Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
Water woes
Last spring, news outlets were full of headlines about Mexico City’s dwindling water supply. Then what happened? As Bloomberg Citylab explains in a story shared by RTBC Editorial Director Rebecca Worby, the Mexican capital was saved by “a combination of just-in-time rainfall, urgent political pressure and underground reserves that saw the city through the worst.”
Becca says:
Mexico City has not run out of water, but all the ‘Day Zero’ press finally got people talking about potential solutions, including restoring local water sources.
Driving change
In New York City, not only do you not need a car to get around, many residents will tell you you’re better off without one. So why, the New York Times asks in a story RTBC Executive Editor Will Doig shared this week, does a new building in Brooklyn need precisely 193 parking spots?
Will says:
We’ve written about parking minimums before. This story uses dramatic visuals of building blueprints to show what an obstacle they are to building more housing, even in a transit-rich place like New York City. Luckily, more and more cities are getting rid of parking minimums altogether.
What else we’re reading
🪑 Furniture of Champions: How Paris Olympics Tables and Chairs Are Finding a Second Life Online — shared by Rebecca Worby from Inc.
🐟 Maggots to the rescue: innovative food waste solution may help wild fish populations too — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from The Guardian
🔌 Petroleum drilling technology is now making carbon-free power — shared by Rebecca Worby from NPR
In other news…
Public News Service published an audio version of Michaela’s recent story about a Montana rancher working to cap abandoned oil and gas wells. Listen here.
