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How cities can drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens
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Urban Reform Institute
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Urban Reform Institute is a 501c3 Non-Profit organization
that exists to promote approaches that enable cities to
drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens.
Americans Are Not As Divided About the Pandemic As It May Seem
in Demographics, Politics & Policy/by Samuel J. Abramsby Samuel J. Abrams — Data from the Pew Research Center collected during the epidemic reveals that Americans are indeed polarized around Trump and his behavior but are not deeply divided when it comes to real, concrete safety measures to mitigate the virus and protect Americans.
Subways Seeded the NYC Epidemic: MIT Economist
in Politics & Policy, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — According to an MIT economist, continued high ridership on MTA subways and the rapid surge in infections during the first two weeks of March at best supports the hypothesis that the subways played a role.
Our Double Black Swan, Density vs. Pandemic, and More
in Demographics, Urban Issues/by Tory GattisHouston has been reeling from oil-market chaos and a coronavirus shutdown. Houston CFO Chris Brown has taken to calling the city’s situation a “double black swan.”
A Look At Demographia’s Latest Housing Affordability Survey
in Demographics, Economics, Housing, Urban Issues/by Prakash Lounganiby Prakash Loungani — In this interview, Wendell Cox talks about Demographia’s latest housing affordability survey. Wendell Cox is an American urban policy analyst and academic. He is the principal of Demographia (Wendell Cox Consultancy). The survey is co-authored with Hugh Pavletich of Performance Urban Planning.
Virus declining, future of cities, a gathering place park for Houston, and more
in Urban Issues/by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Hope everyone is staying safe – things are starting to look pretty good here in Houston, let’s hope the trend of virus cases declining holds
The Pandemic and the Strengths of Our Networked Government
in Politics & Policy/by Aaron M. Rennby Aaron M. Renn — America’s system of federalism provides plenty of opportunity for fighting among various levels of government. But as the coronavirus response is showing, this system also has underappreciated strengths that we should take care not to overlook.
Who Will Prosper After the Plague?
in Demographics, Economics, Politics & Policy/by Joel Kotkinby Joel Kotkin — Who will prosper after the plague? By disrupting smaller grassroots businesses while expanding the power of technologies used in enforcement, coronavirus could further empower both tech oligarchs and the “expert” class.
The Oil Crash Solution, Sprawl vs. COVID-19, and More
in Planning, Suburbs/by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — An oil crash solution: a guaranteed price floor for U.S. oil producers would prevent job losses for skilled engineers and multibillion-dollar bailouts for U.S. oil companies; strengthen our energy security and accelerate our clean energy transition.
“Exposure Density” and the Pandemic
in Demographics, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — My article last week, Early Observations on the Pandemic and Population Density, suggested that the risk of infection is a function of being close to people who are infected. The most fundamental issue is thus, how close people are to one-another in their daily lives.
Oligarchy and Pestilence
in Politics & Policy/by Joel Kotkinby Joel Kotkin — It’s January 21, 2021 and President Biden’s first full day in the White House. Surrounded by cheering key Democratic Party constituencies and financial backers, the new president proclaims a “climate emergency” – placing essentially the entire economy under Washington’s control.