This story was originally published by Reasons to be Cheerful
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at [email protected] and we just might feature it here.
Curbing cars
Back in 2022, RTBC Contributing Editor Peter Yeung reported on Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s war on cars. According to a study at the time, the proportion of journeys by car in Paris had dropped about 45 percent since 1990. Now, as Mayor Hidalgo prepares to leave office, the numbers for pedestrians and cyclists are even more impressive — although, as the Economist reports in a story shared by Peter this week, the motorists are not pleased about it.
Peter says:
With over 1,500 km of cycle lanes, Paris now boasts a bigger network than Amsterdam. More daily trips are now made by bike than by car.
A homebuilding moonshot
You probably haven’t heard of Operation Breakthrough, a 1970s effort by the U.S. government to build millions of modular and prefabricated homes. As Bloomberg Citylab reports in a story shared by Executive Editor Will Doig, what may have been the most ambitious federal housing program in the country’s history has been mostly forgotten. Now, an exhibit at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago is featuring the program and its prototypes — which, Citylab notes, could hold lessons for the future.
Will says:
I love lost-to-history projects, like this audacious attempt in the ’70s to create tons and tons of affordable housing using NASA-style R&D. These kinds of inspirational long-shot efforts feel rarer these days.
What else we’re reading
Oil and gas prices are soaring. Some countries are ready with solar panels and EVs — shared by Will Doig from NPR
Could Free Child Care Last the Full Day? Some Working Parents Hope So. — shared by Editorial Director Rebecca Worby from the New York Times
Revealed: the world’s worst mega-leaks of methane driving global heating — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from the Guardian
In rural West Texas, renewable energy brings a windfall for seniors — shared by Rebecca Worby from Grist
In other news…
If you live in Chicago or plan to visit in the next few months, you’re in luck: Theater of the Mind, a multisensory experience co-created by RTBC founder David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, officially opens this week at The Goodman Theatre.
Here’s a bit about the show:
Inspired by both historical and current neuroscience research, the show takes you on an intimate and immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds. Peer behind the curtain of the physical realm as you move through a series of rooms with your guide, where you’ll participate in thought-provoking experiences — and marvel at the wonders of your mind.
Learn more and buy tickets here.
The post What We’re Reading: Paris Is More Bike-Friendly Than Ever appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.
