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Trumpism: America’s Berlusconi Moment
Trump envisioned and created today’s city of white boxes for rootless new money types, who dominate the city even as they leave little mark here.An old joke—that in heaven, the Italians do the cooking;...
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Why You Should Think Twice Before Building a Rail Transit System
The Washington Metro system was shut down completely for a day recently to allow crews to inspect all of the power cables in the system. They found 26 cables and connectors in need of immediate...
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“Texas Keeps Getting Bigger” The New Metropolitan Area Estimates
The United States Census Bureau has just released its 2015 population estimates for metropolitan areas and counties. Again, the story is Texas, with the Bureau’s news release headline reading: Four...
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The Relationship Between Fertility and National Income
We all heard that “demography is destiny”. But how many of us truly believe it? If demography was destiny, the world would look very different today. The two demographic giants China and India would be...
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Even as They Retire, it's Still About the Boomers
America’s baby boomers, even as they increasingly enter retirement, continue to dominate our political economy in ways no previous group of elderly has done. Sadly, their impact has also proven toxic,...
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The Sun Belt Is Rising Again, New Census Numbers Show
From 2009-11, Americans seemed to be clustering again in dense cities, to the great excitement urban boosters. The recently released 2015 Census population estimates confirm that was an anomaly....
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Population Growth in the Largest Counties: Texas, Florida and the South
As last week's US Census Bureau population estimates indicated, the story of population growth between 2014 and 2015 was largely about Texas, as it has been for the decade starting 2010 (See: “Texas...
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In Praise of Plain Old Bus Service
My recent post on counting the long term costs of building rail transit got a lot of hits – and as expected a lot of pushback.There are a lot of people out there that are simply committed to the idea...
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Singapore’s Midlife Crisis
Lee Kwan Yew, one of the great political architects of our time, died a year ago, but the regime he established in Singapore remains entrenched in power. In fact, the parliamentary elections last...
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Aristocracy of Talent: Social Mobility Is the Silver Lining to America’s...
Yes, wealth concentration is insane. But the ways in which wealth is shifting are surprising—and give reason for a little optimism.In an age of oligarchy, one should try to know one’s overlords—how...
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Future of Suburbia: Report from Cambridge
In the United States, over 69 percent of all residents live in suburban areas. Across the globe many other developed countries are primarily suburban, while developing countries are increasingly...
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A $15 Minimum Wage Is A Booby Prize For American Workers
In principle, there is solid moral ground for the recent drive to boost the minimum wage to $15, with California and New York State taking dramatic steps Monday toward that goal. Low-wage workers have...
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Moving to the Middle: Domestic Migration by Metropolitan Area Size
Americans are moving to middle-sized metropolitan areas, according to the latest Census Bureau population estimates. Between 2010 and 2015, all of the domestic migration gain was in a broadly defined...
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Evolving California High Speed Rail Now Degraded To Only A Commuter Train
When voters passed in the November 2008 election, Prop 1A, they approved partially funding a 800 mile High Speed Rail project, that was to run from San Francisco to San Diego. The project was to be...
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California Leaders Double Down on Dry
“What do we do with this worthless area, the region of savages and wild beasts, of shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and prairie dogs? To what use could we ever hope to put these great...
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A Commentary on the Notion of Extreme Commutes
A recent piece by Joe Cortright in the City Observatory touched on the often discussed issue of extreme commutes, a favored topic among reporters complaining about sprawl and traffic congestion. The...
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Liberals — Except When it Comes Home
My old boss, Bruce Brugmann, who ran the Bay Guardian, told me early on in my career that you could tell the real politics of a big-city newspaper by the person they endorse for mayor.Nice liberal...
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Geography and the Minimum Wage
Most commentary on California’s decision to increase the state minimum wage to $15 over time is either along the lines of it being a boon to minimum-wage workers and their families or a disaster for...
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America's Software And Tech Hotspots
Where is America’s tech and software industry thriving? In a new study conducted for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., researchers took an interesting stab at that question, assessing...
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Largest Cities in the World: 2016
Tokyo-Yokohama continues to be the largest city in the world, with nearly 38 million residents, according to the just released Demographia World Urban Areas (12th Annual Edition). Demographia World...
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