In any election, whether federal, state, or local, candidates will vie over who can create the most jobs. At the national level, the unemployment rate is the most important barometer to political success. Presidential candidates routinely promise moonshot employment figures that will be difficult to attain. Then-candidate Joe Biden promised “millions of new good-paying jobs.” Even more farfetched in 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump pledged to create 25 million jobs over a decade. “Jobs” as an issue unites both parties. …
For decades, Venice Beach’s surfers, roller-bladers, beach bums, and free spirits peacefully coexisted along its beachside promenade. But in the summer of 2018, flocks of electric scooter riders emerged — transforming the promenade into a beach befitting the Grand Theft Auto universe. Ensembles of road-raging scooterists swerved past pedestrians and bikers, leaving behind a trail of discarded scooters and sunglasses.
Little did local officials realize, their promenade was being “disrupted” by Silicon Valley. While popular with residents and tourists, local officials failed to understand that their promenades and sidewalks were destined to become electric scooter highways. Pedestrians and cyclists had…
Few cities have changed as much as Nashville has over the past 20 years. A metro area of a mere two million people, it boasts more cranes than coastal metropolises like Boston, SF, and DC. Every day 84 people move into the city. Perennially America’s fastest-growing city, Nashville has transformed from a mid-sized Southern capital known for Dolly Parton, hot chicken, and country music into a national commercial hub.
Nashville’s Sunbelt mold is similar to cities like Raleigh and tends to contradict conventional urban planning wisdom. Walkability is minimal, traffic is dreadful, and the cost of living is considerably higher…
