Published Thursday, July 17, 2008 in Southeast Valley Opinions of the Arizona Republic as “Let’s plan development on $10-a-gallon-gas.”
Who would have 
thought a year ago that gasoline prices below $4 we’d consider a bargain? Could we handle $10 a gallon?
The recent surge in gasoline prices has revealed much about the vulnerability of how we’ve developed our cities.
Due to high gas taxes, I paid £1.30 per liter ($10 dollars a gallon) this summer in the United Kingdom while renting vehicles for weekend excursions while teaching an ASU study abroad group. The diesel vehicles we rented, a Saab 9-3 and Audi A3 with 2.0 liter engines, both got in excess of 40 miles per gallon, but can’t be purchased here in the States. I noticed repeatedly vehicles in Europe came equipped with smaller more fuel-efficient engines than when sold in the States in addition to smaller cars not even sold here. The Valley’s growth and development has been premised on low-priced petrol and cheap energy air-conditioning. Now we’re beginning to see where the rubber meets the road. Read the rest of this entry »