Snapchat App Screen by Adam Przezdziek

Is L.A. Back? Don’t Buy the Hype

by Joel Kotkin With two football teams moving to Los Angeles, a host of towers rising in a resurgent downtown and an upcoming IPO for L.A.'s signature start-up, Snapchat parent Snap Inc., one can make a credible case that L.A. is back.

Transportation Game Changers

by Peter Gordon The L.A. Times notes that LA Metro ridership is still falling -- even though billions have been (mis)spent on extra capacity over the last 30+ years. By my count that's the second time this year that the Times has broached this tender topic.

Visualizing Houston’s Population Density

by Brian Shreckengast Population density may sound like the most mundane of metrics, a column heading in a city planner’s spreadsheet, but in cities across the U.S. it’s been a source of cultural controversy, guiding where people move and why.
Capitol Dome at dusk

Decentralize Government to Resolve Country’s Divisions

by Joel Kotkin America is increasingly a nation haunted by fears of looming dictatorship. Whether under President Barack Obama’s “pen and phone” rule, or...Read more
Flint, Michigan

The Real State of America’s Inner Cities

The New York Times ran a piece in today’s paper about the…
Texas Medical Center

The Evolving Urban Form: Houston

by Wendell Cox... Houston is among the newer of the world’s great cities. It has experienced sustained growth in every decade since the turn of the 20th century.
Texas Way of Urbanism cover

Urbanophile Reviews Texas Way of Urbanism

by Aaron M. Renn Texas cities are places many urbanists love to hate. I worked in Houston several years ago and it wasn’t my personal cup of tea. I much prefer living in a higher density, traditional urban pattern...
Salt Lake City skyline

What kind of city do residents want?

by Utah League of Cities and Towns Dense is not necessarily desirable when it comes to planning a city. That’s the opinion of a man who is internationally recognized as an authority on economic, political and social trends...
Town Square in Texas

Texas Way of Urbanism

In The Texas Way of Urbanism, COU investigates the economic and demographic growth of the 'Texas Triangle', formed by Dallas-Fort Worth at its northern point; Houston at its southeastern edge on the Gulf Coast; and Austin-San Antonio at its western tip in Central Texas.
Photo Credit: Jason Reed/Reuters

Governing Local is Governing Best

By Dan Benson... In our recent election, about half the country voted one way and the other half voted the other. But "localism" may be an issue where voters of all stripes can find common ground.