Announcements

I’m long overdue posting here about a couple big announcements in my life. First and most importantly, last December, Libby and I got engaged. Longtime readers will know her from her occasional cameos among the wonkyness, or of course from real life! When we met at Michigan, we bonded over a shared interest in upside-down […]

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High Speed Rail: Getting Our Money’s Worth

Advocates for passenger rail in America are excited. The stimulus bill provided $8 billion for high speed rail construction, California has passed a bond for nearly $10 billion to build a system in that state, and other projects from Florida to Chicago are moving forward. The Federal government is planning to issue the grants to […]

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The Intercity Bus is Back.

You may have spotted an unusual sight cruising on an Interstate between many U.S. Midwestern cities or up and down the East Coast. Large, modern double-decker buses have been ferrying passengers between dozens of Northeast and Midwest cities. More than the “dirty dog,” these buses are shiny and sleek, with free wi-fi and halogen lighting. […]

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Summer Planning and Technology Today Newsletter Out

Over the past year I’ve become involved in the American Planning Association’s Technology Division, an interesting group of academics and professionals interested in technology in planning. This summer together with PB’s Steve Chiaramont, I became co-editor of the Division’s newsletter Planning and Technology Today. Our first issue contains stories on GIS, regional scenario analysis, and […]

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On Small Step for Social Data?

When swivel.com launched in 2007 I was excited: at last, a company set themselves to creating a user-friendly platform for exploring data. However, something disappointing happened: the core software of the website hasn’t evolved much. The problems I identified in an early blog post, such as not highlighting user-created charts and the limited customization of […]

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