While the news this year was buzzing about high oil prices, the U.S. election and the worst global economic downtown since the Great Depression, one very important story went largely unreported: 2008 was probably the year of global peak oil.

That and many other big developments this year for cities and sustainability are discussed in some of our most recent articles. We've featured them -- together with commentary on some other stories you may have missed -- in this, our last newsletter of the year.

At Post Carbon Institute we recognize that many of the decisions critical to building local resilience can only be made at the local level, in tune with local realities. The pins in our peak oil responses map represent a growing worldwide network of local authorities making such important decisions.

1. Post Carbon Cities top articles of 2008
2. Growing interest in growing food
3. Year in transition
4. Shifting to transit
5. Top resources

1. Post Carbon Cities top articles of 2008

As our readership grew in 2008, we responded with more original articles, interviews and analysis. Here are just some of the most popular posts this year by Daniel Lerch and Associate Manager Laurel Hoyt:

• Post Carbon Cities 2008: Year in Review; 9 December 2008
• Peak Oil still relevant? More than ever; 4 December 2008
• Of creeping emergencies and Alaskan bellwethers; 28 October 2008
• Interview with Westerly (RI) Peak Oil Task Force co-chair Patricia Hval; 15 September 2008
• Is public transit just a dream in a car-dependent world?; 11 June 2008
• City planners descend on Las Vegas... and largely ignore energy; 9 May 2008
• 'Slow blogging' and the scale of solutions; 20 February 2008

For more on what we're doing and writing, see our Media page and our Post Carbon Cities tag.

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2. Growing interest in growing food

An ever-increasing number of people are interested in growing food close to home or buying food that is produced nearby. New business models are springing up, land use priorities are changing. This interest in local food can be tonic to local food security, and its encouragement can be an important part of any locality's preparation for peak oil.

At their first brush with peak oil, people can become fixated on the transportation aspects. Energy descent will certainly change transportation patterns and possibilities hugely, and adaptation in our transportation and land use systems now is necessary to any resilience plan. Read more

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3. Year of Transition

Though it's been around for longer, the Transition Towns initiative really blossomed as an international movement this year with the release of the Transition Handbook. In its home country, the United Kingdom, Transition activities led to several peak oil related resolutions at the local government level (as well as a host of non-governmental community developments, like the creation of local currency). This year, the idea leapt the pond, taking root in the United States with the formation of Transition USA. Read more

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4. Shifting to transit in the U.S.

Among the big trends accompanying the economic downturn is the rise of public transit ridership.

When this story hit the news in late 2007, as oil prices soared towards $100 a barrel, much of the focus was on how unprepared most U.S. transit systems were for the influx of new passengers. Since oil started falling from its July high of $147, however, there's been a new focus: people are still shifting to public transit, despite gasoline prices falling to 2005 levels.

Fortunately, attitudes towards transit in the U.S. have come a long way in the last ten years. Light rail transit projects are far less controversial, and both bus rapid transit (BRT) and streetcars are more popular than ever among planners and elected officials. But with declining budgets plaguing cities across the country, a real transit revival may depend on whether the incoming Obama Administration's economic recovery plan funds transit as much as it funds roads.

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5. Top resources

The resources section of the Post Carbon Cities website is home to our ever-growing collection of peak oil-related resolutions and reports from local governments. We've recently added material from Spokane, Wash. and Alachua County, Fla., USA; Darebin, Vic., Australia; Nottingham, England; and Hamilton, Ont., Canada. It's our hope that these materials will be of assistance to local officials, staff, or citizens elsewhere who might be putting together their own resolutions or task forces.

We also collect a variety of resources that may help in different areas of local efforts. Here are a few notable resources released this year:

	Feed-in Tariffs and Renewable Energy in the USA - A Policy Update Published May 2008 by Wind-works.org Feed-in tariffs are a strategy for encouraging small-scale distributed renewable power generation in which utilities buy such power for an above-market price set by the government. The policy was hugely important to Germany's solar growth, and was implemented in Gainesville, Florida this year. This report covers related U.S. state and federal policies.
	A Better Way to Go: Meeting America’s 21st Century Transportation Challenges with Modern Public Transit Published July 2008 by U.S. PIRG Education Fund This report shows why rail, rapid buses and other forms of public transit must play a more prominent role in the United States' future transportation system. For every dollar invested in transit, there are nearly two dollars in avoided costs on top of the economic development benefits. Despite these benefits, the United States has historically underinvested in transit.
	Relocalisation: Urban case studies, trends and local government role Published Sep 2008 by Municipal Association of Victoria The Municipal Association of Victoria is an advocacy body for the councils of the state of Victoria. Recognizing the utility of relocalization in any effort to increase local resiliency, and the variety of forms it could take, they undertook this study to better describe the movement.
	The Oil Crunch: Securing the UK’s energy future Published Oct 2008 by UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security While not strictly a local government resource, this report from the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security is the first multi-company alarm bell to be sounded on peak oil — and those companies include big ones like the Virgin Group and Yahoo!. It sets out a series of practical recommendations for Government.

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