that promote the growth of mold, bacteria, and viruses. These issues arise primarily because energy-efficient mandates prioritize airtight designs and reduced ventilation, inadvertently creating conditions that exacerbate indoor airContinue reading “Energy-Efficient Buildings: A Growing Health Concern”
If Washington Can’t Identify Car-Sized Drones, How Can It Protect Cities
Recent incidents, such as reports of unidentified car-sized drones flying over New Jersey for weeks without resolution, have exposed significant gaps in federal preparedness and responsiveness. Even Washington, DC—the very heart of national governance—has shown vulnerabilities that underscore the limits of centralized systems. From the successful attack on the Pentagon during 9/11 to the city’sContinue reading “If Washington Can’t Identify Car-Sized Drones, How Can It Protect Cities”
Cities’ Disaster Preparedness: The Harsh Reality
City governments often assume that the federal government will come to their aid during catastrophic emergencies. However, scenarios such as nuclear strikes, high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attacks, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or pandemics could render the federal government incapable of assisting. These events would leave cities hollowed-out and uninhabitable. The harsh truth is that manyContinue reading “Cities’ Disaster Preparedness: The Harsh Reality”
Why Does Boston Allow BSL-3 and BSL-4 Labs?
The greatest threat to humanity may not be climate change but the release of a deadly infectious virus or bacteria from high-containment labs like BSL-3 or BSL-4 facilities. This possibility, demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the urgent need for cities like Boston to reconsider the risks of housing such labs in densely populated areas.Continue reading “Why Does Boston Allow BSL-3 and BSL-4 Labs?”
Society Has Lost Itself
Why many are lost within themselves is rooted in societal insanity? Tradition is like an onion. If you peel away a few layers, you still have an onion. However, the onion is gone if you peel away all the layers. Tradition is important! It is the foundation upon which our consciousness is built. While itContinue reading “Society Has Lost Itself”
Strained by Mayor Wu’s Policy: The Impact of Migration and Homelessness on Boston’s Residents
Posted by Arnold Roquerre — November 24, 2024 Over the past two years, Boston has faced escalating financial challenges that threaten its economic foundation and the well-being of its residents. Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston City Council have pushed policies that negatively impact the city and its residents. High energy costs, primarily driven byContinue reading “Strained by Mayor Wu’s Policy: The Impact of Migration and Homelessness on Boston’s Residents”