While no Americans are happy about the “special military operation” in Ukraine, transit agencies and advocates are positively giddy about the effect of that operation on gas prices. read more »
Urban Issues
California's SB9 Housing Bill Starting To Sound Like Prop 13
That rumbling you hear in the residential real estate market is SB9—either a silver bullet or a boogeyman, depending on where you stand.
Senate Bill 9 is the latest law with the potential to reshape California. read more »
60 Desks for Every 100 Workers
Mutual of Omaha is building a new headquarters in downtown Omaha, which at first appears to be a revival of downtown fortunes. But the company has 4,000 employees in the Omaha area, and the new headquarters will have room for no more than 2,500 of them, as the rest are expected to work from home on any given day. read more »
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The Travails of Washington Metrorail
Washington’s Metrorail has sometimes been called “America’s Subway.” The first segment opened in 1976 (see photo above) and now extends over about 115 miles (185 kilometers), with 91 stations in the District of Columbia as well as suburban areas in the states of Virginia and Maryland. Metrorail has generally boasted the second strongest ridership of any urban rail system in the nation, following the New York City subway read more »
Unacceptable Views
“Canada will always be there to defend the right to peaceful protest” – Justin Trudeau, in a reference to protests in India…
Asked why he supported some protests, but was determined to crush the trucker convoy, Justin Trudeau answered without hesitation read more »
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Long COVID
This is a disease one should not underestimate, but let’s assume that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is past us, at least for now. The disease’s impact on economy, our way of life, the state of democracy and the world will resonate for years to come read more »
Demographia International Housing Affordability – 2022 Edition Released
Demographia International Housing Affordability rates middle-income housing affordability in 92 major housing markets in eight nations: Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States). read more »
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The Limits of Libertarianism
Over the past half-century, libertarians have played a critical role in the ever-growing war against governmental nonsense. If you want to read the best critiques of wasteful transit policy, sports stadia, government pensions or cancel culture, you can find it among liberty-minded outlets like Reason magazine, the Cato Institute and numerous free-market think tanks. read more »
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Portland Downtown Devastated by COVID
The number of people working in downtown Portland dropped from more than 103,000 in mid-2019 to 13,000 in mid-2020, according to a State of the Economy report recently published by the Portland Business Alliance. The report doesn’t actually show numbers, but the chart below, which I took from the report, can be used to make pretty close estimates. read more »
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Toronto Solidifies Highest Density Ranking in North America
Toronto seems guaranteed to retain its position as the densest urban area in North America (Canada and the United States), based on 2021 Census data recently released by Statistics Canada. The Toronto population centre (urban area) has grown at a rate of 0.8% annually since the 2016 census, while increasing its urban density to 3,088 persons per square kilometer. read more »
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