Academic Rants

The National Water Crisis: The Newark Version of the Story The majority of the nation’s water system was built during the 19 th century. Its construction is based on using heavy piping to move water usually flowing with gravity from aqueducts to urban centers. The oldest of these systems are located in the northeastern and midwestern cities that arose before the Civil War. At this time water was transported in iron or lead pipes. Pipes were as wide as 48 inches in diameter. Water had to be pumped from the ground up to the streets. Indoor plumbing and flushing toilets were rare, they were modern conveniences reserved for the rich. Years later, when indoor plumbing reached the common man, its greatest achievement was the conveyance of water upward into high-rise structures. Again, water traveled through metal pipes. At the close of the century water for drinking, showering and sewage traveled through either iron, lead or copper pipes. By the mid-twentieth century, the first...

The Next Challenge More than any other nation, Americans continue to love their cars! In contrast to some construction trends, Americans are not fond of public transportation. This is true even in the northeastern states where such transportation systems are centuries old.  Not only do Americans not like mass transit, they have constructed dysfunctional networks which they continually try to improve by adding costly new technologies. The flashpoint is always a fight between the time savings and convenience of the automobile and the energy efficiency of a multiple people carrier. As we continue to realize the dangers posed by fossil fuels, our willingness to make changes should accelerate. Instead, we are fighting harder to keep driving. Transportation advocates are engaged in a movement to encourage more people to abandon their cars as a first option. It is a national challenge to improve mass transit by making it more affordable, more reliable, more nimble, and faster from ...