Urban Planet is a daily roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
• On April 18, 1906, disaster struck San Francisco. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake ruptured the city, causing over 30 fires which destroyed approximately 25,000 buildings on 490 city blocks. An estimated 3,000 people were killed and 300,000 (of a population of 410,000) were left homeless. Survey the damage for yourself on this aerial panorama taken by George R. Lawrence. (Retronaut)
• Last week, India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance gave state-run oil companies the green light to increase prices by over a dollar per litre. The result was massive gridlock throughout Dehli as drivers tried to sneak in one last cheap fill up. (GlobalSpin)
• City Council in the Town of North Las Vegas will vote Friday on whether to declare a state of emergency. The town hasn’t had a big storm or fire in recent days. Rather Councillors are looking to use the measure to deal with a fiscal state of emergency. If successful, it would set a precedent for using the measure which was originally intended to extend powers in the case of unexpected weather events. The state of emergency will allow the town to void union contracts in order to balance its budget. (Time Moneyland)
• Mounting a response to a disaster requires immense coordination, but how do first responders prepare for the unimaginable? Disaster City is the world’s largest emergency training centre. Located in College Station, Texas, the centre gives emergency responders the opportunity to simulate a wide range of disasters including earthquakes, train derailments, bombs and fires. (Popular Science)
Image from Retronaut
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