Weekly Links: Georgia lawmakers are getting serious about taxing Uber and Lyft to pay for transit. Also, when more women are included in the map-making process, maps end up better reflecting communities. And, Oregon imposes the first state-wide cap on rent increases.
You Probably Shouldn’t Ride Your Scooter on the Highway, Despite Atlanta’s Recommendation
This week, Atlanta holds a meeting on dockless scooters after posting a bizarre Facebook message. Also, the number of reported hate crimes continues to rise and a record number of Americans now believe that humans are influencing global warming. **Update, we now know the post was from a satirical account, but we’ve maintained the original article title for consistency.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Atlanta Sued for Failing to Maintain Sidewalks, Intersections
Atlanta is not the only one with legal problems this week. A federal court ruled that the EPA must produce the evidence it’s using to support the claim that humans do not contribute to climate change and the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the public must have a meaningful opportunity to voice their thoughts on rezoning matters.
We Should Have Taxed Ridesharing
This week, the advantages of suburban annexation by cities, the increasingly popular bi-partisan caucus in Congress looking to combat climate change, and the debate over self-driving cars and traffic congestion shows why ridesharing should be taxed.
As Young People Make Their Voices Heard, College Republicans Take a Stand on Climate Change
This week, College Republicans join other young Americans in the quest to get politicians to confront urgent problems. Also, trailer parks can teach us something about good urban planning, Atlanta gets serious about transit, and a beautiful video showing the impact of light pollution on the night sky.
Strangely, Preserving Public Land is More Popular Than Mining It
This week, fixing the misleading election result maps, traffic congestion increases as people choose Uber and Lyft over transit and walking, only 26% of residents in Mountain West states support increased mining on public land, and a potential app to detect and monitor tsunamis.
Why You May Not Have Noticed Georgia’s Hottest Year on Record
Above-average temperatures often occur when people don’t notice or care, such as at night or in the winter months. Add in the fact that the year ended with colder-than-average weather and it’s easy to overlook the warmth of 2017.
Will 2017 be the Hottest Year on Record for Georgia?
The first half of 2017 was far and away the hottest such time period of any year in 123 years of record keeping in the Southeast. Don’t let a lack of heat waves or a senator with a snowball deflect from the overwhelming evidence of a global and regional warming trend.