Holy Real World Application, Batman!

Seriously. Everyday I see something that I think involves planning, but in the last two days, the amount I'm seeing has been off the hook! Most of these have to do with pretty intense infrastructure issues, but holy moly! The last one is about LEED stuff. Enjoy!

Cities Debate Privatizing Public Infrastructure
"Cleaning up road kill and maintaining runways may not sound like cutting-edge investments. But banks and funds with big money seem to think so...Their strategy is gaining steam in the United States as federal, state and local governments previously wary of private funds struggle under mounting deficits that have curbed their ability to improve crumbling roads, bridges and even airports with taxpayer money."
The New York Times, August 28, 2008

Leasing of Turnpike Puts State at Policy Crossroads
The Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2008

Wind Energy Bumps into Power Grids Limits

"The grid today, according to experts, is a system conceived 100 years ago to let utilities prop each other up, reducing blackouts and sharing power in small regions. It resembles a network of streets, avenues and country roads. “We need an interstate transmission superhighway system,” said Suedeen G. Kelly, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Achieving that would require moving large amounts of power over long distances, from the windy, lightly populated plains in the middle of the country to the coasts where many people live. Builders are also contemplating immense solar-power stations in the nation’s deserts that would pose the same transmission problems." The New York Times, Aug 28, 2008

Serving Architects, Consultants in Everything Green Become Mainstays
“Going green used to be part of just a handful of organizations’ mission statements, but now it’s become part of everyone’s agenda,” said Ashley Katz, communications director for the Green Building Council. “That has, of course, increased the need for sustainability consultants.”
The New York Times, Aug 28 2008