Aaron M. Renn

All Things Aaron

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For New Urbanism Posts, Follow Me at Heartland Intelligence

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Moving forward, new posts on urbanism and public policy will appear on my Substack site Heartland Intelligence. So please click over and subscribe if you aren't already on the list. I will continue to post free content, like my new piece about the Economist's special section on the Midwest. Premium subscribers will also received access to my … [Read More...]

More From Aaron

Design Minded in Indianapolis

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Earlier this year I recorded two podcasts for the community radio program Design Minded in Indianapolis with Lee Alig and Steve Mannheimer, former architecture critic of the Indianapolis Star. We talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of architecture and design in the city. Here's the first episode. If the player doesn't display for you, … [Read More...]

Bi-State Showdown in Kansas City

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The Kansas City metro area is surely one of America's most unusual. Among large metro areas spanning multiple states, it has the highest percentage of its population living in the state that does not contain its central city (apart from the perhaps even more anomalous case of Washington, DC). There are two municipalities called Kansas City, one in … [Read More...]

The Story of Cities

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My latest piece is a long essay in the current edition of Comment magazine. It's called "Storied Cities" and is about the myths, histories, cultures, and rituals that make cities unique. Here is an excerpt: How is this history, and thus so much of the identity, culture, and economy of a place, understood and communicated? Despite the importance of … [Read More...]

The Cloud Over America’s Downtowns

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My latest column is online in Governing magazine. It's called "The Cloud Over the Future of America's Downtowns" and is about the particular challenge coronavirus related shutdowns pose to the American downtown renaissance. Here's an excerpt: The pandemic has dealt American downtowns severe blows across multiple dimensions. The first is the impact … [Read More...]

Coronavirus Impact on Business, Work, and Life

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If you joined yet, please check out and subscribe to Heartland Intelligence, my monthly research briefing on this critical region of the country that will determine the outcome of the next election. Last week I joined John Fenton from GoLocalProv in Providence for a livestream on the coronavirus. If the video doesn't display for you, click over … [Read More...]

Coronavirus and the Future of Remote Work

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For those of you who have not yet signed up, please check out and subscribe to Heartland Intelligence, my monthly research bulletin on the cities of the greater American Midwest. As you may also know, I've been doing writing for the Indy Chamber's publication Indy Forward. My latest piece there is on the future of remote work in the … [Read More...]

America’s Distributed Governance System

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My latest column is online at Governing. It is about America's distributed governance system, and how it has many strengths as well as the weaknesses we like to bemoan. Here is an excerpt: If there's one level of government that's most frequently touted as obsolete and an obstacle to progress, it's state government. Yet it's those much maligned … [Read More...]

The Lifeblood of America

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My latest piece is online at City Journal and is about the impact of coronavirus on small businesses and efforts to try to help them. Here's an excerpt: Shutdowns mandated by the coronavirus are a pending apocalypse for small businesses, which employ 48 percent of American workers. The average small business has only 27 days’ worth of operating … [Read More...]