08 / Norway's electric car experiment.

The prompt for this week's audio was David Zipper's recent Vox article, titled "Why Norway — the poster child for electric cars — is having second thoughts." Electric cars as the salient solution to climate change does a disservice to another brand of innovation: simplicity that works. Or, as we call it, biking, walking, public transit, and the like. We discuss: David Zipper's article on Norway's past decade of heavily incentivizing electric vehicle ownership. Why EVs cannot be the bulk of the solution to our cities' climate challenges. The geometry and economics of cities and their space. The common disconnect between Federal goals and cities' best interests, and how funding for one can severely undermine the other. Eisenhower's Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, and the risks of blanketed national policy and subsidy. Bifurcation and classism. Cautionary learnings for American planners and politicians. What American's can do to evangelize simple innovation that works. Explore further: "Why Norway — the poster child for electric cars — is having second thoughts" by David Zipper (Vox) Background on Eisenhower's Federal-Aid Highway Act, from KPBS in San Diego. Connecting with me, Brad: On Instagram On TikTok On LinkedIn