Aaron M. Renn

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A Blast from the Past in Charlotte and Columbus

August 15, 2019 By Aaron M. Renn

I saw a couple of recent reposts containing very interesting material from several decades ago in Charlotte and Columbus. The first is a 25 minute TV special from the 1960s looking at a proposal to issue bonds to fund urban renewal in downtown Charlotte. A few things struck me about this. The first is that despite the video being labeled "Uptown Do or Die" by the local organization that posted it, Charlotte's central business district is consistently referred to in the video as "downtown" not "uptown" as people do today. It's interesting to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Charlotte, Columbus (Ohio), Urban Culture

More Privatization Pain For the Public in North Carolina

May 5, 2015 By Aaron M. Renn

Privatization done right can be a great boon. Done poorly, it can harm the public for decades. We see another example of the latter ongoing in North Carolina (h/t @mihirpshah). The Charlotte Observer reports: The N.C. Department of Transportation’s contract with a private developer to build toll lanes on Interstate 77 includes a controversial noncompete clause that could hinder plans to build new free lanes on the highway for 50 years. The clause has long been part of the proposed contract. But it was changed in late 2013 or early 2014 to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Charlotte, Planning, Transport, and Environment

The Cost of Congestion, The Value of Transit

October 6, 2011 By Aaron M. Renn

Last week the Texas Transportation Institute released the 2011 edition of its benchmark Urban Mobility Report. It is packed full of useful statistics about roadway networks, congestion, and public transit, though is not without its critics (see below). I'd like to highlight some of the more interesting findings out of this. The Value of Transit One of the values TTI estimates is the number of additional hours of delay each peak hour commuter would incur annual if public transportation were discontinued. In effect, this is one key benefit to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Charlotte, Chicago, New York, 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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