The calamitous combination of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that hit Japan earlier today has flooded cities, crumbled buildings and left a still-unknown number dead, injured and stranded. Updates and reports are still coming in, but, as expounded on in this Times article, Japan’s stringent building codes and a comprehensive system of seawalls helped to stave off what could have been even more extensive damage and higher death tolls. Preparedness and…

NYC PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION GOING STRONG
New York is among the top 15 metropolitan areas for transportation, according to an Infrastructurist article on a National Resources Defense Council study. Jersey City and New Haven also make it on the list, reflecting on the good performance of PATH and MetroNorth trains. Keep it up MTA! And it’s a good thing we have public transport, because…