Rahm’s Reprieve
As you know by now, Rahm Emanuel won his re-election bid. I’ve got an article up with some thoughts over at City Journal called “Rahm’s Reprieve” that looks beyond the importance of the mayor to...
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March 30, 2003 – The Night Chicago Died?
Awareness of Chicago’s massive financial hole seems to dawned on the public fairly recently. Crain’s did a story on the debt 2010. The Tribune did a big series on Chicago’s recently. There’s been a ton...
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What’s the Perfect Size For a City?
My latest post is online over at The Guardian. It’s called “What’s the perfect size for a city?” It is an expanded look at the right scale of regional governance – small box cities, large regional...
View ArticleThe Digital Divide Between Big And Small Cities
My latest column is out in the May issue of Governing Magazine. It’s called “The Other Digital Divide” and talks about the potential gap between how larger cities can be better positioned to take...
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Have We Reached Peak Car?
My latest piece is online over at the Guardian. It’s called “Have we actually reached peak car?” My piece is quite different from the typical US consumer preference change story. Rather, it draws on...
View ArticleMore Privatization Pain For the Public in North Carolina
Privatization done right can be a great boon. Done poorly, it can harm the public for decades. We see another example of the latter ongoing in North Carolina (h/t @mihirpshah). The Charlotte Observer...
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Libertarians of Convenience
My latest piece is online at City Journal and is called “Libertarians of Convenience.” It’s a pretty tough take on too many progressive urbanists’ highly selective approach to deregulation. Many take...
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Suburban Migration In Baltimore
One unique aspect of Baltimore is that it is a so-called “independent city” that is not part of any county. Because of this, migration data from the IRS allows us to look specifically at the city of...
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Urbanoscope
Here we are once again with a roundup of a few highlights from places where I’m a contributor. First the Guardian, which published a longish interview of Ed Glaeser by Simon Jenkins. Here’s an excerpt:...
View ArticleA Chicago Model for Global Cities and a New Rhode Island Model For Transit
Last week I linked to an article by Kris Hartley about a Chicago model for global cities. I wasn’t planning to analyze it, but Greg Hinz over at Crain’s did a short writeup, so I decided to share a few...
View ArticleKay Hymowitz on Brooklyn
Kay Hymowitz is the William E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and probably best known for her work on family and gender issues such as the book Manning Up. But she does a lot more than that,...
View ArticleSmall Regions Rising
In the last 25 years there has been a huge change in the level of competitiveness of smaller urban areas – by which I mean the small end of the major urban scale, or metro areas of about one to three...
View ArticleWhy Are US Rail Transit Construction Costs So High?
It’s no secret to readers here that US rail transit construction costs are far out of line vs. other countries. David Schleicher, a law professor at Yale, recently co-authored an article examining some...
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Hooray For the High Bridge
My latest article is online in City Journal and is a look at the restoration and reopening of the High Bridge in New York City. Part of the original Croton Aqueduct system that first brought plentiful...
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Viva Havana!
Photo by Scott Beyer With pending changes in US-Cuban relations, there’s been a flurry of attention turned towards Cuba and Havana. I want to highlight a few articles on the topic. Firstly, Scott...
View ArticleBig Aspirations Aren’t Just for Big Cities Anymore
My latest column is available in this month’s issue of Governing magazine. It’s called “Big Aspirations Aren’t Just for Big Cities Anymore.” In it I talk about how smaller cities – which in my view are...
View ArticleChicago’s Great Financial Fire
My latest piece is online in City Journal and is called “Chicago’s Financial Fire.” It’s a look at the ongoing financial crisis in that city, which has all of a sudden gotten very real thanks to a...
View ArticleLA’s Tale of Two Cities
My latest post is online at New Geography and is called “LA’s Tale of Two Cities.” I was prompted to write it when I saw two articles within a month of each other, one declaring LA a paradise for...
View ArticleNew York’s Paleolithic Subway Signalling
Second Avenue Sagas pointed me at this new video about the signal replacement project on the New York subway system. The first couple minutes show the fossilized remains the original signaling system...
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Think Globally, Disrupt Locally
My latest piece is online in the Los Angeles Times. It’s about how environmental activists are trying to stop fracking and Alberta oil developments by obstructing the ability to export fossil fuels...
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