It's almost a cliché that residents of a place often never go to see the attractions that draw others to visit. Likewise there are probably plenty of folks, especially in the Western world, who are more familiar with foreign attractions than with those in their own countries . But with all kinds of travel becoming more expensive, this pattern may shift: places that currently have a global or nation-wide draw may be left struggling, while more local attractions may pick up the business of summering families.

We're already seeing ad campaigns encouraging people to spend locally instead of on far-flung vacations -- for example, a lumber company's billboards suggest we "Go big and stay home... build a deck!" What else is in store?

1. Local economies and tourism
2. Virtual travel
3. Local destinations by other modes
4. Book Review from DryDipstick.com
5. Recent news
6. Four day work week

1. Local economies and tourism

When household budgets are tight because of expensive necessities, luxuries get pared down. What does this mean for cities, when, as citymayors.com (an international network of mayors) points out, "for many cities urban tourism is their number one industry," financing growth and providing income for large swathes of the population.

Understanding who comes to visit and how will be important in planning for a tourist industry that will not evaporate with the end of cheap oil - and it's also best to make sure there are other viable local industries. [Read more.]

Back to top

2. Virtual travel

In a recent blog post, PCC Manager Daniel Lerch describes the relation between vacation tourism and conference tourism, with not-very-sanguine prospects for the latter. Airlines are failing and ticket prices continue to go up; the relatively new trend of building convention centers and airports as "cities-within-cities" may well prove to be short-lived as companies rethink sending employees to those far-away conferences.

But this doesn't mean that professionals won't network, or that industries will operate in isolation. Some conferences already record or broadcast their proceedings for those who can't make it; others are sticking their toes into the virtual realm and conducting whole conferences online. While this doesn't generate the ancillary commerce that real-life conferences do, it does allow for information-sharing with a reduced carbon footprint.

Post Carbon Institute is one many organizations that's moving to webcasting, beaming our speakers into auditoriums via the internet instead of sending them all over the globe. So far, responses have been positive. Next week, Daniel Lerch and John Kaufmann will be presenting to an audience in the Bellingham, Washington from a studio in Portland, Oregon. We expect to be doing this more and more. For more information about Post Carbon speakers, virtual or in the flesh, see this page.

Trainings are available online, too. We've been featuring some online opportunities in the Post Carbon Cities Recommended Events section; many of these trainings are archived, so don't fret if you missed:

• these clean energy webcasts from the EPA or
• the Washington APA's Speakers’ Series on Planning for Sustainable Communities.

Here are a couple of upcoming events that you might want to register for:

• How To Pay: Challenges and Solutions Of Environmental Protection
  International City / County Management Association
  July 22, 2008 - Jul 22 2008
• Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods Project
  National Association of Counties
  October 7, 2008 - Oct 7 2008

Back to top

3. Local destinations by other modes

By PCC Coordinator Laurel Hoyt

I recently wrote a piece for relocalize.net about the vacation adventure potential of exploring local transit systems. I hadn't read the Seattle Times reporter's much more engaging take on the subject when I started writing, but guides like hers, along with transit authority offerings such as the summer events calendar and "Destinations to discover" resources offered by Portland's transit agency, are great places to start.

Metro, the regional government for the Portland area, has just released a book along the same lines -- but for walking in and around the city. It gives special attention to families, and includes several different kinds of walks. Activities that put people out in their community can build community and support local businesses, because on a hot summer day, you can't carry your ice cream with you! (Also see this stroller tour article in the Chicago Tribune for a good idea.)

The walking book idea is eminently borrowable - or try something on a smaller scale, like the bite-sized tours envisioned by Kristian over at CEOs for Cities.

Back to top

4. Book review from DryDipstick.com

When I read [Post Carbon Cities], I was impressed with the attractive layout, the clarity of writing, and the quality of the information it contained. However, I felt it was a bit too basic, too simplistic. While it was a good introduction to the problems of Peak Oil and climate change that are facing communities, I felt it didn't provide the depth of detail necessary for towns to deal with the multitude of effects we can likely expect. In short, I felt it wasn't enough for what is needed.

Then reality straightened me out...

Read his review to see why Mick Winter, editor of DryDipstick.com, recommends Post Carbon Cities as the right book on peak oil for local governments.

Back to top

5. Recent news

	A new approach for the age of $4 gasoline Published 11 Jun by The Boston Globe Lincoln Institute of Land Policy senior fellow Armando Carbonell writes about the importance of land use and transportation decisions to a coherent energy and climate policy.
	Vermont planning for fuel emergency Published 22 Jun by The Rutland Herald It may be summer, but Vermont's Governor and legislature are planning for the potential emergency when high fuel prices and low temperatures coincide this coming winter.
	Cracking the (building) codes to meet greenhouse limits Published 23 Jun by Architecture 2030 This week, Architecture 2030 released an unprecedented guide for every city, county and state in the nation to swiftly meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets through existing building codes.
	With a backdrop of high gas prices, transportation planners hold symposium Published 27 Jun by Asbury Park Press The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority held a symposium to identify issues as it prepares to write its Regional Transportation Plan for the next 25 years. Post Carbon Cities' Daniel Lerch was on the panel.

6. A four-day work week?

State workers in Utah are now working four-day weeks. So are county workers in Marion County, Florida. A handful of cities in Nevada, California and Arizona are experimenting with the idea, and Suffolk County, New York and the state of West Virginia are also considering it.

In both private and public offices, the four-day work week is an increasingly popular response to high energy costs. Cutting work days saves employees money because it reduces their commuting by 20%. And if the four days are the same for all employees, it can also save city, county or state governments money in facilities. Marion County officials expect this measure to save them $250,000 in energy costs this year. North Miami hopes to save $200,000 by closing its city hall one day a week - but some argue that there may be tradeoffs in service.

That last point is debatable, because while the facilities will be open fewer days, longer hours may make services more available for citizens who work during the day. At any rate, the four-day workweek is part of the toolbox for officials dealing with energy uncertainty.

Back to top

To stay maximally up-to-date on Post Carbon Cities' doings, point your RSS reader to our feeds -- choose to see news, or blog posts, or everything.