I was included in an e-mail thread last week about a 19,000 unit master planned community on the far edge of Los Angeles County. There’s an on-going debate about whether this is part of California’s housing solution or part of the problem. Centennial is one of three proposed residential developments at Tejon Ranch. It hugs the border of Kern County thirty miles outside of Bakersfield and three mountain ranges from LA proper. After a couple of decades of negotiations it was finally approved by the authorities. read more »
The New "Micro-Mode" of Travel: E-Scooters
From public forums to mobility conferences to office watercoolers, dockless electric scooters (“e-scooters”) are a hot topic these days. Travelers are turning to e-scooters to shave precious time off their commutes and experience urban environments in fun new ways. City officials, meanwhile, are asking difficult questions about their safety and impacts on sidewalk use and transit. read more »
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Coastal Branding Tactics for Heartland Cities
Indianapolis Monthly magazine just ran an interesting feature article on Gwendolyn Rogers, proprietor of a local store called the Cake Bake Shop. I have never been to it and am not the target market. But I thought there were a few interesting elements to it that are relevant not just to marketing businesses but cities. read more »
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Our Most Popular Stories of 2018
On the first day of the new year, here’s a look back at the most popular articles published by New Geography in 2018. Happy New Year and thanks for reading. read more »
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What Will Come After The Era Of Trumpism?
If this undisguised reality series played by Hollywood rules, it would have already been canceled. The President Trump show has failed to grow its audience, and the reviews, even from the mildly sympathetic, are consistently bad. read more »
Hong Kong’s Micro-Flat Bust: Set to Spread?
“Hong Kong’s infatuation with multi-million dollar shoebox homes is over as quickly as it began,” trumpets a December 21 headline in the South China Morning Post. According to Hong Kong’s largest English language newspaper, since 2016, there has been a spate of micro-flats construction, with 18 times as many built this year as in 2013. Micro-flats typically have less than 200 square feet of living space (19 square meters). read more »
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The Rise of Columbus, Ohio
My latest article is online over at City Journal. It’s a look at Columbus, Ohio, which is doing very well these days. Here’s an excerpt: read more »
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How to Sell Forced Densification to Libertarians
When cities pass zoning rules (as Missoula, Portland, and many Portland suburbs have done) mandating minimum-density zoning — so that people are forced to either build high-density housing in existing low-density neighborhoods or build nothing at all — libertarians lead the charge against such rules. But urban planners have managed to achieve the same result, and gain the support of some who consider themselves libertarian, by: read more »
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As the Old Faiths Collapse, the Greens, Social Justice Warriors, and Techno-Futurists Aim to Fill the Void
The pews are emptying virtually everywhere in the higher-income world. The Catholic Church is divided and enmeshed in scandal, unable to prevent even historically cleric-dominated Ireland from liberalizing abortion. read more »
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The Past and Future of Latino Politics
Perhaps nothing will define our future politics more than the dispensation of Latino voters. Once limited to a few states, Latino voters are now an important and growing factor in many parts of the country beyond the Southwest or New York. read more »
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