What exactly is gentrification? … [Read more...]
Betting the Farm on Oregon Iron Works
"Made in USA"...and don't you forget it! United Streetcar, led by its former lobbyist, Chandra Brown, is ostensibly a manufacturer, though its greatest asset seems to be its ability to win government contractors.... … [Read more...]
Surprise: Transit In The US Gets Just As Many Subsidies As Transit In Europe!
The service the Silicon Valley is paying for but not getting Often when I talk about how high American capital transit costs are compared to those in Europe and East Asia, transit backers get quite defensive, and take it as an attack on transit. This couldn’t be further from my intention. My … [Read more...]
Washington Post: Only Idiots Think Infrastructure Spending Is Wasteful, And Americans Are Idiots
It’s no surprise that a lot of politicians and policymakers believe that America’s biggest infrastructure problem is insufficient taxpayer funding. But never have I seen it expressed so condescendingly as in a Washington Post article published yesterday in the PostLocal section, not … [Read more...]
Washington Post: Only Idiots Think Infrastructure Spending Is Wasteful, And Americans Are Idiots
It’s no surprise that a lot of politicians and policymakers believe that America’s biggest infrastructure problem is insufficient taxpayer funding. But never have I seen it expressed so condescendingly as in a Washington Post article published yesterday in the PostLocal section, not … [Read more...]
DC Approved 4,000 New Housing Units This Year, But Is It Enough?
Twitter tells me that earlier tonight, “not-ruling-it-out” possible future mayoral contender (and local smart growth demigod) Tommy Wells held his inaugural book club meeting; the book discussed was Ed Glaeser’s Triumph of the City. DC’s chief planner Harriet Tregoning was … [Read more...]
Why the FRA is Bad for America, in 10 Seconds
A lot of words have been written about how horribly FRA safety regulations cripple US main line passenger railway budgets (and you should read them!), but it’s also important to remember that even as a safety regulator, the FRA fails. You have to see it to believe it: ... … [Read more...]
The Day the Engineers Turned Against California HSR
No, but really – fly California. On Tuesday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority laid down their cards in the form of a new “business plan” for the proposed line, and its cards are not good – the system is now projected to cost $98 billion in year-of-expenditure dollars, which, … [Read more...]