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

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

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.

Management

Drought Is Making California Shrink in Mass

There are "potentially dire consequences for the economic and food security of the United States."

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

The U.S. Cities With the Worst Climate Change-Related Flooding

Rising sea levels have kicked up flood days by as much as 900 percent along parts of the East Coast.