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Infrastructure

tram in Kolkata with dancers

India’s tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.

Infrastructure

​​​​​​​Kolkata’s 150-year-old tram system is limping along. It’s down to just two lines and there is little political will, or room in the city’s crowded streets, to bring the streetcars back to their former glory days. The tram does have a small but loyal band of supporters who want to keep it alive.

Mexico City

When disaster hits home: The Mexico City quake one month on

Environment
Oroville Dam

Does a ‘green spot’ signal trouble for California’s massive Oroville Dam?

Technology
People walk along the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Jerash

Seawater in the pores? It’s what made Roman concrete great.

Science
Acela Train

The US needs a major expansion of public infrastructure, says this former presidential candidate

Development
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An Amtrak passenger train makes its way along the coastline

President Trump, why are you cutting rail service to rural towns that helped get you elected?

Economics

President Trump’s new budget slashes funding for Amtrak rail service to towns in the Rust Belt and the South. It includes some of the same places that helped him win the election.

The moon over Earth, as seen from the GOES-16 satellite

Satellites are destined to become space junk. But in the future, we may be able to retool them.

Technology

Most satellites are engineered to last a long time, but there’s no way to repair or refurbish them. They simply become obsolete. Government agencies and private companies are trying to change that.

Stockholm's highly-efficient subway system. Trains are known for running frequently and on time. They have large ridership but are not overly crowded because of the frequency of the trains.

US transportation is so far behind Sweden’s it’s not even funny

Economics

America is literally falling apart.

A magnetically levitating (maglev) train operated by Central Japan Railway

How to bring high-speed trains to the US

Economics

Japan’s high speed trains run upwards of 200 miles per hour while Amtrak’s Acela can only go its top speed of 150 for short stretches. The reason? Outdated infrastructure. After World War II, the US invested in cars, not trains, and today its passenger railways lag far behind countries in Europe and Asia. Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter lays out a new vision for US transportation in her book “Move: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead.”

Protesters march through São Paulo recently demanding equitable distribution of water throughout São Paulo state. Unofficial rationing has brought frequent water outages to neighborhoods throughout the Brazilian megalopolis of 20 million people.

São Paulo residents demand their city take a new attitude about water

Environment

The unprecedented water crisis in South America’s largest city is leading citizens to change everything, from how they use water to how they engage with politics. But while the government is taking action, residents say it’s not nearly enough.

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