Mayor Oscar Goodman hopes the project will set off a chain reaction of new development downtown and put an economically hurting city back to work.
Governing, January 2010
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Christopher Swope
Las Vegas Rolls the Dice on a New City Hall
January 1, 2010Posted in Economic Development, Urban Affairs, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on Las Vegas Rolls the Dice on a New City Hall
The Oddly Fascinating History of Parking Garages
December 1, 2009An exhibit at the National Building Museum reveals the untold chapter of America’s love affair with automobiles.
Governing, December 2009
Posted in Transportation, Uncategorized, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on The Oddly Fascinating History of Parking Garages
Tysons Corner, Reimagined
November 1, 2009Can the iconic super-suburb break from its traffic-clogged past?
Governing, November 2009
Posted in Economic Development, Suburbs, Transportation, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on Tysons Corner, Reimagined
Won’t Cyclists Behave?
October 1, 2009When commuting by bike in D.C., you’ll notice two things. There are an awful lot of bicyclists on the road. And almost none of them obeys any traffic laws whatsoever.
Governing, October 2009
Posted in Bicycling, Law, Transportation, Washington D.C. | Comments Off on Won’t Cyclists Behave?
A Competition to Re-Think the Suburbs
September 1, 2009
Posted in Housing, Suburbs, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on A Competition to Re-Think the Suburbs
Urban Harvest
August 1, 2009For urban agriculture to work, we’ll need to stop talking about it in utopian terms. Instead, let’s talk about money.
Governing, August 2009
Posted in Shrinking Cities, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on Urban Harvest
High Time for the High Line
July 1, 2009The first leg of New York’s park in the sky is open.
Governing, July 2009
Posted in Parks, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on High Time for the High Line
Recycling Recession
June 1, 2009The things we throw away aren’t finding many buyers right now.
Governing, June 2009
Posted in Environment | Comments Off on Recycling Recession
Meet the Mayor
June 1, 2009Like me, Ed Morris biked cross-country. Unlike me, he tracked down the mayors of dozens of towns along the way and photographed them.
Governing, June 2009
Posted in Bicycling, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Meet the Mayor
The Great White Right-of-Way
June 1, 2009New York gives Broadway over to pedestrians.
Governing, June 2009
Plus: my interview with NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan
Posted in Transportation, Urban Affairs, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on The Great White Right-of-Way
Cul-de-sacked
May 1, 2009Is the icon of suburban street design bound for extinction?
Governing, May 2009
Posted in Suburbs, Transportation | Comments Off on Cul-de-sacked
Great Park Takes Shape
May 1, 2009
Posted in Economic Development, Parks, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Great Park Takes Shape
Preventing Veteran Homelessness
April 7, 2009Here’s a recording of a panel I moderated today for the Urban Institute.
Posted in Housing, Veterans | Comments Off on Preventing Veteran Homelessness
A Gentler Jackhammer
April 1, 2009How New York’s noise code created a quieter way to cut concrete.
Governing, April 2009
Posted in Regulation, Transportation, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on A Gentler Jackhammer
Road to Katrinaville
April 1, 2009Sturdy post-disaster cottages can work as permanent housing. But they’re not always welcome.
Governing, April 2009
Posted in Housing, Natural Disasters | Comments Off on Road to Katrinaville
Lofty Goals
March 1, 2009What exactly is a green job?
Governing, March 2009
Posted in Climate Change, Economic Development | Comments Off on Lofty Goals
Lighting up Broad Street
March 1, 2009Philadelphia takes a bright idea from the Europeans.
Governing, March 2009
Posted in Economic Development, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Lighting up Broad Street
One Crowded Capital
January 1, 2009Local officials in Washington, D.C., are getting ready for Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Governing, January 2009
Posted in Washington D.C. | Comments Off on One Crowded Capital
Flakes of Danger
December 1, 2008The one thing a big-city mayor can’t afford to do is mishandle snow removal.
Governing, December 2008
Posted in Natural Disasters, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Flakes of Danger
Bike-Sharing Shortfall
October 1, 2008I really do want to like bike sharing. But the way D.C. set up the nation’s first such program makes no sense.
Governing, October 2008
Posted in Bicycling, Transportation, Washington D.C. | Comments Off on Bike-Sharing Shortfall
Locked Up
September 1, 2008Can we solve global warming by storing CO2 underground?
Governing, September 2008
Posted in Climate Change, Environment | Comments Off on Locked Up
Metro Mojo?
August 1, 2008It’s difficult to see where Brookings’ vision of a “metro policy for a metro nation” leads.
Governing, August 2008
Posted in Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Metro Mojo?
It’s Not Easy Being Green
June 1, 2008Being an environmentalist used to be simpler. Clean air and water were good. Pollution and littering were bad. The new consciousness about climate change complicates everything.
Governing, June 2008
Posted in Climate Change, Environment | Comments Off on It’s Not Easy Being Green
Revolution in the Stacks
June 1, 2008To appeal to a new generation, some libraries are positioning themselves as places to create content.
Governing, June 2008
Posted in Libraries | Comments Off on Revolution in the Stacks
Renters’ Revenge
May 1, 2008Let’s lay some of the blame for the housing crisis on a sacred slice of American culture: our national obsession with homeownership itself.
Governing, May 2008
Posted in Housing, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Renters’ Revenge
The Man Who Owns Flint
January 18, 2008
Michigan’s most depressed auto town is full of vacant buildings. One local official has made their redevelopment his personal crusade.
Governing, January 2008
Plus: my interview with Dan Kildee, the treasurer of Genesee County.
Posted in Shrinking Cities, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on The Man Who Owns Flint
Special-Needs Housing for the Frail Elderly and Homeless
January 8, 2008Here’s audio of a panel I moderated today for the Urban Institute.
Posted in Housing | Comments Off on Special-Needs Housing for the Frail Elderly and Homeless
Local Warming
December 1, 2007
It’s too late to stop climate change. What we can do is plan for it.
Governing, December, 2007
Plus: my interview with two officials in Olympia, Washington, about how to cope with sea-level rise.
Posted in Climate Change, Environment, Natural Disasters, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on Local Warming
Shrink Rap
November 1, 2007It’s easier to think about downsizing an imaginary post-industrial city than a real one.
Governing, November 2007
Posted in Economic Development, Shrinking Cities, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Shrink Rap
Powering Down
August 1, 2007
Can utilities make money on energy efficiency?
Governing, August 2007
Posted in Energy, Regulation | Comments Off on Powering Down
WiFi Town
May 1, 2007
Cities are building out wireless networks. What will they do with all that WiFi?
Governing, May 2007
Plus: my interviews with Chris Puccio, CIO of Boulder, Colorado and Esme Vos of muniwireless.com
Posted in Broadband, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on WiFi Town
The Retail Chase
April 1, 2007
Cities will do almost anything to land the store of their dreams.
Governing, April 2007
Plus: my interviews with three retail experts.
Posted in Economic Development, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on The Retail Chase
Over-the-Rhine, One More Time
March 1, 2007
Cincinnati’s most troubled and beautiful neighborhood makes a comeback.
Preservation, March/April 2007
Posted in Economic Development, Historic Preservation, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Over-the-Rhine, One More Time
The Insurance Disaster
February 1, 2007How Hurricane Katrina ended up hitting Delaware, Connecticut and lots of other states.
Governing, February 2007
Posted in Insurance, Natural Disasters | Comments Off on The Insurance Disaster
Toll Roads For Sale (and everything else)
January 1, 2007State and local governments are unloading toll roads, parking garages, lotteries and other assets. Are they getting a sweet deal or is it a sellout?
Governing, January 2007
Plus: My interviews with the Treasurer of New Jersey, the CFO of Chicago and the CFO of Harris County, Texas.
Posted in Privatization, Transportation, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Toll Roads For Sale (and everything else)
The 24-Hour Rush Hour
December 1, 2006
How rush hour turned into “rush day.”
Governing, December 2006
Posted in Transportation | Comments Off on The 24-Hour Rush Hour
Smart Decline
November 1, 2006
Youngstown has lost more than half its population. Those people aren’t coming back. But shrinking doesn’t have to mean dying.
Governing, November 2006
Plus: My photo essay on Youngstown, and interviews with Mayor Jay Williams and urban planner Hunter Morrison.
UPDATE: New York Times Magazine includes “creative shrinkage” in its 2006 Year in Ideas issue. Now where did they read about that?
Posted in Economic Development, Shrinking Cities, Urban Affairs, Urban Planning & Design | Comments Off on Smart Decline
Profile of Bush’s Homelessness Czar
November 1, 2006
Philip Mangano may be all that’s left of compassionate conservatism.
Governing, November 2006
Posted in Housing, Urban Affairs | Comments Off on Profile of Bush’s Homelessness Czar
Honey, Our House is Historic!
October 1, 2006
Buildings from the mid-20th century are becoming eligible for landmark status. Local governments are trying to decide which are worth preserving.
Governing, October 2006
Plus: I interview three experts about preserving the ’50s.
* Dwayne Jones, executive director of Preservation Dallas
* Julie Lawless, Ft. Worth planning department
* Ron Wright, Arlington city councilman
Posted in Historic Preservation, Suburbs | 1 Comment »
Mississippi’s Urbanist Odyssey
September 1, 2006
The ravaged Gulf Coast has a rare opportunity to recreate itself. But it still has to decide what it wants to look like.
Governing, September 2006
Plus: A Q&A with me on what I found in Mississippi and New Orleans.
Posted in Urban Planning & Design | Leave a Comment »
The Fuss About Eminent Domain
July 1, 2006How a Supreme Court decision on takings unleashed a ferocious backlash.
Governing, July 2006
Posted in Economic Development, Housing, Law, Poverty | Leave a Comment »
The Battles of Blair Mountain
May 1, 2006
One determined West Virginian keeps alive the memory of an epic miners’ struggle.
Preservation, May/June 2006
Posted in Historic Preservation | Leave a Comment »
L.A. Banks on Buses
May 1, 2006It's not 'rail lite,' say defenders of the city's new busway, one of a growing number of BRT programs across the nation.
Planning, May 2006
Posted in Transportation | Leave a Comment »
WiFi Free-for-All
May 1, 2006Strategies for building municipal wireless networks are evolving fast. But are they prudent in the long run?
Governing, May 2006
Posted in Broadband, Telecom | Leave a Comment »
Heavyweights on TV
April 1, 2006Cable and telecom companies are slugging it out over franchises. Some localities may get hurt.
Governing, April 2006
Posted in Media, Telecom | Leave a Comment »
Coal Converts
April 1, 2006When it comes to lining up new energy sources, a number of states see plain old coal as the cleanup hitter.
Governing, April 2006
Posted in Energy | Leave a Comment »
Faster Than a Speeding Turtle
February 1, 2006
New high-tech tools can make buses a lot more efficient than they used to be. Will that be enough to satisfy riders?
Governing, February 2006
Posted in Transportation | Leave a Comment »
The Code War
January 1, 2006As governments move toward uniform building codes, they are being lobbied by two rival groups that offer competing sets of standards.
Governing, January 2006
Posted in Housing, Regulation, Urban Planning & Design | Leave a Comment »
A Roof to Start With
December 1, 2005Cities are moving homeless people straight from the street into permanent housing — no questions asked. It’s controvesial, but it’s showing results.
Governing, December 2005
Posted in Housing | Leave a Comment »
Rethinking the Urban Speedway
October 1, 2005
For decades, highway engineers focused on designing wider, straighter, faster roads. Now, moving traffic quickly is no longer the sole goal.
Governing, October 2005
Posted in Transportation, Urban Planning & Design | 1 Comment »
Advancing Hope
September 1, 2005For Gloria Rodriguez and her nonprofit group, Avance, preservation is a critical tool in the fight against poverty.
Preservation, September/October 2005
Posted in Historic Preservation, Poverty, Urban Planning & Design | Leave a Comment »
My Interview on Colorado Public Radio
June 9, 2005I was interviewed today on Colorado Matters, regarding my recent Governing article on highway HOT lanes.
Listen to the interview here.
Posted in Radio Interviews, Transportation | Leave a Comment »
How are Families from America’s Worst Public Housing Faring?
October 5, 2004Here’s a transcript of a panel I moderated today for the Urban Institute.
Posted in Housing | Comments Off on How are Families from America’s Worst Public Housing Faring?
A Bridge Too Many?
September 1, 2004Louisville’s fight to ease traffic has been long, bitter—and very American.
Preservation, September/October 2004
Posted in Historic Preservation, Transportation | Leave a Comment »
D.C.’s Waterfront Revival
April 1, 2004You need not wander far from the steps of the U.S. Capitol to find a part of Washington, D.C., that even most locals don’t know exists.
Planning, April 2004
Posted in Urban Planning & Design, Washington D.C. | Leave a Comment »
Reinventing the District
February 1, 2004A pro-planning mayor and his planning director set a new course for a troubled city.
Planning, February 2004
Posted in Urban Planning & Design, Washington D.C. | Leave a Comment »
America’s Green Mayors
June 1, 2002Building a park in Boston these days is no easy task. That’s not stopping Mayor Tom Menino.
Rails to Trails, Summer 2002
Posted in Parks, Urban Affairs | Leave a Comment »
S’mores on the Green Line
August 11, 2001At Greenbelt Park, go camping…by Metro.
Washington Post, August 22, 2001
Posted in Camping, Transportation, Travel, Washington D.C. | Leave a Comment »
- I'm a D.C.-based journalist who knows that the real action in America's civic life happens outside the Beltway. This is a collection of my latest writings.
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