San Francisco

SF Muni Tries Washington Monument Strategy

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Like many transit agencies, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni) is facing a big budget deficit  read more »

Kamalafornia Über Alles

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For the last century, no state more epitomized the ideals of upward mobility and technological and cultural innovation than California.  read more »

A Golden State Realignment?

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Elon Musk has just announced that he will move the headquarters of both SpaceX and X from California to Texas, citing Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of a new law banning parental notification by school districts of children’s gender identification changes.  read more »

How California Became a Warning to the World

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For generations, California has led the world in creating cutting-edge ideas and opportunities for newcomers.  read more »

Latinos and the California Housing Crisis

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My extended family spans from third to seventh generation Mexican immigrants. Most of us expect to work hard, provide for our families, and hope our children do better than we did.  read more »

Why London is Beating American Cities

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As America’s cities continue to decline, as even ardent boosters warn of “an urban doom loop”, how does London remain a global powerhouse? The straightforward answer is that it retains an old advantage: its origins as a former imperial capital.  read more »

Downtown San Francisco is Beyond Redemption

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The recent announcement that Ian Jacobs, a scion of the famous Toronto-based Reichmann real estate clan, was coming to buy upwards of $900 million of San Francisco real estate, has offered the beleaguered California city a rare moment of hope.  read more »

Transportation Policy and the Ukrainians

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The dominant philosophy that guides North American land use and transportation policy is advocacy of car ownership. The logic is simple. If you have a car you have automatic access to a wide variety of geographic employment options at any time of the day or night regardless of weather.  read more »

The Kitchens of Distinction

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I was a scholarship student in the UK thirty odd years ago and there was a semi-well known band at the time called The Kitchens of Distinction. I have no memory of what their music even sounded like, but the name stayed with me.  read more »

Xi Jinping Emerges As the Winner from San Francisco

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Xi Jinping should have entered San Francisco’s Apec conference with his tail between his legs, but instead has emerged as something closer to the king of the world.  read more »