Urban Issues

Big Beats Small, New Beats Old

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I came across a couple of interesting pieces in the last week that had me thinking about the past, present and future of American cities again. After reading them, I felt somewhat upbeat and validated, but also concerned.  read more »

Planners Push Transit, But It's a Hard Sell in Western Cities

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Over the six decades that transit subsidies have been virtually universal, governments and media have urged people to give up driving and switch to transit.  read more »

Empty or Illicit? NYC Shops for a Solution

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New York City, like many urban areas, has suffered vacant storefronts in recent years. The causes are likely many  read more »

Is It Safe to Ride Transit?

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Less than half of New York City residents feel safe riding the subway today, down from 82 percent before the pandemic.  read more »

Massive Shift from Urban Cores to Suburbs and Elsewhere

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Moving Away from the Major Metros: The recent Census Bureau population estimates release revealed a massive shift of domestic migrants away from the major metropolitan areas  read more »

NYC Must Stop Destroying Its Institutions

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Due to budget concerns, New York City Mayor Eric Adams proposed cuts to the New York City public library budgets, forcing the majority of public libraries to cut their hours and open only five days a week.  read more »

CSY Opinion Piece In Crain's Chicago Business

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(Note: Last week I was fortunate enough to have an opinion piece written by Ed Zotti and myself published in Crain's Chicago Business. It's on the continuing loss of Chicago's Black middle class, at least as defined by its ability to attract Black college graduates. The article is behind a paywall, but as a co-author I took the liberty of posting it here.  read more »

Europe More "Auto-Dependent" Than U.S.

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Before the pandemic, Europeans relied on automobiles for 70 percent of their travel, compared with 77 percent for U.S. residents. But after the pandemic, in 2021, the European share of passenger travel that used automobiles climbed to 80 percent, while the U.S. share increased only to 78 percent  read more »

Is There an Urban Future?

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Talk of the future of (some) cities these days can bring out the pessimists, who warn of an “urban doom loop.”  read more »

Subjects:

Rethinking the Housing Affordability Crisis, Part 3

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Back in 2018, I attended and participated in an event called “Tools Toward Market Restoration”, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.  read more »