Entries by Mike New

IS JAKARTA THE WORLD’S MOST CONGESTED CITY?

by Wendell Cox 02/13/2015 The world’s second-largest city, Jakarta, is its most congested according to the Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start Index. The Start-Stop Index estimates the average number of starts and stops per vehicle in 78 cities around the world. Jakarta drivers had 33,240 starts and stops annually according to the survey. A higher number of […]

THE EMERGING NEW ASPIRATIONAL SUBURB

by Aaron M. Renn Urban form in American cities is in a constant state of evolution. Until recent years, American suburbia was often built without an appreciation for future evolution. This has left many older suburbs in a deteriorated state, and has accelerated claims of a more generalized suburban decline. The Indianapolis suburb of Carmel represents […]

PRAYING IN THE STREETS: RITUAL AS AN URBAN DESIGN PROBLEM

by Sarah Perry 02/07/2015 “he city as World icon is being destroyed, not by being secularized (it was always secular at base with some sacral potencies shooting through it from every angle) but by being radically profaned. The city has become the playground not of Wisdom but the battleground of savages, as in Belfast and […]

AMERICA A HOUSE DIVIDED OVER RACE

by Joel Kotkin 02/04/2015 The election of Barack Obama six years ago was hailed as a breakthrough both for minorities, particularly African Americans, and for his being the first “city guy” elected president in recent history. Both blacks and urbanistas got one of their “own” in power, and there were hopes that race relations and […]

BUSES: RIDE THE FRIENDLY ROADS?

by Joseph Schwieterman 01/29/2015 Intercity bus companies have made some surprising moves to win a bigger slice of the business-travel market in the past year. City-to-city express operators like BoltBus, GO Buses, and Megabus are upping their game, and several new luxury services have entered the mix with amenities designed to attract disenchanted frequent flyers […]