Author Archive
John Metcalfe
Infrastructure
How to Get the City to Notice Your Damn Pothole
A citizen’s guide to wacky schemes, from impromptu hot tubs to “birthday parties.”
Management
The Recovery of California's Biggest Reservoir, as Seen by NASA
Satellites highlight Lake Shasta’s year-long progress from a virtual dust bowl to a healthy basin.
Management
Inside the Push to Put Climate Change Warnings on Gas Pumps
The Bay Area wants to apply the tobacco-labeling approach to fuel.
Management
A Grimly Fascinating Map of Toxic Spills in Brooklyn
The borough is splattered with escaped pollutants like oil, paint, raw sewage, and mystery blood.
Management
Cyclists, Rest Your Weary Limbs on Seattle's First-Ever 'Leaning Rails'
The metal fixtures, already used in European cities, support riders as they wait at intersections.
Management
Mapping the Most Poop-Filled Waterways in New York
Here's where you really don't want to swim in the Big Apple.
Management
America's Holiday Lights Can Be Seen from Space
They're especially bright in the suburbs, says NASA.
Management
What Are the Odds Your City Will Have a White Christmas?
Decades of climate data pinpoint the nation's top spots for a snowy December 25.
Management
So You've Decided to Map Sidewalk Poop in San Francisco...
Sorry to say you'll discover that much of it is attributed to humans.
Management
New York's Rat Population Is Far Smaller Than You Might Guess
The latest tally of the city's rat horde dispels the myth that the city is home to "one rat per person."
Management
Bay Area Cities Are 'Overdue' for a Massive Earthquake
Faults have stored up more than enough energy for a disaster, according to new research.
Featured eBooks
Management
Drought Is Making California Shrink in Mass
There are "potentially dire consequences for the economic and food security of the United States."
Management
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti: We Will Be the First City to Do Autonomous Vehicles Right
He says Angelenos "might not own cars" in as soon as a decade.
Management
More Evidence That Goats Are a Good Municipal Investment
Goats are better than herbicides when it comes to clearing weeds, say scientists.
Management
It's a Historic Year for American Temperature Extremes
We're living in two countries, one scourged by heat and the other bitten by cold.
Management
Brooklyn Wins New York's (Literal) Rat Race
MIT visualizes how the city is swarming with rodent-based complaints.
Management
Baltimore Gets a Giant Bus Stop Shaped Like the Word 'Bus'
But how do you get to the top part of the big B?
Management