In emerging economies, leveraging innovation to avoid a repeat of post-Depression mistakes in US transport policy

Topics from the Sustainability Summit panel on transport were brought up during Idea Storm on sustainability and development yesterday evening at Sloan, which featured discussion on leveraging the creative sector and social media to tackle infrastructure-related challenges both in quake-stricken Japan and less-developed countries. Particularly notable among facts cited to provide context was Joe's mention that the car has become the most popular present for newly-wed couples. Due largely to rising auto ownership and usage in China and other emerging economies, the transport sector is arguably the sector with the fastest growing rate of greenhouse gas emissions. At the event, participants were encouraged to adapt ideas they suggested for accelerating post-quake recovery in Japan to the development of more-sustainable alternatives to auto-centric transport in developing countries. Most ideas were rooted in mobile telecommunication and social media with the objective of maximizing outreach while minimizing cost.

How can we leverage innovation in information and communication technology to enhance mobility for households in developing countries and reduce the environmental impact of transport?

"Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%" by Stiglitz

There is a fantastic piece in Vanity Fair by Joseph Stiglitz about wealth distribution in America. Stiglitz won the Nobel prize in Economics in 2001, so the article is not just the semi-coherent rantings of an under-qualified progressive (such as, some argue, myself). He even gives a shout to transportation:

Third, and perhaps most important, a modern economy requires “collective action”—it needs government to invest in infrastructure, education, and technology. The United States and the world have benefited greatly from government-sponsored research that led to the Internet, to advances in public health, and so on. But America has long suffered from an under-investment in infrastructure (look at the condition of our highways and bridges, our railroads and airports), in basic research, and in education at all levels. Further cutbacks in these areas lie ahead.

Further, Stiglitz offers a critique of trickle-(not-very-far-if-at-all)-down economics. Returning to my under-qualified opinion, I think that, exactly as Stiglitz says, it is the need for "collective action" is precisely what makes the decadence and inequality of America especially troublesome.

Full article here, via BoingBoing.