Climate Change's Impacts on Urbanism

[xec]

Every year, tens of millons of people are moving from subsistence huts to the middle class (for the first time in their families' lineage) in India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, etc. The coming international tourism explosion will be won by the cities that have world-reknown history AND the capacity to receive these newly minted discretionary spenders.

Boston has some forward thinking planners who can see the multi-decade tsunami that is gathering. If it is difficult for xenophobes in Boston today, just wait 5 years........it will be amazing. Boston is about to become a far more international city than it is now.

Bbbbut....what about global warming?....climate change?....California wildfires?....melting icecaps?....polar bears?.....Oh my stars!

The Paris thingy is obviously taking the wrong approach to mitigating climate change. It needs to be re-written tout suite to promote the benefits of subsistence hut living and declare tourism a capital offense.

As for Boston, it must take immediate action so it doesn't become an international city with a bigger negative impact on the climate than it already has now. One promising approach would be to exile all the forward thinking planners to Siberia and transfer their functions to the xenophobes and NIMBYs...in just 5 years Boston will be a provincial backwater resembling Plimoth Plantation and the enormous environmental damage produced by internationalization will have been averted.

 

[whighlander]

Bbbbut....what about global warming?....climate change?....California wildfires?....melting icecaps?....polar bears?.....Oh my stars!

The Paris thingy is obviously taking the wrong approach to mitigating climate change. It needs to be re-written tout suite to promote the benefits of subsistence hut living and declare tourism a capital offense.

As for Boston, it must take immediate action so it doesn't become an international city with a bigger negative impact on the climate than it already has now. One promising approach would be to exile all the forward thinking planners to Siberia and transfer their functions to the xenophobes and NIMBYs...in just 5 years Boston will be a provincial backwater resembling Plimoth Plantation and the enormous environmental damage produced by internationalization will have been averted.

XEC -- No all you need is follow the lead of Texas with respect to electricity production and then wait for the inevitable storm when you go 48 hours with no heat because there is no electricity
They'll soon be fleeing DFW in droves based on what the new folks who moved from CA trying to escape earthquakes, forest fires and mudslides have just encountered -- I doubt many people from LA have much experience with subzero temperatures, ice and snow -- sounds like Minnesota

 

[shmessy]

Bbbbut....what about global warming?....climate change?....California wildfires?....melting icecaps?....polar bears?.....Oh my stars!

The Paris thingy is obviously taking the wrong approach to mitigating climate change. It needs to be re-written tout suite to promote the benefits of subsistence hut living and declare tourism a capital offense.

As for Boston, it must take immediate action so it doesn't become an international city with a bigger negative impact on the climate than it already has now. One promising approach would be to exile all the forward thinking planners to Siberia and transfer their functions to the xenophobes and NIMBYs...in just 5 years Boston will be a provincial backwater resembling Plimoth Plantation and the enormous environmental damage produced by internationalization will have been averted.

Evidently, you're trying out some sort of comedy monologue for the next local open-mic night.

Suffice to say that problem isn't TRAVEL. It is the fuel/energy source used in transportation. THAT is what needs a solution (and there are several possible ones in the not so distant future).

TRAVEL is a good thing. People meeting each other, breaking bread with each other and learning about other places and cultures is the best defense against racism, xenophobia and ignorance.

Humanity can choose the light or the darkness.

 

[Arlington]

TL;DR = The suburbs have higher climate impact than the cities for just about every reason you'd expect:

1. Stuff has to travel farther
2. People travel more, and mostly by car
3. Houses are larger and have bigger surface area

This seems the best place to discuss this 2022 NYT analysis:
The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped
By Nadja Popovich, Mira Rojanasakul and Brad PlumerDec. 13, 2022
New data shared with The New York Times reveals stark disparities in how different U.S. households contribute to climate change. Looking at America’s cities, a pattern emerges.

Cool Picture of Boston (Screenshot), I'm going to claim fair use because much is from OpenStreetMap