'We’re bad because we’re an older city and we still have fuel oil'

By adamg on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 11:41am

Commonwealth UnBound interviews Edward Glaeser, director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston on why Boston rates worse than cities in California and even Rochester, NY in a study of carbon emissions.

Glaeser says one solution would be allowing denser development. He lives in Weston, but says he would "absolutely" support more development there.

Neighborhoods:

Boston

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Comments

Greenies

By EM Painter on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 1:09pm.

That's where a single-minded obsession on one element of the periodic table gets you.

Comfortable Hypocrisy?

By Sock_Puppet on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 1:32pm.

Would you advocate for Weston to become more dense?

Absolutely I do. I look at the trees out my window and think how brown they are. [He laughs.] But the fight for rational land use is a life challenge for me. I don’t expect to do anything soon. I’ve noticed in my neighbors who oppose growth that they sort of wrap it in environmental language. And the point of my paper is: You’re not allowed to do that. There’s nothing good for the environment in preventing development. It looks green, but it isn’t.

Oh, ha ha! Look how brown they are! It's not really green at all! People really shouldn't live like I do, shouldn't do it at all. People (not me of course) should live in dense places, like cities. They're too icky for me, but should be good enough for the common people.

Of course, I don't expect to actually do anything. But I take it sooo seriously on a rhetorical level. It's a Life Challenge! The way other people live, and especially write letters to the editor, is simply impermissable.

Because it's obvious...

By Matt L on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 2:26pm.

that Glaeser makes all the decisions for his entire family. His wife and children want to live where? Screw them, Ed says Weston!

Also, the dude clearly realizes the irony and was making a joke.

Soon-to-be former resident of Weston

By Michael Pahre on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 1:43pm.

If Glaeser says publicly that he would support more development in his own town of Weston, then I predict his fellow Westonians (?) will run him out of town. Them's fighting words in Weston.