Aaron M. Renn

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Archives for February 2010

Downsides of Consolidation #1: Neighborhood Redevelopment

February 28, 2010 By Aaron M. Renn

This is the first in a short series of posts on the downsides of city-county consolidation. Actually, it might better be described as a discussion of some of the pros and cons of "big box" vs. "small box" municipal government. It is similar to business. It seems like every large business is either doing one of two things: centralizing or decentralizing. There's a sort of cycle of reincarnation about this. Every model has its flaws, and people tend to gravitate towards the other side of the spectrum from time to time when the problems of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Chicago, Columbus (Ohio), Governance and Public Services, Indianapolis, Planning, Transport, and Environment

Why Transit Used to Be Profitable and Isn’t Now

February 23, 2010 By Peter Christensen

It’s a complicated issue, so here’s a little background (I have a Masters in Urban Planning so I’ve read a lot). Streetcar lines (and subways in some places) were profitable businesses, just like railroad lines. But there were a few features that we don’t have today. First, it was a new mobility technology so it opened up land that was too far away to be developed. There is no such land now in metro areas because highways and have cars make all areas equally accessible. Second, they were a real estate play as much as a transportation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Planning, Transport, and Environment

An Examination of City-County Consolidation

February 19, 2010 By Aaron M. Renn

[ This piece will serve as a warm-up to a forthcoming series on the downsides of the consolidation of US city and county governments. I updated it from the original with a bit of information about the current mayoral election in Louisville. ] H. V. Savitch and Ronald K. Vogel of the University of Louisville authored the paper "Suburbs Without a City", analyzing the merger of Louisville and Jefferson County, and in the process making many good observations about or relevant to other consolidated cities like Indianapolis and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Governance and Public Services, Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville

Joel Kotkin on the Future of the Heartland

February 11, 2010 By Aaron M. Renn

Joel Kotkin is an unpopular figure in many urbanist circles. I suspect that doesn't bother him too much. His writing suggests he even delights in it at times, as he seeks out perhaps the most provocative contrarian examples he can find to challenge urbanist conventional wisdom. He champions Houston as a paragon of urban success, for example. And he's been known to extol the popularity and virtues of the suburbs. A typical piece is his 2005 "Rule, Suburbia: The Verdict's In, We Love It There." Among his various ventures, Kotkin is the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Demographics and Economic Development

Preserving Our Mid-Century Heritage

February 5, 2010 By Aaron M. Renn

We walk around the hollowed out remnants of our old downtowns and wonder, “How did this happen? How could generations past have done this? How did they tear down all those wonderful 19th century buildings? Didn’t they know?” Yet I also wonder, will we ourselves bring the same thing into being? It’s common for us to note the moral failings of the past. It’s less easy for us to imagine how future generations might find us wanting. Leslie Poles Hartley famously wrote, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” This … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Planning, Transport, and Environment

It Falls From the Sky

February 2, 2010 By Chris Barnett

"When the well’s dry, then we know the value of water" - Benjamin Franklin"Whiskey’s for drinkin’; water’s for fightin’" - Western aphorism It used to be that people and policymakers in the eastern portion of the US (roughly east of the 100th meridian, which is the western boundary of the main body of Oklahoma) didn’t worry about having enough water. After all, that part of the US has abundant rainfall, mighty rivers, relatively frequent floods, and infrequent severe droughts that always end before the lakes go dry. Under such circumstances, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Planning, Transport, and Environment

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About Aaron M. Renn


 
Aaron M. Renn is an opinion-leading urban analyst, consultant, speaker, and writer on a mission to help America’s cities and people thrive and find real success in the 21st century. (Photo Credit: Daniel Axler)
 
Email: aaron@aaronrenn.com
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