Electricity and Urban Vulnerability

In the aftermath of a brief power blackout that basically shut down large parts of Toronto, Marcus Gee ponders the vulnerability of modern cities and their "pathetic" dependence on electricity.

1 minute read

July 6, 2010, 12:00 PM PDT

By Michael Dudley

Gee is relieved the outage happened after the G20 summit had ended, but is still concerned about the havoc the lack of electricity can bring to a modern city under normal conditions:

"Cities across Canada are vulnerable to such events, which often stem from decades of underinvestment in the basic sinews of urban life: sewers, water mains, bridges and power facilities. One recent study estimated that Canadian cities needed $123-billion simply to keep their crumbling infrastructure functioning at its most basic level.

A power failure in a big-city heat wave can be a dangerous thing. Around 30,000 people died in the great European heat wave of 2003, many of them isolated elderly people. In the 1995 Chicago heat wave, author Eric Klinenberg reminded CBC viewers, more than 700 people perished, double the figure for the great fire of 1871. Toronto opened seven special cooling centres on Monday to help avoid just such a disaster."

FULL STORY: Blackouts and the Perils of Modern Life

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 in The Globe and Mail

Energy Ontario

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.