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"Is ‘forgiveness’ just for auto drivers?"

The headline of this article made me think of the legal forgiveness that car/truck drivers often get when they hit pedestrians or bicyclists. But that's not what they are talking about. They are talking about engineered transportation designs that allow for our mistakes and human nature. An example of forgiving design is the placement of rumble-strips on the road to alert an auto driver they are approaching a stop or may be driving off onto the shoulder. Unfortunately, some of these forgiving elements only serve to allow drivers to speed up or drive more carelessly.

Forgiving design elements are known but rarely applied to protect pedestrians and bicyclists but that trend appears to be changing. 

New rules aimed at protecting the environment will drive up the price of new cars and trucks by thousands of dollars but save motorists money at the pump.

The federal government has hitched its wagon to U.S. President Barack Obama’s aggressive new vehicle fuel standards, which would slash greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes after 2020 but elevate the cost of vehicles.

Environment Minister Peter Kent said Tuesday that Ottawa will match a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require that, by 2025, cars and light trucks be 50-per-cent more fuel efficient and emit half as much greenhouse gases as current models.

The new regulations for cars built between 2016 and 2025 would mean both environmental and economic benefits for motorists by reducing pollution and lowering the fuel costs of operating their vehicles, Mr. Kent said.

Around the world people are growing food in cities! From August 15 to 18, the 2012 Urban Agriculture Summit will bring together a diversity of people that are making it happen - design professionals, community groups, social housing advocates, tenants and developers, educators, planners, homeowners, urban growers and others - to share what is working, and to discover what is possible.

From bee-keeping to community and school gardens; from aquaculture to rooftop farming, urban agriculture is becoming an essential element of food security, improving access to healthy, affordable food in a rapidly urbanizing world. Urban agriculture can also generate much-needed skills development and local employment while improving local environmental and community health.