Welcome to Citiwire.net! This week’s Citiwire piece by Mark Muro and his Brookings colleague Rob Puentes, focused on Western metros’ advances in self-funding and the need for a thoughtful federal response, matches nicely with my column last week on the Georgia vote to allow regional referenda on sales tax add-on for transportation. … This week, [...]
For Release Sunday, June 06, 2010 © 2010 Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON — Is the Obama administration’s “livability” initiative just a way for intrusive federal bureaucrats to choke off Americans’ prized “automobility” — four wheels to commute from ever-distant suburbs, or just to pick up a quart of milk? That’s the way some commentators [...]
For Release Sunday, June 06, 2010 Citiwire.net The federal transportation finance system is broken and will be short on cash for the for a long time. Some regions—like the growing Phoenix, Salt Lake, Las Vegas, and Denver metropolitan areas—have meanwhile achieved transformation viability through unusual self-help (although they still face massive challenges). Is there a [...]
Welcome to Citiwire.net! Georgia’s move to allow not just Metro Atlanta, but 12 regions around the state vote on sales tax add-on for transportation, could be a major breakthrough on two fronts: (1.) how metros get a measure of self-governance from their state capitals, and (2.) ways to get a clear focus on local transportation [...]
For Release Sunday, May 30, 2010 © 2010 Washington Post Writers Group Atlanta — “Sodom and Gomorrah,” Biblical cities destroyed by God for the sins of their inhabitants, is a term the rural politicos used to apply to villify Atlanta. At county barbecues, they’d rail against the alleged debauchery of Georgia’s lead city. Habits persist: [...]
For Release Sunday March 07, 2010 Citiwire.net Do you know the best survival strategies when an earthquake hits? Would you know how to prepare for a tornado, lean into hurricane-force winds, escape from a smoke-filled room? If fire hit your home, would you know how to use that fire extinguisher you bought years ago? The [...]
For Release Sunday, March 07, 2010 © 2010 Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON — Why in the world should Congress be considering a “Green Taxis Act”? It’s because New York — plus Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and several other cities — want to switch their taxi fleets over to all-hybrid vehicles. But they’ve run into [...]
Welcome to Citiwire.net! Do American cities have a lot to learn from overseas innovations? For big-time proof, check Bill Stafford’s column — how Fukuoka and other Japanese cities train citizens to deal with earthquakes, fires and a broad range of other emergency situations. Bill’s point — how much we spend on anti-terrorism, compared to far [...]
February 28, 2010 – 3:12 pm
Welcome to Citiwire.net! We have contrasting good/bad news columns this week. My column focuses on the upside–the breakthrough potential, for efficiency, smart investment–in the new TIGER transportation grants. But our Associate Mary Newsom’s has a sad story of “smart growth” aspirations gone awry in Charlotte, N.C. orbit. Mary sees changing officeholders and politics as factors; [...]
February 20, 2010 – 1:26 pm
Welcome to Citiwire.net! The idea of a “snow tax” after the deluge of white that hit much of eastern America this winter prompted me to think–Why not? And why not a lot of smarter ways to run government? … And to the West, there’s the question of how Mountain States people will deal with climate [...]
David LEE: Roberta, it’s hard to hear about potential upswing in local economies being a hardship, but not...
V Pete Jorgensen II: Recognizing the opportunities for SW Michigan in the late 70s due to it’s proximity...
Howard Wooldridge: The premise of utilizing our Legacy Cities is sound. The infrastructure is in place. However,...
Peter Newman: Neal As usual very thoughtful and policy relevant. It is so critical to reurbanise rather than scatter...
Mike Shuster: Thanks for such good writing and putting a human feel on the devastating effects of fracking. We are...
Mike Devonshire: Mr. Seif is Managing Partner of 21st Century Energy Development Partners LLC, a firm which develops...
Linda Guthrie: Good comments, but for me the point being made not the gridlock, but rather the rallying cry to...
Steve Livengood: The phrases “gilt-edged” and “thinking people” characterize what is going...
Woody Wheeler: Reilly has an incredibly important perspective that needs to be heard by all thinking people. If...
tom e bowers: Thanks for the clear warnings.
