Planetizen has asked me for nominations for their annual list of the web’s top planning and development websites. Winners in 2007 included architecture blog BldgBlog, Arlington County’s Commuter Page, and the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy’s Visualizing Density tool. The criteria simply request sites that are a service to the planning community. What sites should […]
Metro’s Fares Analyzed
With the D.C. Metrorail’s fares set to increase on Sunday, it piqued my interest in precisely how the system determines charges and the nature of the changes. I decided to take a look at exactly what pattern the famously unpredictable fares took. While most news reports have reported suburban riders would experience the largest absolute increases, my analysis shows they continue to enjoying the lowest cost per mile of all riders, well below the cost of automobile use.
AHA Conference Schedule
I’m attending the American Historical Association Conference this weekend, held in the Woodley Park hotels here in Washington, D.C. A list of the sessions I’m thinking of attending is below.
Planning a Fake City
Our novels, films, and urban planning textbooks are filled with imaginary cities. Whether utopias or dystopias, most of these fictional cities imagine what a city could be at its best — or worst. However, few describe an average city, let alone map out a typical yet entirely fake 1,011 square mile American city in excruciating detail, complete with a named streets and an imaginary history. That’s precisely what my friend Neil Greenberg set out to do with his Fake Omaha project. Read more to find out how he keeps track of 11,000 street names and how imaginary transit systems and mayors transform the fake backwards city into a fake dynamic metropolis, and what we in the real world can learn from it.
Talking Billboards Installed in Chinatown
Despite a recent growth in new digital signs, the sky is still visible in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood—for now. Find out just how many pedestrians it takes to entice advertisers to install huge talking video billboards, and where a California company hopes to add even billboards, sidewalk signs, and temporary event banners.
Urban Recycling the Capitalist Way
Fueled by record high prices, thieves from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Mumbai, India are causing headaches for authorities by stealing copper wires, aluminum bleachers, and iron manhole covers. Meanwhile, in Detroit, the problem of metal theft has driven energy company executives to confront directly those who would cut down copper wiring to sell at a profit. The trend could transform our cities, and also perhaps our architecture.
Reforming the Presidential Primary System
The frantic jockeying between states to secure early dates for presidential primaries and caucuses has fueled interest in plans reform the entire primary system. In this post I review the major proposals and describe why I think an “interregional” plan developed by a Michigan congressman holds the most promise.