By 1970 it was safe to say that a major shift was underway in our thinking about our relationship with each other and the planet. Then the oil crisis of 1973-1974 hit -- the first big test of this new-found awareness. What was our response, and what can we learn from it?

When household budgets are tight because of expensive necessities, luxuries get pared down. What does this mean for cities, when so many are reliant on tourism as a major economic driver? Keep energy trends in mind when planning - and make sure there are other industries in the mix.

Electrifying the U.S. freight rail system makes economic and national security sense, and may be more feasible than you think. A new proposal explores just what it would mean --and what it would take-- to shift the bulk of the U.S. freight system from oil to electricity in a relatively short amount of time.

How are rising oil prices affecting the summer tourist season and cities that depend on vacationers? The news isn't all bad, especially for destinations that cater to local and regional tourism. The long term trends are indeed shifting, however, with unclear prospects for business travel and the tourist dollars it generates.

Post Carbon Cities is taking a summer break this week! We'll be back on Monday July 9th with more news, resources and blogs. In the meantime, here are some links you shouldn't miss.

Confused by the media about what's happening with oil prices and how we might sensibly respond? Here's a quick look at what the some economically conservative voices are saying.

Although Post Carbon Cities recommends that local governments should lay the groundwork for their planning with an explicit recognition of the challenges of peak oil and climate change, that's not always a politically easy thing to do. But that shouldn't stop towns, cities, and regions from starting to make policy decisions that will take advantage of the sun's energy.

Demand for public transit is rising everywhere -- but can we really make transit a viable mode when our cities and suburbs have been completely built around the private car? Daniel Lerch responds to a reader's comment about the realities of quickly upscaling transit, and whether or not next-generation electric vehicles are the answer.

Solar is quickly emerging as a major alternative energy source -- and its success in less-than-balmy places like northern Europe shows that cities just about anywhere can benefit. Despite recent uncertainties in energy legislation at both state and national levels, there's a lot that local governments can do right now to shift community energy dependence towards this most clean and local of energy sources.

The last few weeks have been a particularly interesting time to follow reactions to surging oil prices. Some have been predictably short-sighted, such as calls for offshore drilling and investment in nuclear power. Thankfully, more and more local governments in the US and Europe are pursuing sensible solutions -- most recently at the city, county and even city-state levels.

As the price of oil goes up, we've seen the demand for transit rise as well. But the capacity to fill this demand doesn't just appear when needed; it requires prior planning. Daniel Lerch writes about the dilemmas facing cities and their transit systems in the face of sudden popularity.

"We've got nearly 2 million people living out here in the middle of the desert...maybe this is something planners should be concerned about?" Program Manager Daniel Lerch returns from the APA conference in Las Vegas, where climate change got a little more attention than last year, and peak oil barely any at all.

An update from Post Carbon Cities to the Relocalization Network - a network of citizen groups working to strengthen their communities though relocalization. The news: action on the U.S.'s Southeastern front!

Portland's a "Platinum" bike-friendly city -- the second in the United States, and the only major urban area in the U.S. thus designated. And Laurel's still not satisfied.

Come to our hosting a session on peak oil and energy uncertainty at the annual American Planning Association conference in Las Vegas, Wednesday April 30th at 4:00pm. "Post Carbon Cities" author Daniel Lerch is joined by John Kaufmann of the Portland (Ore.) Peak Oil Task Force and Jennifer Sarnecki of Southern California Association of Governments.

Laurel shares two videos: In one, Santa Barbara's City Council member Das Williams talks about that city's efforts to address energy and climate uncertainty. The other is from the city of Portland's education campaign about bike boxes. Plus, seven other cities using bike boxes to protect cyclists.

Program Manager Daniel Lerch starts a two week trip to the British Isles at a symposium for local officials, planners, architects and builders in Kilkenny, Ireland.

Oil burst through its all-time record price last week, but this wasn't so much of a surprise as three other things we've recently learned. Which U.S. city is most prepared for high oil prices? (Hint: it's not Portland.) Which city in the world was the first to complete a joint peak oil - global warming task force? And which high-level politician in the news this week is an outspoken voice on peak oil?

Now that we've moved decisively into all-time high prices for oil, what better moment to take a look at what one of the first cities to act on peak oil --Portland, Oregon-- has done since the conclusion of its peak oil task force a year ago.

As transportation costs and wasted resources become more dear, greater attention to appropriate scales may well offer better solutions and prevent harmful ones. Post Carbon Cities staff Laurel Hoyt considers the problem of scale in producing two of our most basic needs: energy and food.