How would you fare in an oil crisis?
We've had an "oil crisis" before-- remember the early 70s, when people lined up for gas and were only allowed to buy it on odd or even days? (Probably a lot of the Internet community is too young to remember that, but it did happen.) Now think about a more serious crisis, when the price of gas is not just $3/gallon, but $5 or even $8/gallon. Some say this is entirely possible in the not-too-distant future.
SustainLane has done a study about the transportation, food, and communication infrastructure of American cities, and come up with a list of the ten U.S. cites best prepared for an oil crisis.
Here they are:
Intriguing. As noted in the article, they are all port cities, most are dense and have low sprawl, and they tend to be among the oldest cities in their respective states. But it is possible to criticize the study parameters-- for example, perhaps greater attention should have been paid to the cities' power grid and water infrastructure, which would surely also be affected in an oil crisis. Perhaps this might shuffle the results.
But rather than delve into those details, I would like simply to point out the meta-data here: No one has bothered to rank cities by their ability to survive an oil crisis before. Now that someone has done it, the debate can begin about whether it makes sense, what else might be done, how poorly-ranked cities can improve, etc. Having the data-- and having the insight (and perhaps courage) to analyze data in new ways and start talking about it-- can set change in motion. Just by opening up people's awareness and playing off their natural desire to be ranked highly and to be prepared for the future.
This is a more refined response to potential crises than buying duct tape and plastic sheeting. Let's work together to make our cities and societies robust. Even if the oil crisis never comes, it will be worth the effort! (Can't say the same for all that duct tape, eh?)
SustainLane has done a study about the transportation, food, and communication infrastructure of American cities, and come up with a list of the ten U.S. cites best prepared for an oil crisis.
Here they are:
- New York City
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Portland
- Honolulu
- Seattle
- Baltimore
- Oakland
Intriguing. As noted in the article, they are all port cities, most are dense and have low sprawl, and they tend to be among the oldest cities in their respective states. But it is possible to criticize the study parameters-- for example, perhaps greater attention should have been paid to the cities' power grid and water infrastructure, which would surely also be affected in an oil crisis. Perhaps this might shuffle the results.
But rather than delve into those details, I would like simply to point out the meta-data here: No one has bothered to rank cities by their ability to survive an oil crisis before. Now that someone has done it, the debate can begin about whether it makes sense, what else might be done, how poorly-ranked cities can improve, etc. Having the data-- and having the insight (and perhaps courage) to analyze data in new ways and start talking about it-- can set change in motion. Just by opening up people's awareness and playing off their natural desire to be ranked highly and to be prepared for the future.
This is a more refined response to potential crises than buying duct tape and plastic sheeting. Let's work together to make our cities and societies robust. Even if the oil crisis never comes, it will be worth the effort! (Can't say the same for all that duct tape, eh?)
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