Envisioning Rust Belt Success

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My Defining Rust Belt Urbanism piece three weeks ago, in which I discuss the themes of what would drive Midwest urban rebirth, prompted a great question.  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 »

Thinking in Public

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My newsletter happy hour here in Indiana is from 6p-8p in Carmel. The event is sold out, but if you are interested in going please email me and I can probably add you to the list.  read more »

Subjects:

Are Progressives to Blame for the Worsening Housing Crisis?

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In recent years, housing has emerged as arguably the key driver of class divisions in the Western world. For decades, working- and middle-class people could dream reasonably about buying a house  read more »

Vaclav Smil Calls Bullshit on Net Zero

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In a 2019 interview, Vaclav Smil described himself as “just an old-fashioned scientist describing the world and the lay of the land as it is.  read more »

Libertarians Can Stay Relevant by Defending the Middle Class

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In the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, libertarian ideas about de-regulation and personal liberty were ascendant. Even if they had little direct power, the free market ideologues had access to the highest levels of government and business.  read more »

Subjects:

Millions Move Away from Density in Just Three Years

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Between 2020 and 2023 (annual population estimates, as of July 1), more than 3.2 million US residents moved from counties with higher urban population densities (number of urban residents divided by urban square miles), to counties with lower urban densities.  read more »

Universities And Urban Transformation

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I’ve always been intrigued by the role of universities in the growth and development of cities. It’s well known that universities can have an outsized role on smaller towns and cities  read more »

Republicans are Posing a Growing Threat in Blue States

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Calm down, Democrats, Donald Trump will not, as some zealous Maga types fantasise, take New York this election. Nor will he win over New Jersey, although the race may be closer there.  read more »

Shanghaied

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On Sunday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on CBS’s “Face The Nation” to promote the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates  read more »