Reinventing America's Cities

Some have asserted that today's economic situation presents an opportunity to reformulate the usual means with which the country's infrastructure is paid for and the focus of the improvements. The very physical structure of our country may again need to be shifted. Indeed, there is no doubt that the way things worked last decade is now outdated. As stated by Richard Florida in the article I linked below,

But another crucial aspect of the crisis has been largely overlooked, and it might ultimately prove more important. Because America’s tendency to overconsume and under-save has been intimately intertwined with our postwar spatial fix—that is, with housing and suburbanization—the shape of the economy has been badly distorted, from where people live, to where investment flows, to what’s produced. Unless we make fundamental policy changes to eliminate these distortions, the economy is likely to face worsening handicaps in the years ahead.

Suburbanization—and the sprawling growth it propelled—made sense for a time. The cities of the early and mid-20th century were dirty, sooty, smelly, and crowded, and commuting from the first, close-in suburbs was fast and easy. And as manufacturing became more technologically stable and product lines matured during the postwar boom, suburban growth dovetailed nicely with the pattern of industrial growth. Businesses began opening new plants in green-field locations that featured cheaper land and labor; management saw no reason to continue making now-standardized products in the expensive urban locations where they’d first been developed and sold. Work was outsourced to then-new suburbs and the emerging areas of the Sun Belt, whose connections to bigger cities by the highway system afforded rapid, low-cost distribution. This process brought the Sun Belt economies (which had lagged since the Civil War) into modern times, and sustained a long boom for the United States as a whole.

But that was then; the economy is different now...

Along these lines, the NYT ran this fascinating article outlining some visions for reinventing the city in America. Using four examples, in New Orleans, Buffalo, LA, and the Bronx, ideas for rebuilding, reformulating, and reinvigorating our cities are examined. Using good planning and smart design, these changes can not only bring rejuvenation to an individual city, but collectively to our country.

The U.S. Economy Does Not Exist

So says the headline on this short snippet describing a study that claims,

The United States is not a single unified economy nor even a breakdown of 50 state economies. Instead, the country's 100 largest metropolitan regions are the real drivers of economic activity, generating two-thirds of the nation's jobs and three-quarters of its output. The sooner we reorient federal economic policies to support this "MetroNation," the quicker we can fix the mess we're in.

It's an intriguing idea, and one that actually makes sense. Chicago, for instance, would be the world's 18th largest economy if it were a country, right after Turkey and before Sweden. And with the economic climate the way it is, there is little doubt that the 'crisis' will affect different metropolitan areas in varying ways.

Richard Florida examined this idea in a fascinating article called How the Crash Will Reshape America. He observes,

The crash of 2008 continues to reverberate loudly nationwide—destroying jobs, bankrupting businesses, and displacing homeowners. But already, it has damaged some places much more severely than others. On the other side of the crisis, America’s economic landscape will look very different than it does today. What fate will the coming years hold for New York, Charlotte, Detroit, Las Vegas? Will the suburbs be ineffably changed? Which cities and regions can come back strong? And which will never come back at all?

Our Past

I've spent some time over the past few years working on my genealogy. It's fun, but definitely some work. No matter who we are, I'm pretty sure most of us have some pretty interesting stories in our families' past. Part of the fun tracking down our ancestors is learning their stories.

Since I have some of that interest, I had a soft spot for this fantastic story that ties together a family's immigration story and Chicago.

Iceland Melts Down

Michael Lewis has written a fantastic article documenting the downfall of Iceland's financial system. I fully expect this piece to be in his upcoming book, and it is well worth reading to further understand the global interactions that led to the place we've come to.

He observes,

An entire nation without immediate experience or even distant memory of high finance had gazed upon the example of Wall Street and said, “We can do that.”

Abandoned Real Estate

One of the byproducts of the big real estate slowdown is that many homes and buildings for which the owners can no longer afford payment are being foreclosed upon. Subsequently, they are abandoned. There's probably no more visible display of the downturn than neighborhoods filled with empty buildings.

Mint's blog has done a great job documenting some of these locations in this post. Kind of eery, really. And for a more extensive treatment of the issue, this weekend's NYT magazine features an article on the abandoned homes problem in Cleveland by one of my favorite authors, Alex Kotlowitz.

Robinson Crusoe

Did you know Robinson Crusoe was based on a real man?

Generations of children have been spellbound by Robinson Crusoe's exploits, but few are aware of the real-life figure who inspired the classic. Now, 300 years after he left his island prison, scientists have pieced together how the real Crusoe managed to survive.

Meet Alexander Selkirk.

Congo

As you can see at the right, I'm currently reading a book called King Leopold's Ghost. It's a fantastic and educational book telling of the genocide around the turn of last century in what today is Congo. The chilling stories and abuse are heartwrenching even today.

And it becomes even moreso when we see evidence today of the continuing suffering the people of this region are experiencing. The excellent blog, The Big Picture, has documented over the last few months some of the difficulties there.

Entry #1 (the most moving picture to me-- #19)

Entry #2 (#4 and #5)

Entry #3 (#33)

Calvin Explains The World Today

Some people are always a bit ahead of their time. And I think this strip proves that Bill Watterson undoubtedly is one of those people.

Is Talent Born or Made?

This age-old question has arisen again in a slightly different format. Research has shown that what often separates superstars from everyday performers is just practice. Obviously, that makes a pretty good story. Most of the stories on this subject reference the work of Anders Ericsson, who has advanced some of this thought.

But can it be that any of us has the potential to be great, if only we had put in the time? This is basically the question Malcom Gladwell tackles in his latest book called Outliers, which ponders the question of how a person who's an outlier comes to be so. As you can see on the right, it's a book I recently read, and I would definitely recommend. In my opinion, while he does somewhat shortchange the role of genetics in the production of talent, nonetheless, it's a great summary of research in the area. And if it's a topic that you find interesting, there are several recent books that discuss it as well.

The Places We Live

Today, I aim only to point you to this, a stunning site, which reminds us of our own blessings while educating us about the world we live in.

Wired Education

I was excited to hear there are now college classes on one of our favorite TV shows, The Wire. From the course description:

Discerning critics and avid fans have agreed that the five-season run of Ed Burns and David Simon's The Wire was "the best TV show ever broadcast in America"--not the most popular but the best. The 60 hours that comprise this episodic series have been aptly been compared to Dickens, Balzac, Dreiser and Greek Tragedy. These comparisons attempt to get at the richly textured complexity of the work, its depth, its bleak tapestry of an American city and its diverse social stratifications. Yet none of these comparisons quite nails what it is that made this the most compelling "show" on TV and better than many of the best movies. This class will explore these comparisons, analyze episodes from the first, third, fourth and fifth seasons and try to discover what was and is so great about The Wire. We will screen as much of the series as we can during our mandatory screening sessions and approach it through the following lenses: the other writing of David Simon, including his journalism, an exemplary Greek Tragedy, Dickens' Bleak House and/or parts of Balzac's Human Comedy. We will also consider the formal tradition of episodic television.

Unfortunately, college days are long over for me, and so I won't be able to take said classes. But if you have the option, make sure you do. But at the very least, just go out and rent the DVDs already. And really, that's probably good enough.

(ht: Kottke)

Mass Transit Spending

Obviously there is a lot of back and forth going on right now as to what exactly the stimulus bill will contain. I will admit that as a transportation design professional I am admittedly biased. I would love to see as much transportation spending as possible.

But I would especially love to see a large influx of funds marked for mass transit spending use. As our nation looks at the role transportation will play in its future, I am a big proponent of the positives an efficient nationwide mass transit system will bring. This article does a better job than I would making this case, and so I encourage you to go check it out. And if you have the opportunity, talk to your representatives and urge them to do what they can to increase transit funding.

The Evil Behind the Smiles

Recently, I posted about the ongoing problem of slavery in the world today. Now, I strongly encourage you to read Nicholas Kristof's latest columns about sexual slavery in southeast Asia in order to become more informed.

The columns and associated videos are informative but heartwrenching. After seeing the movie Taken, which depicts the similar problem in Europe and reading these columns, there's no doubt that I'm motivated to see change come for these women. The cruelty exhibited and sad reality so many of these women face is disturbing.

Do your part, get informed, and make a difference!

Blago

As I have pointed out before (really, go re-read that one), the fine governor of our fine state of Illinois, Mr. Rod Blagojevich, is a bit on the odd side. (You don't say?)

Today he was making the media rounds (you know, the typical serious venues for someone accused of simple things like impeachment, The View, etc.), attempting to explain away whatever utter foolishness was captured on tape by the feds last year. Does anyone think this is working?

On Friday, he again gave us a quote that is perplexing enough to be funny. The AP explained:

Blagojevich, a fan of Western movies, drew a long analogy Friday between his situation and that of a cowboy falsely accused of stealing a horse. His story ended with one cowboy suggesting the accused thief be hanged, with the other suggesting he first be tried, then hanged.

Not to sell it short, here's the full quote from the governor himself:

Now, I like old movies and I like old cowboy movies, and I want to explain how these rules work in a more understandable way. There was an old saying in the Old West. There was a cowboy who was charged with stealing a horse in town. And some of the other cowboys, especially the guy whose horse was stolen, were very unhappy with that guy. And one of the cowboys said, "Let's hang him." Then the other cowboys said, "Hold on. Before we hang him, let's first give him a fair trial. Then we'll hang him." Under these rules, I'm not even getting a fair trial. They're just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules, that prevent due process, they're hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor.

Now, they may be for or against me. They may like me or not. But the people of Illinois have every right to expect that the decision they've made when they have chosen a governor, if he or she is going to be removed from office, that the process ought to at least have fundamental fairness and have all the safeguards that our Constitution guarantees to all of our citizens. Under these rules, Rule 15F and Rule 8B, under that fact pattern I just gave you, if the cowboy who's charged with stealing a horse was charged with doing that in town, but in fact on the date and time that he apparently stole the horse in town he was on the ranch with six other cowboys herding cattle and roping steers, and then he expects that when his day comes to go to court he can bring those six cowboys to say it wasn't him because he wasn't in town, he was on the ranch herding cattle -- even if he could bring those cowboys in to say that, under these rules, under 8B, it wouldn't matter. The complaint that charged him with stealing the horse would convict him because you can't challenge it and you can't have a chance to be able to contest it. Again, not fair; in fact, worse: trampling on constitutional rights.

Wow. Just wow. Mayor Daley had only one word to describe this turn of events...

Volkswagen Hacked

In the midst of the rest of the financial meltdown, one of the most incredible stories in the financial world has largely been forgotten.

Now, laid out clearly is the story of how Porsche hacked the financial system and made a killing on Volkswagen. Wow, what a tale, and what a sad ending.

Burger Chains

Recently, several national fast food hamburger joints have opened their first branch in Chicagoland. The Trib has the rundown.

All I would add is, In-N-Out please?

2010

Only one year away now. That's kind of astounding for a lot of reasons. But, it could potentially be a history-making year if one Russian professor's predictions comes true.

For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010... that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S.

Considering the recent economic malaise, people are paying a little more attention than usual. Here's how he says it would go:

[Ongoing] mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.

Here's a map of the USA as he sees it being by then:

So what do you think are the chances he's correct?

Obama's Infrastructure Impact

As an infrastructure design engineer, my coworkers and I have been watching with great interest the plans President Elect Obama has been working on for an economic stimulus package that will include vast infrastructure spending. While a bill such as this would obviously be good for business, I'm more excited for it on the results side. I truly think that investments in well designed infrastructure are vital components in building our future. These are the sort of physical investments that not only add character to communities, but add livability.

As Obama has prepared to take office, it has become clear that investment in cities will be a tangible aspect of his policy. Several of his Cabinet selections are, I think, good selections from this point of view. Considering he's from here and adding on the possibility of the Olympics, I'm very excited about the possible future investments Chicago is going to see. Certainly there is an aspect of that excitement that is very self-interested, but I think this investment will prove to be valuable to all residents. And similar investments across the country will likewise prove very worthwhile, in my opinion.

Where I Was - 2008

Continuing the tradition from last year, here's where I was in 2008:

Chicago, IL *
Marble Falls, TX
San Antonio, TX
Livermore, CA
Greenville, IL *
Lake Geneva, WI
Indianapolis, IN
LaGrange, IL
St. Paul, MN

Hmm, somewhat shorter again. Apparently we need to make some trips. I'm sure we'll get to it in a few decades.

How about you, where were you?

Criteria = One or more nights spent in each place. Those cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

Murders down, except...

...amongst young black males.

The article notes that it is hoped that new resources can be used to stem this tide. What will work, though? Is it reasonable to expect murders to drop amongst all demographics?

It's worth noting also, as Steven Levitt observes, that the statistics are somewhat misleading.