James S. Russell

Architecture Critic, Journalist and Consultant

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Five Cheap Oil Myths

by James Russell on December 9, 2014 - Get free updates on posts here

James S. Russell

Clap your hands for cheap gas. Everyone else is. Allow me to prick the happy oil-price balloon. Prices have declined rather quickly from well over $4 a gallon last summer to—supposedly—$2 somewhere. (I am never where super cheap gas is.) But don’t cheer too hard. The “good” news is hype. Myth 1: Lower oil prices boost the economy Dropping oil prices are described as a “windfall” and a “stimulus package” for American consumers in stories like this one. This is exactly the language that oil and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agile City, Architecture, Cities, Sustainability, Transportation

Save Cities. Kill the Highway Trust Fund.

by James Russell on July 24, 2014 - Get free updates on posts here

James S. Russell

Vast, empty rural freeways to nowhere and suburban beltways clogged for miles. This is the mess the Highway Trust Fund has made. It is the best model for financing transportation. But it’s got to die. When the nation was truly dedicated to building an interstate mobility network to be funded by user fees, the Trust Fund made sense. Now it has fallen victim to right-wing ideology, which deems any increase in the fees an anathema tax increase. They think their unbending stance will defeat the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agile City, Cities, Sustainability, Transportation

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About James Russell

James S. Russell is an architecture critic, journalist, teacher and consultant. He's the author of the book, The Agile City, and has written for publications like Architectural Record, Bloomberg News, NY Times and more. Continue reading

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